Grand Circuit week opens Monday at Dover

Schedule of events: The Grand Circuit returns to Dover this week for the Matron Stakes for 2-year-olds. The $116,100 2-year-old filly trot will be contested on Monday (Nov. 11). The $133,100 2-year-old filly pace will be raced on Wednesday (Nov. 13). The Thursday (Nov. 14) harness racing program will feature the $145,000 (est.) 2-year-old colt pace.

Complete entries for the races are available at this link.

Last time: Odds-on favorite and millionaire Maryland (Chapter Seven) stayed resolute under an intense far-turn blitz and emerged a 1:53.4 winner in the $173,300 Kindergarten Series final for 2-year-old trotting colts and geldings on Saturday (Nov. 9) at The Meadowlands.

Leaving from post two, driver Dexter Dunn floated Maryland into a gap to race fourth to a :28.2 first quarter and waited to make his move. With the tempo slowing to the backside, Dunn pulled from the pylons and punched forward to seize the lead after a :58.1 half.

Monserrate, tracking Maryland’s sweep, stayed aggressive on the rim and pushed to eye Maryland through the turn. The pair motored in lockstep past three-quarters in 1:26.2 and stayed sparring on the spin for home.

Monserrate downed Maryland by a head early stretch, but Dunn simply held snug lines on his charge in the battle to the finish. Maryland repelled Monserrate and edged away to a half-length win with Durante Hanover, off a ground-saving trip, finishing third and Uno closing from near last for fourth.

“He fights horses off; he’s a real racehorse,” Dunn said after the race. “He showed his quality in his last two starts — the Breeders Crown — and tonight: a will to win. It’s a great quality to have in a champion horse.

“Dave (Miller)’s horse (Monserrate) put up a great fight,” Dunn also said. “My fella, he knew how to win and he wanted to win. I just wanted to get around that last turn safely, but he showed why he’s a champion trotting colt this year.”

A colt out of the Father Patrick mare Crucial, Maryland competes for owners Courant Inc., PCW Racing, Holly Lane Stud East Ltd. and S. Stewart R. Thorn Stable. He has now won six races from nine starts and banked $1,227,695, placing him shy of T C I’s single-season earnings record for 2-year-old trotting colts as well as near the all-time earnings record for a trotting 2-year-old set by Snow White back in 2007 when she accrued $1,252,646.

Off the 1-9 favorite, Maryland paid $2.20 to win.

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 11-9-24):

Drivers: 1. Dexter Dunn – 1,767; 2. Yannick Gingras – 962.5; 3. David Miller – 850; 4. Scott Zeron – 743; 5. Todd McCarthy – 717.

Trainers: 1. Ron Burke – 1,302; 2. Ake Svanstedt – 971; 3. Marcus Melander – 620; 4. Nancy Takter – 609; 5. Noel Daley – 429.

Owners: 1. Burke Racing Stable – 304.7; 2. Weaver Bruscemi – 249.3; 3. Determination – 237; 4. Ake Svanstedt Inc. – 207.2; 5. Caviart Farms – 162.1.

Looking ahead: Grand Circuit action will take place next week at The Meadowlands and Bally’s Dover. The Meadowlands will feature eliminations for 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