by Paul Ramlow, publicity director, the Grand Circuit

This Week: Lady Suffolk and Dexter Cup, Freehold Raceway, Freehold, N.J.; Arthur Cutler Memorial and Graduate Pace first leg, Meadowlands Racetrack, East Rutherford, N.J.; and Chip Noble Memorial and Miami Valley Distaff, Miami Valley Raceway, Lebanon, Ohio.

Schedule of events: The Grand Circuit at Freehold this week features the $133,800 Dexter Cup for 3-year-old open trotters and the $66,400 Lady Suffolk for 3-year-old filly trotters on Saturday (May 5). Meadowlands Racetrack offers the $182,500 Arthur Cutler Memorial for older trotters and two $50,000 divisions in the first leg of the Graduate for 4-year-old pacers, also on Saturday. Miami Valley Raceway will feature the $102,200 Chip Noble Memorial for older pacing mares and the $81,600 Miami Valley Distaff for older trotting mares on Monday (May 7).

Complete entries for the races are available at this link.

Last time: Joie De Vie Farm and Winbak Farm’s Vic’s Winner took advantage of a pocket trip to nip On The Ropes by a neck in 1:57 in the $44,600 Dexter Cup elimination for 3-year-old trotters on Saturday (April 28) at Freehold Raceway.

The Dexter Cup is the season’s first stakes race on the road to the Hambletonian, which is harness racing’s premier event for 3-year-old trotters. A total of 11 horses entered the Dexter Cup, one shy of the number necessary to divide the group into two elimination divisions. Therefore, three horses — Don, Maxus and Perlucky — received byes based on career earnings and advanced directly to the May 5 final at Freehold. Vic’s Winner was among the eight horses that competed Saturday for the remaining five spots in the Dexter Cup final.

Trained by Hermann Heitmann and driven by George Brennan, the son of Credit Winner-Victors Vicky took the lead at the opening quarter in :29.1 before yielding to On The Ropes (Ake Svanstedt) at the :58.2 half-mile marker. On The Ropes was still on top at the 1:28 three-quarter pole with Vic’s Winner now out and taking aim at the leader.

Vic’s Winner was just a nose back at the top of the stretch, then got up in the final strides for the neck triumph. Favored Lindy’s Big Bang (David Miller) wound up third, 1-1/4 lengths behind the winner. Fourth-place finisher Credicone (Trond Smedshammer) and fifth-place finisher Thrust Control (Tim Tetrick) also qualified for the May 5 final.

Vic’s Winner was winless in his first two career starts, but capped his 2017 campaign with back-to-back victories with Heitmann, who trained for Joie De Vie in the late 1990s and returned in August. This year, Vic’s Winner also has a second in a division of the Bobby Weiss Series and a first-place finish in a conditioned race. He has earned $45,860 lifetime.

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

Grand Circuit Standings: In 2018, 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 Farms is the sponsor for the 2018 Grand Circuit awards.

Here are the leaders following the past weekend.

Drivers: 1. Tim Tetrick – 129; 2. Jordan Stratton – 119; 3t. Jason Bartlett – 84; 3t. Yannick Gingras – 84; 5. Daniel Dube – 65.

Trainers: 1. Peter Tritton – 102; 2. Ron Burke – 76; 3. Richard Banca – 75; 4. Jim King Jr. – 69; 5. Rene Allard – 65.

Owners: 1. Vonknoblauch Stable – 87; 2. Richard Poillucci -34; 3. Jo Ann Looney-King – 30; 4t. Brittany Farms – 25; 4t. Diamond Creek Racing – 25; 4t. Friendship Stables – 25.

Looking ahead: Grand Circuit racing next week will feature W.N. Reynolds Memorial contests at Yonkers Raceway for 3-year-old colt and filly pacers.