Grand Circuit in full swing this weekend

Harness Racing This Week: MGM Yonkers Trot, MGM Grand Messenger, New York New York Mile, and Park MGM Filly Pace, Yonkers Raceway, Yonkers, N.Y.; Dave Brower Memorial, Crawford Farms, Perfect Sting, Six Pack, Reynolds Memorial and Tompkins-Geers, The Meadowlands, East Rutherford, N.J.; Nadia Lobell, Harrah’s Hoosier Park, Anderson, Ind.; and Landmark Stakes, Goshen Historic Track, Goshen, N.Y.

Schedule of events: The Grand Circuit weekend kicks off on Friday (June 30) at Yonkers Raceway, with the $300,000 MGM Yonkers Trot final, the first leg of the Trotting Triple Crown for 3-year-olds, the $250,000 MGM Grand Messenger, the first leg of the Pacing Triple Crown for 3-year-olds, the $115,000 Park MGM Filly Pace final for 3-year-old filly pacers and the $100,000 New York New York Mile for 3-year-old filly trotters.

Grand Circuit racing also takes place at The Meadowlands on Friday with the $35,325 Tompkins-Geers for 2-year-old male trotters, the $34,050 Tompkins-Geers for 2-year-old male pacers, and the $33.000 Tompkins-Geers for 2-year-old filly trotters. Then on Saturday (July 1), The Big M will host the $158,140 Dave Brower Memorial for open pacers, the $155,140 Crawford Farms for open trotters, the $142,260 Perfect Sting for pacing mares, the $112,500 Six Pack for trotting mares, two divisions in the $74,800 W.N. Reynolds Memorial for 3-year-old filly trotters and two divisions in the $70,300 W.N. Reynolds Memorial for 3-year-old male trotters.

Also on Friday, Harrah’s Hoosier Park will host the $115,000 Nadia Lobell for 3-year-old filly pacers.

Then on Saturday (July 1) and Sunday (July 2), Goshen Historic Track will host Landmark Stakes races for 2- and 3-year-olds of both sexes and gaits. The 3-year-olds will race on Saturday and the 2-year-olds on Sunday.

Entries for the races can be found by clicking on this link.

Last Time: Up Your Deo posted a track record 1:53.1 mile and Kierkegaard K led at every call in taking the pair of $40,000 MGM Yonkers Trot eliminations for 3-year-old colts and geldings on Friday night (June 23) at MGM Yonkers Raceway. Both Up Your Deo and Kierkegaard K were sent out by trainer-driver Ake Svanstedt.

Owned by Ake Svanstedt Inc., Suleyman Yuksel Stables, Deo Volente Farms and Van Camp Trotting Corp., Up Your Deo posted just his second career victory in his 11th start. The son of Walner returned $2.30 to win as the prohibitive favorite.

Up Your Deo’s time of 1:53.1 broke the Yonkers track mark for 3-year-old trotting colts, eclipsing the previous standard of 1:53.3 set in 2019 by Gimpanzee.

Svanstedt returned with the favorite Kierkegaard K in the second $40,000 elimination, and though there was an inquiry after the finish, it had no impact on Kierkegaard K, who wired the field impressively, drawing clear in 1:54.3 as the 2-5 choice.

Owned by breeder Knutsson Trotting Inc., Kierkegaard K was a winner for the third straight time in 2023 without defeat. Kierkegaard K paid $2.80 to win.

​​Complete recaps of all the races are available at the Grand Circuit website. For a list of 2023 race winners on the Grand Circuit, click here.

Grand Circuit Standings: In 2023, 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 2023 Grand Circuit awards.

Here are the leaders (through the races on 6-24-23):

Drivers: 1. Dexter Dunn – 197; 2. Yannick Gingras – 188; 3. Scott Zeron – 184; 4. Jordan Stratton – 134; 5. Matt Kakaley – 110.

Trainers: 1. Ron Burke – 167; 2. Linda Toscano – 165; 3. Ake Svanstedt – 132; 4. Jeff Gillis – 102; 5. Nancy Takter – 80.

Owners: 1. Mark Ford – 98; 2. Team Tritton Inc. – 52; 3. Jesmeral Stable – 47; 4. Diamond Creek Racing – 39.3; 5. Robert Di Nozzi – 39.

Looking ahead: Grand Circuit action will take place next week at Vernon Downs and The Meadowlands. Vernon will host the Zweig Memorial races for 3-year-old open and filly trotters; The Meadowlands will feature two Graduate Series finals for 4-year-olds of both gaits, Meadowlands Pace eliminations for 3-year-olds, and the opening leg of the Kindergarten Series for 2-year-olds of both sexes and gaits.

by Paul Ramlow, for the Grand Circuit