by Paul Ramlow, publicity director, The Grand Circuit

This Week: Carl Milstein Memorial, Northfield Park, Northfield, Ohio; Dan Patch Invitational, Hoosier Park, Anderson, Ind.; Gold Cup and Saucer trials, Red Shores Racetrack & Casino, Charlottetown, PEI; and Tompkins-Geers, Tioga Downs, Nichols, N.Y.

Schedule of events: Grand Circuit action kicks off this Friday (Aug. 14) at Northfield Park with the $405,000 Carl Milstein Memorial for 3-year-old male pacers. On that same evening, Hoosier Park will host the $300,000 Dan Patch Invitational for older pacers.

Then on the weekend, Red Shores Racetrack & Casino will host two days of trials for the Gold Cup and Saucer for older pacers. Twelve horses have being nominated, thus setting the stage for trials on Saturday (Aug. 15) and Monday (Aug. 17). The top finishers in the trials will advance to the final on Saturday (Aug. 22).

On Sunday (Aug. 16), Tioga Downs will host the Tompkins-Geers races for 2- and 3-year-old colt and filly trotters. Each of the four divisions will race for estimated purses of $65,000.

Complete entries for the Northfield Park, Hoosier Park and Tioga Downs races are available at this link. Entries for the Red Shores Racetrack & Casino races are available at this link.

Last time: Meadowlands Racetrack closed out their Championship Meet this past Saturday with several lucrative Grand Circuit races led by the $1.2 million Hambletonian, the first leg of trotting’s Triple Crown for 3-year-olds.

USTA/Mark Hall photo

Brian Sears drove Pinkman to the win in the $1 million Hambletonian final.

Pinkman and Brian Sears, who got the drive on the horse less than an hour before the race, took control of the $1 million Hambletonian final at the half and never gave it up as they cruised under the wire to be the 90th winners of the trotting classic in a world record time of 1:51. Pinkman (Explosive Matter-Margie Seelster) is trained by Jimmy Takter and owned by Christina Takter, John and Jim Fielding, Joyce McClelland and Herb Liverman. His winning time was the fastest ever by a sophomore trotting gelding on a mile track.

The filly Mission Brief, who Yannick Gingras chose to drive after her win in the second elimination, gave futile chase in deep stretch and made up ground, but not enough to win. Uncle Lasse, also trained by Takter, was third after adding trotting hobbles between the elimination and the final.

As the field trotted off the starting gate, it was Uncle Lasse (David Miller) who was first to the lead from post seven, hitting the quarter-mile mark in :27.2, with The Bank (Johnny Takter) outside and behind him and Pinkman in third. The Bank was on the move just past the quarter-mile mark, with Pinkman behind him. By the time they reached the half-mile marker in :55.2, Pinkman had the lead on the outside and The Bank was second.

Mission Brief, who had been fourth, a few lengths from the leaders most of the way to the half, hustled to join the crowd and bore down on the leader, Pinkman, around the final turn, getting to his wheel as the field turned for home. She lost contact when they straightened out, but re-engaged under urging from Gingras as the wire drew closer. She got close, but not close enough, three-quarters of a length back. Uncle Lasse was third, The Bank fourth and Jacksons Minion got the final purse check.

Wild Honey came up big in the Hambletonian Oaks. Driver Yannick Gingras and trainer Jimmy Takter teamed up to win the $500,000 Oaks for the second consecutive year as Wild Honey captured the race for 3-year-old female trotters by 1-3/4 lengths over Rules Of The Road in 1:52.2. Bright Baby Blues finished third and Livininthefastlane was fourth.

It was Takter’s fifth Hambletonian Oaks victory. It was Gingras’ fifth win of the day. This duo won the 2014 edition of the Oaks with Lifetime Pursuit. Wild Honey, who was the 6-5 favorite, is a daughter of Cantab Hall-U Wanna Lindy. She has won 13 of 19 career races and earned $838,488. She is owned by Christina Takter, John Fielding, Herb Liverman, and Jim Fielding.

Takter won both the Hambletonian and the Hambletonian Oaks for the second straight year. He won last year with Trixton in the Hambo and Lifetime Pursuit in the Oaks.

Complete recaps of all the weekend races are available at the Grand Circuit website.

Grand Circuit Standings: In 2015, the Grand Circuit leaders in three categories (driver, trainer and owner) will once again be tracked on a points system (20-10-5 for the top three finishers in divisions/finals and 10-5-2 for the top three finishers in eliminations/legs). Winbak Farm is the sponsor for the 2015 Grand Circuit awards.

Here are the leaders following the past week’s action:

Drivers: 1. Yannick Gingras – 572; 2. Tim Tetrick – 410; 3. David Miller – 377.5; 4. Brian Sears – 332; 5. Corey Callahan – 247.5.

Trainers: 1. Ron Burke – 685; 2. Jimmy Takter – 465; 3. Jeff Bamond Jr. – 273; 4. Ray Schnittker – 187; 5. Rene Allard – 163.

Owners: 1. Bamond Racing – 210.5; 2. Burke Racing – 160; 3. Weaver Bruscemi – 141.80; 4. George Teague Jr. Inc. – 100; 5. Jeff Snyder – 78.5.

Looking ahead: Grand Circuit action will be taking place next week at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield with the Review Stakes; at the Indiana State Fair with the Fox Stake, the Ralph Wilfong, the Horseman Stakes and the Hoosier Stakes; at Red Shores Racetrack & Casino with the Gold Cup and Saucer final; at The Meadows with the Moni Maker; at Vernon Downs with the Muscle Hill, Artiscape and Crawford Farms Trot; at Yonkers Raceway with the Lady Maud and Hudson Filly Trot eliminations; at Mohawk Racetrack with the Nassagaweya and Eternal Camnation; and at the Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono with the Battle of the Brandywine, the Colonial and the Valley Forge.