Grand Circuit spotlight shines on Dover and Meadowlands

Harness Racing This Week: Matron Stakes, Dover Downs, Dover, Del.; and Kindergarten Series finals, The Meadowlands, East Rutherford, N.J.

Schedule of events: The Grand Circuit returns to Dover Downs this Thursday (Nov. 11) for four Matron Stakes for 3-year-olds of both sexes and gaits. The 3-year-old colt pace carries a purse of $164,750, the 3-year-old colt trotters will race for $156,300, the purse for the 3-year-old filly trot is $148,550 and the 3-year-old filly pacers will race for $129,000.

The Meadowlands on Saturday (Nov. 13) will offer the lucrative finals of the Kindergarten Series for 2-year-olds of both sexes and gaits. The 2-year-old colt trot carries a purse of $300,960, the 2-year-old filly trotters will race for $294,580, the purse for the 2-year-old colt pace is $238,700 and the 2-year-old filly pacers will race for $220,110.

Last time: After an uncharacteristic break in stride marred her chances of a Breeders Crown title, Mohawk Million winner Venerable ($2.10) righted the ship on Thursday night (Nov. 4) at Dover Downs, delivering a scintillating 1:54.3 win in the $130,700 Matron Stakes for 2-year-old trotting fillies and leading a stakes double for trainer Richard “Nifty” Norman.

“I pulled up that night and told Nifty, ‘I have no reason why she did that,'” driver David Miller said of Venerable’s misstep in her Breeders Crown elimination. “I really don’t know – she’s a 2-year-old trotter. It’s not unusual for them to do something like that.”

With her lone flaw in the rearview mirror, Venerable looked every bit her usual self in the Matron, cruising through a :57.1 first half before accelerating up the backstretch to evade pocket rival HL Revina and first-over challenger Missy Trix to three-quarters in 1:25.3.

After leaving those rivals behind midway on the far turn, the daughter of Walner and Jolene Jolene steadily increased her margin of clearance over the field, reaching the winning post 6-3/4 lengths in front while confidently handled by Miller. I’m Happy Hanover (Brian Sears), the longest shot on the board at 47-1, flew down the grandstand side to finish second over HL Revina (Montrell Teague); Missy Trix (Dexter Dunn) faded to fourth.

“Dexter got in to follow me on the last turn, but I yelled at her (Venerable) and she coasted on,” Miller continued. “I never pulled the ear plugs on her. She felt like herself.”

Now a nine-time winner in 10 starts, Venerable has earned $927,295 for David McDuffee, Melvin Hartman, Paul Bordogna and Steven Arnold.

“You can’t dwell on the last race – you’ve got to move on,” Norman said. “We needed to get a good look at her and make sure she was OK, and she passed all the tests. She was really good. It’s hard to tell watching her because everything looks so easy for her, but David said she had no problems at all.”

Norman completed his stakes double with Joyride Hanover ($5.20), who defeated stablemate Shipnstrol Hanover in the $145,100 Matron for rookie pacing fillies.

In line to Tim Tetrick, the American Ideal-JK Higher Power filly sprinted to a clear lead over Galleria Hanover through a :27.2 quarter and maintained a solid pace throughout. After rating a :56 half, Joyride Hanover faced pressure from even-money favorite A Girl That Twirls up the backstretch before bursting to a four-length lead upon cornering for home and maintaining three lengths of clearance at the end of her 1:52 lifetime-best win. Shipnstrol Hanover (Miller) checked in traffic at the eighth pole behind a faltering Galleria Hanover but salvaged second up the open stretch; Frantasy Hanover (Corey Callahan) lifted off cover for third.

Norman defers some of the credit for Joyride Hanover’s success to Eddie Dennis, who campaigned the three-time winner this summer before owner Eric Good transferred her to Norman’s stable before the She’s A Great Lady.

“She’s a really nice filly,” Norman said. “Eddie Dennis trained her down and did a good job – she was a good horse when I got her.”

Thus far, Joyride Hanover has earned $181,364.

Grand Circuit Standings: In 2021, 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 2021 Grand Circuit awards.

Here are the leaders (through the races on 11-6-21):

Drivers: 1. Dexter Dunn – 1,298; 2. Yannick Gingras – 1,118; 3. Tim Tetrick – 1,015.5; 4. David Miller – 1,000; 5. Andrew McCarthy – 811.5.
Trainers: 1. Ron Burke – 1,231; 2. Tony Alagna – 756.5; 3t. Ake Svanstedt – 680; 3t. Nifty Norman – 680; 5. Nancy Takter – 635.
Owners: 1. Burke Racing Stable – 248.6; 2. Weaver Bruscemi – 216; 3. Crawford Farms Racing – 209.6; 4. Brad Grant – 207.5; 5. Courant Inc. – 194.

Looking ahead: Grand Circuit action will again take place next week at The Meadowlands and Dover Downs. The Meadowlands will feature the four TVG finals for older pacers and trotters and the Fall Four stakes for 2-year-old pacers and trotters. Dover will host the Progress Pace eliminations for 3-year-old open pacers.

by Paul Ramlow, for the Grand Circuit