The publicity department for the Grand Circuit has sent out its preview for upcoming Grand Circuit races.
This Week: W.N. Reynolds Memorial three-year-old paces, Meadowlands Racetrack, East Rutherford, N.J.
Schedule of events: Meadowlands Racetrack will feature a pair of W.N. Reynolds Memorial stakes for three-year-old pacers on the Saturday night (Dec. 7) card with the $58,000 (est.) contest for colts and the $50,000 (est.) race for fillies.
Last time: Meadowlands Racetrack featured a big stakes card last Saturday night (Nov. 30) led by the TVG FFA finals for pacers and trotters.
Foiled Again, who will be 10 years old in less than a month, won the $512,000 TVG FFA pacing final by a head in 1:49.2 against a field with $17.7-million in collective earnings. The win pushed Foiled Again’s lifetime earnings to $6,030,968.
Golden Receiver and Corey Callahan were first off the gate, hitting the quarter-mile mark in :26 with Bolt The Duer on his back. Foiled Again was right up and at him at the three-eighths to take the lead away and took the field to the :53.1 half. Pet Rock made a bid for the lead past the half but could not get by Foiled Again through the 1:22 three-quarters. Throughout the deep stretch, Foiled Again (driven by Yannick Gingras) faced relentless pressure from the eight-year-old Golden Receiver, second oldest horse in the race, who came up the rail, but Foiled Again maintained his march to the finish line for the win.
Foiled Again, who paid $7.80 to Win, is trained by Ron Burke for Burke Racing, Weaver Bruscemi and JJK Stables.
Market Share (Tim Tetrick) trotted hard and fast every step of the mile, bursting off the gate to get the lead and never relinquishing it to win the $500,000 TVG FFA Trot in 1:51 by three-quarters of one length. The win pushed his lifetime earnings to $3,115,011.
Market Share and Tetrick came off the gate from the outside Post 7 to press for the front and made it there in :26.2 at the quarter and held that lead with Uncle Peter (David Miller) on his back to the :55 half. Arch Madness came off the rail from fourth after the half to make a bid on the outside for the lead, still held by Market Share at the 1:23.1 three-quarters. Market Share pulled off two lengths from the field at the head of stretch, but Uncle Peter charged hard in the final strides to be second with a fast-closing Guccio (Jimmy Takter) out and moving three wide at the head of the stretch, but he could not pass the leaders and was third.
Market Share, the 2012 Hambletonian winner, is trained by Linda Toscano and owned by Tom and Louis Pontone, Bill Augustine and Richard Gutnick. He is a four-year-old son of Revenue S-Classical Flirt.
Bee A Magician made it a perfect 17-for-17 with her one-length victory in 1:53.3 in the $253,000 Moni Maker Stakes for three-year-old trotting fillies at the Meadowlands. The win put her over the $2.3-million mark in career earnings.
Time To Kill (John Campbell) made it to the lead first at the :27.2 quarter mile-mark while Ma Chere Hall (Corey Callahan) overtook her briefly just past that marker, but Brian Sears had Bee A Magician just behind her on the outside. Those two made an unpressured move to take the lead just before the :55.3 half. Sears put two and a half lengths between him and the field and trotted on to the 1:25 three-quarters with Ma Chere Hall at his back. As the field trotted down the stretch, Ma Chere Hall made a bid to get past Bee A Magician, got just to her wheel at the wire, but could go no further, as Bee A Magician cruised home to win No. 17 for 2013.
Bee A Magician is trained by Richard ‘Nifty’ Norman for owners David McDuffee, Mel Hartman and Herb Liverman.
Grand Circuit action also took place this past Sunday at Dover Downs. Sunshine Beach brushed to the lead heading to the half-mile marker and was never seriously challenged from there as he went on to capture the $284,160 Progress Pace final for three-year-old male pacers in 1:50.3.
Owned by Hudson Standardbred Stable, Conrad Leber and Diane Bertrand, Sunshine Beach is trained by Mark Steacy and was driven to victory by John Campbell. The win was the eighth in 20 seasonal starts for the son of Somebeachsomewhere-Light Up, while his 2013 earnings climbed to $909,283.
Grand Circuit Standings: In 2013, the Grand Circuit leaders in three categories (driver, trainer and owner) will 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). Hanover Shoe Farms is the sponsor for the 2013 Grand Circuit awards.
Here are the leaders following the past weekend:
Drivers: 1. Yannick Gingras – 1,857; 2. Tim Tetrick – 1,625; 3. David Miller – 1,228; 4. Brian Sears – 781.5; and 5. Ron Pierce – 719.5.
Trainers: 1. Ron Burke – 1,798.5; 2. Jimmy Takter – 1,211.5; 3. Linda Toscano – 515.5; 4. Jonas Czernyson – 507.5; and 5. Tony Alagna – 471.
Owners: 1. Burke Racing – 405.7; 2. Weaver Bruscemi – 376.25; 3. Frank Bellino – 268.5; 4. Brittany Farms – 263.05; and 5. WJ Donovan – 244.
Looking ahead: The final Grand Circuit action of 2013 will take place next weekend at Northfield Park when the northeast Ohio oval hosts the Cleveland Classic for three-year-old pacing colts.
(Grand Circuit)