Yonkers International Trot leads Grand Circuit weekend

This Week: MGM Yonkers International Trot, MGM Yonkers Raceway, Yonkers, N.Y.; Jim Ewart Memorial and Charlie Hill Memorial, Eldorado Scioto Downs, Columbus, Ohio; and Champlain Stakes and Simcoe Stakes, Woodbine Mohawk Park, Milton, Ont.

Schedule of events: Grand Circuit harness racing will open this week on Saturday (Sept. 7) as MGM Yonkers Raceway will feature the $1 million MGM Yonkers International Trot for older trotters.

Also on Saturday, Eldorado Scioto Downs will host the $250,000 Jim Ewart Memorial for older pacers and the $260,000 Charlie Hill Memorial for older trotters.

Rounding out the busy Saturday, Woodbine Mohawk Park will offer two divisions in the C$164,285 Champlain Stakes for 2-year-old male pacers and the C$167,245 Champlain Stakes for 2-year-old filly pacers, plus single divisions in the C$167,000 Simcoe for 3-year-old male pacers and C$152,000 Simcoe for 3-year-old filly pacers.

Complete entries for the Yonkers and Scioto races are available click here. Entries for the Mohawk races are available at this click here.

Last Time: Periculum (Muscle Hill-Amour Heiress), with Scott Zeron in the race bike, powered home with authority to win the C$600,000 Maple Leaf Trot, Saturday night (Aug. 31) at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

One race after guiding It’s My Show to Canadian Pacing Derby glory, Zeron changed gaits and delivered another sterling steer to take all the spoils.

Logan Park (Doug McNair) blasted off the wings and drove to the front, followed by the trio of Fashion Frenzie (Louis Roy), Osceola (Trevor Henry), and M-M’s Dream (David Miller) into the first turn.

Logan Park was on top by 1-1/2 lengths through an opening panel in :26.3, but M-M’s Dream, unable to find a seat, drove on and challenged the leader, who refused to yield and took his rivals to the half in :54.1. Zeron and Periculum, the 3-5 choice, patiently tracked the pacesetters from seventh, even without having seen the pylons.

Hitting three-quarters in 1:22.4, Logan Park looked to dash away from his foes, as Hillexotic and Periculum, trained by Marcus Melander, arrived on the scene. A game Logan Park dug in along the rail, but 5-year-old Periculum was in full flight and full of trot, going on to secure a 2-1/4 length score over Oh Well, also trained by Melander, in 1:50.4. Logan Park was third and Hillexotic took fourth.

“I really didn’t want to get in a speed duel up front,” explained Zeron. “Not being on the pylons wasn’t the end of the world. It was more about trying to get some nice flow, and obviously it was a hot tempo up front, so I was happy where it was in the last turn.

“I had a great post (five), so, I felt like I had options no matter what. And you know, I could see the writing on the wall a little early. There’s going to be a lot of speed. And I just didn’t want to have to be that one, or the one that was first up early. I was happy with where I was situated.”

Owned by Brixton Medical Inc. and Holly Lane Stud East Ltd., he is now 11-4-6 from 43 starts, to go along with over $750,000 in lifetime earnings.

Complete recaps of all the races are available at the Grand Circuit website. For a list of 2024 race winners on the Grand Circuit, click here.

Grand Circuit Standings: In 2024, 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 2024 Grand Circuit awards.

Here are the leaders (through the races on 8-31-24):

Drivers: 1. Dexter Dunn – 725; 2. Yannick Gingras – 550.5; 3. Scott Zeron – 390; 4. David Miller – 389; 5. James MacDonald – 349.

Trainers: 1. Ron Burke – 603; 2. Ake Svanstedt – 429; 3. Nancy Takter – 303; 4. Anthony Beaton – 219; 5. Noel Daley – 217.

Owners: 1. Burke Racing Stable – 132.7; 2. Determination – 125; 3. Weaver Bruscemi – 108.9; 4. Caviart Farms – 89.2; 5. Ake Svanstedt Inc. – 72.5.

Looking ahead: Grand Circuit action will be taking place next week at Harrah’s Hoosier Park and Woodbine Mohawk Park. Hoosier will host the Peter Haughton Memorial for 2-year-old male trotters and the Jim Doherty Memorial for 2-year-old filly trotters. Mohawk has the Milton for older pacing mares, the Champlain Stakes for 2-year-old male and female trotters, and eliminations in the Canadian Trotting Classic for 3-year-old male trotters, the Elegantimage for 3-year-old filly trotters, the Metro Pace for 2-year-old male pacers and the She’s A Great Lady for 2-year-old old filly pacers.

by Paul Ramlow, for the Grand Circuit