Pocono and trio of Canadian tracks head Grand Circuit

Harness Racing This Week: Earl Beal Memorial, Max C. Hempt Memorial, James Lynch Memorial and Delmonica Hanover, Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.; Gold Cup and Saucer final, Red Shores Racetrack & Casino, Charlottetown, PEI; William Wellwood and Peaceful Way eliminations, Woodbine Mohawk Park, Milton, Ont.; and Prix d’Ete, Hippodrome 3R, Trois-Rivieres, PQ.

Schedule of events: A busy Saturday afternoon (Aug. 17) of Grand Circuit racing will take place at Pocono with main events and consolations for the Earl Beal Memorial (colt and gelding trot), Max C. Hempt Memorial (colt and gelding pace), James Lynch Memorial (filly pace) and Delmonica Hanover (filly trot).

The Beal has a $300,000 main event and $200,000 and $100,000 consolations; the Hempt also has a $300,000 main event and $200,000 and $100,000 consolations. The Lynch features a $250,000 main event and $125,000 and $75,000 consolations, while the Delmonica Hanover has a $250,000 main event and $125,000 and $75,000 consolations.

Also on Saturday, Red Shores Racetrack & Casino will host the C$100,000 Gold Cup and Saucer final for older pacers.

Woodbine Mohawk Park on Saturday features two C$30,000 William Wellwood Memorial eliminations for 2-year-old male trotters and two C$30,000 Peaceful Way eliminations for 2-year-old filly trotters.

Hippodrome 3R on Sunday (Aug. 18) will host the C$200,000 Prix d’Ete for 4-year-old open pacers.

Complete entries for the Pocono races are available at this link. Entries for the Red Shores Racetrack & Casino, Woodbine Mohawk Park and Hippodrome 3R races are available at this link.

Last Time: After Timeisonemyside (Tellitlikeitis) set devastating fractions early, Sabonis was able to pick up the pieces late, rallying to win the $300,000 Carl Milstein Memorial on Saturday (Aug. 10) at MGM Northfield Park.

The Carl Milstein Memorial was the first time Sabonis had raced on a half-mile track, but his connections were never worried about their prized colt.

“He was pretty good at home on a half, I figured we would give it a shot and see what happened,” said winning trainer Aaron Stutzman.

Dan Noble wasted no time putting Paris’s Dragon into play, timing the gate perfectly and sprinting off the wings into the opening turn, but Timeisonmyside (Anthony MacDonald) was not about to let his rival clear, with the pair getting to a bone crushing :25.4 first quarter.

“Once I saw that quarter pop up, I thought to myself, well we will be okay,” said Stutzman.

It was then that Noble decided to back off the pace, with Timeisonmyside driving on to take the lead on the inside around the far turn for the first time. MacDonald tried to get a breather, but Timeisonmyside was on a speed mission, getting to the half in a demanding :54.1.

Entering the backstretch, Timeisonmyside had a two-length lead and showed no signs of slowing down with Paris’s Dragon and Wish You Well (David Miller) chasing about three to four lengths off the lead. Ronnie Wrenn Jr. asked Noblesville to improve, but he was spinning his wheels up the backstretch, forcing Sabonis (Joey Putnam) to come three-deep with Storm Shadow (Scott Zeron) breaking stride.

Timeisonmyside got to three-quarters in 1:21.4, with Wish You Well applying serious pressure, and eventual winner Sabonis still 6-3/4 lengths off the pace turning for home.

“When I saw the three-quarter time pop up, I was confident we would get there,” said Putnam. “The horse can do it from anywhere, when my hand was forced early to go three-wide, I was confident in his ability.”

Through the stretch, Sabonis worked his way to the lead and won impressively in 1:50.3, Timeisonmyside dug in gamely to be second, with Wish You Well third and Sweet Beach Life (Matt Kakaley), who was begging for racing room, finishing fourth.

“It was a great night, the horse was awesome,” said Putnam. “At Hoosier the bottom turn is tight, I wasn’t worried about him at all tonight.”

The 3-year-old made it eight wins in a row, pushing his career earnings to $327,450.

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

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 Farms is the sponsor for the 2024 Grand Circuit awards.

Here are the leaders (through the races on 8-10-24):

Drivers: 1. Dexter Dunn – 543; 2. Yannick Gingras – 508.5; 3. David Miller – 359; 4. Tim Tetrick – 282; 5. Scott Zeron – 270.

Trainers: 1. Ron Burke – 558; 2. Ake Svanstedt – 344; 3. Nancy Takter – 273; 4. Travis Alexander – 194; 5. Anthony Beaton – 179.

Owners: 1. Burke Racing Stable – 128.9; 2. Weaver Bruscemi – 108.9; 3. Caviart Farms – 75.4; 4. Ryan Smith – 60; 5. West Wins Stable – 59.9.

Looking ahead: Grand Circuit action will be taking place next week at Woodbine Mohawk Park. Mohawk Park will contest several stakes including the William Wellwood and Peaceful Way finals for 2-year-old trotters, the Nassagaweya for 2-year-old male pacers, the Eternal Camnation for 2-year-old filly pacers, the Casual Breeze for 3-year-old filly trotters, and eliminations in the Maple Leaf Trot for older trotters and the Canadian Pacing Derby for older pacers.

by Paul Ramlow, for the Grand Circuit