Grand Circuit season concludes this week

Harness Racing This Week: Fall Four and FanDuel finals, Meadowlands Racetrack, East Rutherford, N.J. and Progress Pace final, Bally’s Dover, Dover, Del.

Schedule of events: The Grand Circuit returns to Dover Downs this Wednesday (Nov. 27) for the $267,960 Progress Pace final for 3-year-old open pacers.

On Saturday night (Nov. 30), Meadowlands Racetrack will host the Fall Four events for freshman pacers and trotters and the FanDuel series finals for open pacers and trotters. The Fall Four features the $447,000 Valley Victory for 2-year-old male trotters, the $455,000 Goldsmith Maid for 2-year-old filly trotters, the $382,200 Governor’s Cup for 2-year-old male pacers and the $338,200 Three Diamonds for 2-year-old filly pacers. The FanDuel finals consist of the $325,000 Open Pace, $325,000 Open Trot, $150,000 Mare Pace and $150,000 Mare Trot.

Complete entries for the races are available at this link.

Last time: Captain Albano fought through the wind and cold to capture the Progress Pace elimination at Bally’s Dover on Thursday (Nov. 21). Eleven of the top 3-year-old colt and gelding pacers squared off.

Calicojack Hanover, Better Is Nice and Captain Albano all left in unison approaching the quarter pole. Captain Albano was able to wrestle for the early lead but was parked to the opening quarter in :27. Nijinsky, who paid $25,000 to supplement into Progress Pace, was parked the entire mile as was It’s Saturday Night.

Captain Albano was fierce and would not give up the lead passing the half in :54 and steamrolled to the three-quarters in 1:22. Nijinsky and It’s Saturday Night began to get leg weary approaching the three-quarter pole. In the lane, Better Is Nice and Calicojack Hanover skimmed along the pylons, but their attempts were in vain.

The even odds betting favorite, Captain Albano (Captaintreacherous), won by a half-length in 1:49.4. He paid an even $4.00 for the win. Noel Dailey trained and Todd McCarthy drove. Better Is Nice finished second and Calicojack Hanover was third.

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 Farm is the sponsor for the 2024 Grand Circuit awards.

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

Drivers: 1. Dexter Dunn – 1,789; 2. Yannick Gingras – 982.5; 3. David Miller – 855; 4. Scott Zeron – 748; 5. Todd McCarthy – 737.

Trainers: 1. Ron Burke – 1,327; 2. Ake Svanstedt – 971; 3. Marcus Melander – 640; 4. Nancy Takter – 639; 5. Noel Daley – 449.

Owners: 1. Burke Racing Stable – 311; 2. Weaver Bruscemi – 255.6; 3. Determination – 239; 4. Ake Svanstedt Inc. – 207.2; 5. Caviart Farms – 162.1.

Looking ahead: The 2024 Grand Circuit season will conclude after this week; the 2025 Grand Circuit schedule will be released in February.

by Paul Ramlow, for the Grand Circuit