Grand Circuit to Red Mile and Plainridge

Harness Racing This Week: Red Mile Grand Circuit, The Red Mile, Lexington, Ky. and the Colonial Oaks and Reynolds Memorial, Plainridge Park, Plainville, Mass.

Schedule of events: The second week of Grand Circuit action at The Red Mile kicks off on Friday (Oct. 4) with four divisions in the $320,000 International Stallion Stake for 2-year-old colt trotters and three divisions in the $245,800 International Stallion Stake for 2-year-old filly pacers.

On Saturday (Oct. 5), The Red Mile will host five divisions in the $342,000 International Stallion Stake for 2-year-old filly trotters and three divisions in the $300,900 International Stallion Stake for 2-year-old colt pacers.

On Sunday (Oct. 6), The Red Mile will offer the $500,000 Kentucky Futurity for 3-year-old trotters, the companion $301,550 Kentucky Filly Futurity for 3-year-old filly trotters, two divisions in the $422,000 Tattersalls Pace for 3-year-old colt pacers, two divisions in the $233,000 Glen Garnsey Memorial for 3-year-old filly pacers, the $159,000 Allerage for open pacers, the $153,000 Allerage for open trotters, the $69,500 Allerage for older trotting mares and the $65,500 Allerage for older pacing mares.

Grand Circuit racing at Plainridge Park will take place on Monday (Oct. 7) with two divisions in the $99,660 Reynolds Memorial for 3-year-old colt pacers, the $62,150 Reynolds Memorial for 3-year-old filly pacers and the $53,150 Colonial Oaks for 3-year-old filly trotters.

Complete entries for the races are available at this link.

Last time: Twin B Joe Fresh and Jiggy Jog S headed to Saturday’s stakes action at Hollywood Dayton Raceway with top billing, and the sport’s two highest-ranked stars did not disappoint.

Twin B Joe Fresh won the $250,000 Dayton Distaff Derby for older female pacers by 4-1/2 lengths in a track-record 1:48.3 over a surface labeled “good” one race after Jiggy Jog S captured the $250,000 Dayton Oaks for older female trotters by 3-1/4 lengths in 1:52.1.

Both mares were driven by Dexter Dunn, who swept the night’s four major stakes, adding the $250,000 Dayton Trotting Derby with Logan Park and the $250,000 Dayton Pacing Derby with Abuckabett Hanover. Dunn won six races total on the card.

Twin B Joe Fresh, ranked No. 1 in the Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown poll, went to the lead at the start of the Dayton Distaff and posted fractions of :26.3, :54.2, and 1:21 on her way to her ninth consecutive win of the season. Sylvia Hanover finished second and Always B Naughty was third.

Trained by Chris Ryder, the 4-year-old Twin B Joe Fresh has nine victories and a second in 10 starts this season. For her career, the daughter of Roll With Joe-Fresh Breeze has won 28 of 37 races and earned $2.06 million.

Twin B Joe Fresh is owned by Ryder, Dunn, Peter Trebotica, and Barry Spak. She was bred by Brittany Farms.

In the Dayton Oaks, Dunn methodically guided Jiggy Jog S to the front as Call Me Goo and M-M’s Dream were part of a three-horse battle with Pioneer As for the lead in the opening quarter, which Call Me Goo reached in :27.1 by a nose over M-M’s Dream.

The Ake Svanstedt-trained Jiggy Jog S, though, was in front soon thereafter and never looked back, reaching the half in :55.1 and three-quarters in 1:23.3. Call Me Goo finished second and M-M’s Dream was third.

Unbeaten in six races this season, Jiggy Jog S has won 24 of 41 career starts and earned $3.1 million. The 5-year-old mare became the 16th trotter in history to exceed $3 million in North American purses with Saturday’s victory. She is ranked No. 2 in the Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown poll.

Jiggy Jog S is owned by Ake Svanstedt Inc., Steve Stewart, John Lengacher, and Hickory Hollow Stables. The daughter of Walner-Hot Mess Hanover was bred by Vestmarka AB.

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 Farms is the sponsor for the 2024 Grand Circuit awards.

Here are the leaders (through the races on 9-28-24):

Drivers: 1. Dexter Dunn – 1,276; 2. Yannick Gingras – 714.5; 3. David Miller – 574; 4. Scott Zeron – 532; 5. James MacDonald – 486.

Trainers: 1. Ron Burke – 777; 2. Ake Svanstedt – 650; 3. Nancy Takter – 445; 4. Marcus Melander – 439; 5. Anthony Beaton – 286.

Owners: 1. Determination – 205; 2. Burke Racing Stable – 179.8; 3. Weaver Bruscemi – 142.4; 4. Hudson Standardbred Stable – 122.5; 5. Ake Svanstedt Inc. – 120.9.

Looking ahead: The next Grand Circuit action will take place in two weeks at Meadowlands Racetrack with Breeders Crown eliminations for 2-year-olds, 3-year-olds, and older trotters and pacers.

by Paul Ramlow, for The Grand Circuit