Big weekend of Grand Circuit racing starts Thursday

Harness Racing This Week: Zweig Memorial open and filly, Vernon Downs, Vernon, N.Y.; Graduate Series finals, Meadowlands Pace eliminations and Kindergarten Series, The Meadowlands, East Rutherford, N.J.; Nadia Lobell and Moni Maker, Eldorado Scioto Downs, Grove City, Ohio; and Landmark Stakes, Goshen Historic Track, Goshen, N.Y.

Schedule of events: The Grand Circuit weekend kicks off on Thursday (July 4) as Vernon Downs hosts the $300,000 Zweig Memorial for 3-year-old open trotters and the $128,000 Zweig Filly for 3-year-old filly trotters. Consolation races will also be held with a $50,000 contest for 3-year-old open trotters and $23,205 event for 3-year-old filly trotters.

Action continues Friday (July 5) at The Meadowlands with the second leg of the Kindergarten Series for 2-year-olds. Seven Kindergarten races will be contested, three for 2-year-old colt pacers, a pair for 2-year-old filly trotters and one each for 2-year-old filly pacers and 2-year-old colt trotters. Grand Circuit racing continues Saturday (July 6) with the $230,000 Graduate Series final for 4-year-old open pacers, the $230,000 Graduate Series final for 4-year-old open trotters, and a pair of $50,000 Meadowlands Pace eliminations for 3-year-old open pacers.

Also on Saturday, Scioto Downs will host the $100,000 Nadia Lobell for 3-year-old filly pacers and the $100,000 Moni Maker for 3-year-old filly trotters.

Then on Saturday and Sunday (July 7), Goshen Historic Track will host Landmark Stakes races for 2- and 3-year-olds of both sexes and gaits. The 3-year-olds will race on Saturday and the 2-year-olds on Sunday.

Entries for the races can be found by clicking on this link.

Last Time: Sir Pinocchio became a two-time winner on harness racing’s Grand Circuit this year, as the Dexter Cup champion was a front-stepping 1:54.4 winner in Friday night’s (June 28) $300,000 MGM Yonkers Trot at MGM Yonkers Raceway, giving him the first leg of the Trotting Triple Crown.

Driver Jason Bartlett fired Sir Pinocchio out from post two and battled for early command with pole sitter and favorite Security Protected (Tim Tetrick), but that horse made a break on the opening turn, leaving Sir Pinocchio in front well before the quarter, which went on the board in just :29. Facing no outside pressure in the second quarter, Bartlett kept the tempo easy, getting to the half in just :58.2.

Passing the half-mile marker, trainer-driver Ake Svanstedt swung Situationship, who had made a break before the start but reset and sat fifth, to the outside first-over, and he came with a strong bid that carried him to within three-quarters of a length of Sir Pinocchio at the 1:26.3 three-quarters.

Sir Pinocchio was game, though, keeping Situationship at bay on the rim and going on to the win by a half-length in 1:54.4. Situationship was second from elimination winner Bargain (Yannick Gingras). Fly By (Scott Zeron) also recovered from an early miscue to collect fourth and I’m Out (Marcus Miller), who also went off-stride from fourth before three-quarters, was fifth.

Ed Hart trains Sir Pinocchio, a gelding by Met’s Hall, for owner/breeder Carolyn Atherton. Sir Pinocchio has six wins, four seconds and two thirds from 14 appearances, has pocketed $341,853 and paid $10.80 to win as the 4-1 third choice.

Trainer Travis Alexander won the MGM Grand Messenger Stakes final for 3-year-old male pacers at MGM Yonkers Raceway for a third time and swept the exacta in Friday night’s (June 28) $225,000 edition of the first leg of the Pacing Triple Crown, as Sweet Beach Life rallied past stablemate Howlenthehills for a 1:53.1 victory.

Elimination winner Janelle Granny, driven by George Brennan, went to the lead from post six and cut an opening quarter in :27.2 with Lou’s World (Todd McCarthy) in the pocket, followed by elimination winner Howlenthehills (Matt Kakaley) and Armada Hanover (Tetrick). Janelle Granny remained unpressured to the half in :56.2, but Kakaley guided Howlenthehills first-up shortly after that marker, and he would be tracked in the outer tier by Armada Hanover, Sweet Beach Life (Tyler Buter) and Wish You Well (Zeron).

Howlenthehills made steady progress on the outside to get side-by-side with Janelle Granny at the 1:24.2 three-quarters, and their duel would continue around the final bend, with Tetrick sending Armada Hanover three-wide late on the turn and Buter fanning Sweet Beach Life out four-wide.

In the stretch Howlenthehills forged his way into the top spot as Janelle Granny tired, but Sweet Beach Life had the best kick to the wire and was up to take the race by a half-length. Howlenthehills out-lasted Armada Hanover for second and Lou’s World, who had to move out to get past the tiring Janelle Granny and then swung back to the inside, had to settle for fourth. Wish You Well came on to get fifth.

A Sweet Lou gelding bred by Sergent Stables, Sweet Beach Life is trained by Alexander for owner A Sweet Beach Life Stable. He has a summary of 5-3-3 from 17 career outings, has put away $189,732 and paid $15.40 to win as the 6-1 fourth choice.

​​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 6-29-24):

Drivers: 1. Yannick Gingras – 288.5; 2. Dexter Dunn – 270; 3. Matt Kakaley – 167; 4. Jason Bartlett – 161.5; 5. James MacDonald – 149.

Trainers: 1. Ron Burke – 224; 2. Travis Alexander – 162; 3. Ake Svanstedt – 147; 4. Nancy Takter – 116; 5. Anthony Beaton – 109.

Owners: 1. Guy Corbeil – 57; 2. Burke Racing Stable – 53.3; 3t. Kathy Cecchin – 50; 3t. Symmetry Stables – 50; 5. Graham Grace Stables – 45.

Looking ahead: Grand Circuit action will take place next week at The Meadowlands. The track will feature the Meadowlands Pace final for 3-year-olds, the William Haughton Memorial for older pacers, the Hambletonian Maturity for 4-year-old trotters, the Stanley Dancer Memorial for 3-year-old male trotters, the Delvin Miller Memorial for 3-year-old filly trotters, the Mistletoe Shalee for 3-year-old filly pacers, the Dorothy Haughton Memorial for older pacing mares, and a leg of the Miss Versatility for older trotting mares on a big July 13 card.

by Paul Ramlow, for the Grand Circuit