Breeders Crown elims highlight Grand Circuit week

Harness Racing This Week: Breeders Crown eliminations and Circle City, Harrah’s Hoosier Park, Anderson, Ind.; Kindergarten Series leg, The Meadowlands, East Rutherford, N.J.; and John Simpson Stakes, Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.

Schedule of events:  Thursday will see three $25,000 eliminations for 2-year-old filly trotters and two $25,000 eliminations for 2-year-old male trotters; Friday will feature a trio of $25,000 eliminations for 2-year-old pacing males and a pair of $25,000 eliminations each for 2-year-old filly pacers, 3-year-old filly pacers and 3-year-old filly trotters. Saturday features a single $25,000 elimination in the Open Trot, a pair of $25,000 eliminations each in the Open Pace, Mare Pace and Mare Trot, and a trio of $25,000 eliminations each in the 3-year-old male pace and 3-year-old male trot.

Also on Thursday, Hoosier will host eight Circle City races for 3-year-olds of both sexes and gaits. There will be a pair of $30,500 divisions in the colt pace and two $30,000 divisions each in the colt trot, filly trot and filly pace.

The Meadowlands on Friday will host a leg of the Kindergarten Series for 2-year-olds of both sexes and gaits with each of seven races going for $20,000. There will be a single division in the filly pace and two divisions each in the colt pace, colt trot and filly trot.

Saturday afternoon at Pocono will see three divisions in the $98,100 John Simpson Stakes for 3-year-old colt pacers and three divisions in the $92,300 John Simpson Stakes for 3-year-old colt trotters.

Complete entries for all the races are available at this link.

Last time: Rarely do rivalries live up to the hype in horse racing. Still, on Saturday (Oct. 14), the rivalry between Jugette winner Ucandoit Blue Chip and Jugette runner-up Zanatta more than lived up to the hype as the pair scored a dead heat victory in the $100,000 Courageous Lady Stakes at MGM Northfield Park.

Zanatta (Joe Bongiorno) fired off the wings as the starter gave the word go and cleared Cruise Alert (Jordan Stratton) into the first turn. With Bongiorno setting up shop on the front end, cruising to the quarter in :27.4, she was followed by pocket-sitting Cruise Alert and Ucandoit Blue Chip (Scott Zeron) into the far turn for the first time.

Coming to the half in a testy :55.4, Zeron sent Ucandoit Blue Chip to the outside from third, with Rec Time (Chris Page) in tow. Bongiorno tried to create some separation, opening up to a three-length lead with Zanatta into the backstretch for the final time.

Up the backstretch, the two dominant fillies hooked up and matched strides past three-quarters in 1:23.2, and the stage was set for a dynamic final quarter. Bongiorno, who had set some stiff fractions up to that point, said that he was upset he couldn’t get his filly to relax throughout most of the mile.

Turning for home, it appeared that Zanatta would upend her foe, but Ucandoit Blue Chip dug down deep and gathered up momentum late to get back on even terms, both hitting the wire in 1:52.4. It was the first time in the track’s history that there had been a dead heat in a major stakes event.

“We knew that we would be first up this week, my filly (Ucandoit Blue Chip) raced really brave, and I am tickled with how she raced,” said jubilant Hall of Fame trainer Linda Toscano.

Zanatta’s victory pushed her career earnings to $587,585 for owner One Legend Stable and trainer Jennifer Bongiorno.

Ucandoit Blue Chip heads to the breeding shed following her victory in Saturday’s Courageous Lady. “She’s been so much fun to train,” said Toscano. “It’s been well documented that her mother (Molly Can Do It) gave me my first Breeders Crown winner; having her come along and do what she has has been a pleasure.”

Ucandoit Blue Chip ended her career with $596,127 in earnings and 11 wins in 22 trips to the racetrack. She is owned by Bill Elliott of Woodstock, Ontario.

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

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 10-14-23):

Drivers: 1. Yannick Gingras – 1,009; 2. David Miller – 874; 3. Dexter Dunn – 837; 4. Tim Tetrick – 825; 5. Scott Zeron – 780.

Trainers: 1. Ron Burke – 1,216; 2. Ake Svanstedt – 884; 3. Tony Alagna – 526; 4. Nancy Takter – 483; 5. Brett Pelling – 384.

Owners: 1. Diamond Creek Racing – 350.6; 2. Burke Racing Stable – 248.5; 3. Hudson Standardbred Stable – 185.8; 4. Weaver Bruscemi – 170.6; 5. Ken Jacobs – 150.

Looking ahead: Grand Circuit action will once again take place next week at Harrah’s Hoosier Park and The Meadowlands. Hoosier will offer 12 Breeders Crown finals for 2-year-olds, 3-year-olds and older horses of both sexes and gaits, as well as The Pegasus for 3-year-olds of both sexes and gaits. The Meadowlands will have another leg of the Kindergarten Series for 2-year-olds of both sexes and gaits.

by Paul Ramlow, for The Grand Circuit