Grand Circuit to Mohawk for huge card

The harness racing Grand Circuit swings into Woodbine Mohawk Park on Saturday (Sept. 2) and will offer the C$615,000 Canadian Pacing Derby final for older pacers, the C$530,000 Maple Leaf Trot for older trotters, the C$177,300 Simcoe for 3-year-old male trotters and the C$157,200 Simcoe for 3-year-old filly trotters.

Complete entries for the Mohawk races are available here.

Last Time: For the connections of T C I (Cantab Hall-Nicole’s Promise), it was a win-win result as the rookie trotter not only took Saturday (Aug. 26) evening’s C$620,000 William Wellwood Memorial for 2-year-olds but also earned a golden ticket to contest the prestigious Mohawk Million.

The handsome bay with a penchant for winning is stamping himself as a trotting talent to keep close tabs on, including when he steps into the spotlight for this year’s edition of the Mohawk Million on Sept. 23.

It was longshot Masstercraft (Trevor Henry) who blasted to the front from the outside post ten, with Amazing Catch (Ake Svanstedt) settling into second early. T C I (David Miller), riding a five-race win streak, got away third heading into the first turn, but Miller pressed the gas pedal and the pair got by Masstercraft just past an opening quarter reached in :27.2.

T C I, who won his elimination of the Wellwood on Aug. 19, then cruised to the half in :56.3. Reaching three-quarters in 1:25.4, he was given his cue to power away from his rivals and the Ron Burke trainee responded. But it was 13-1 Mars Hill, fresh off a Wellwood elimination victory, who came calling and looked to reel in the 1-2 choice as the wire drew closer.

In the end, T C I made it six consecutive trips to the winner’s circle, besting Mars Hill (Todd McCarthy) by three-quarters of a length in a time of 1:54.3. Amazing Catch was third, while Soar Higher was fourth.

“He’s been racing phenomenally,” lauded Miller. “His gait and that, it’s kind of flawless. He’s been perfect so far.”

“We’re kind of stuck right now, so we’re going with it, that’s how he wants to race right now,” said assistant trainer Mickey Burke, of the trotter’s eagerness to race on the lead. “We’ll probably tinker with him a little bit here over the next couple weeks and see what we can do with just bringing him down a little bit.”

After finishing second in his debut at The Meadowlands on July 7, T C I, owned by Burke Racing Stable, Hatfield Stables, Knox Services Inc., and Weaver Bruscemi, started his win streak with a four-length score one week later.

Now, the rookie trotter will have the opportunity to deliver his connections a Mohawk Million crown.

T C I earns an automatic berth, for free, into the race in four weeks. The other nine starting spots were purchased for $100,000 each.

“No, I wasn’t feeling that (pressure to get to Mohawk Million),” offered Miller. “I was just concentrating on tonight. It didn’t go the way I wanted it to. He was just being a little bull-headed there leaving out and he was strong enough to hang on.”

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 8-26-23):

Drivers: 1. Yannick Gingras – 579; 2. Dexter Dunn – 560; 3. Tim Tetrick – 481; 4. Scott Zeron – 460; 5. David Miller – 424.

Trainers: 1. Ron Burke – 724; 2. Ake Svanstedt – 499; 3. Nancy Takter – 333; 4. Tony Alagna – 279; 5. Marcus Melander – 261.

Owners: 1. Diamond Creek Racing – 210.1; 2. Mark Ford – 148; 3. Burke Racing Stable – 138.5; 4. Hudson Standardbred Stable – 120; 5. Weaver Bruscemi – 93.3.

Looking ahead: Grand Circuit action will be taking place next week at Eldorado Scioto Downs, Woodbine Mohawk Park, and The Meadowlands. Scioto will feature the Jim Ewart Memorial for older pacers and the Charlie Hill Memorial for older trotters. Mohawk Park will host the Champlain Stakes for 2-year-old male and female pacers, the Simcoe Stakes for 3-year-old male and female pacers and Milton eliminations for older female pacers. The Meadowlands features a leg of the Miss Versatility for older female trotters.

by Paul Ramlow, for The Grand Circuit