2021 Grand Circuit season comes to a close

Harness Racing This Week: The 2021 Grand Circuit season has come to a close. The 2022 schedule will be released in February.

Last Time: Taking advantage of a garden trip behind a pressured pace, Rockyroad Hanover ($11.00) surged up the open stretch to capture Wednesday’s (Nov. 24) $310,000 Progress Pace, for 3-year-old colts and geldings, at Dover Downs.

Dexter Dunn pushed forward with the son of Captaintreacherous and Romantic Moment, working three-wide through the entire first turn to clear Chase H Hanover and Abuckabett Hanover at the end of a :26.1 first quarter.

Rockyroad Hanover strung 3-2 favorite Charlie May out through the third furlong before yielding for the pocket to draft behind middle splits of :54.1 and 1:21.3.

While Charlie May was busy fending off sustained pressure from the first-over Abuckabett Hanover through the far turn, Rockyroad Hanover was poised to pounce up the inside turning for home.

Rockyroad Hanover struck as expected in the final sixteenth, reaching the winning post in 1:49.3 and edging his Tony Alagna stablemate Abuckabett Hanover by a half-length. Charlie May, after being engulfed in deep stretch, narrowly held third over Lou’s Pearlman.

Riverview Racing, Brad Grant, Kenneth Jacobs, and the Plouffe Head and VJ Stable share ownership of Rockyroad Hanover, whose sixth career win lifted his lifetime earnings to $595,134.

Grand Circuit Standings: In 2021, the Grand Circuit leaders in three categories (driver, trainer and owner) were 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 2021 Grand Circuit awards.

Here are the final leaders (through the races on 11-24-21):

Drivers: 1. Dexter Dunn – 1,448; 2. Yannick Gingras – 1,173; 3. Tim Tetrick – 1,115.5; 4. David Miller – 1,065; 5. Andrew McCarthy – 838.5.
Trainers: 1. Ron Burke – 1,291; 2. Tony Alagna – 848.5; 3. Nifty Norman – 730; 4. Ake Svanstedt – 705; 5. Brett Pelling – 669.
Owners: 1. Burke Racing Stable – 258.7; 2. Crawford Farms Racing – 227.2; 3. Weaver Bruscemi – 222.3; 4. Courant Inc. – 219; 5. Brad Grant – 215.8.

Looking Ahead: The 2022 Grand Circuit schedule will be released in February.

by Paul Ramlow, for the Grand Circuit