The Grand Circuit's weekly overview highlights its upcoming races at Yonkers Raceway, Meadowlands Racetrack and The Meadows.
This Week: MGM Yonkers Trot and Park MGM Pace eliminations, Yonkers Raceway, Yonkers, New York; Graduate Series and Miss Versatility Series legs, The Meadowlands, East Rutherford, New Jersey; and Currier & Ives three-year-old filly trot, Hollywood Casino at The Meadows, Washington, Pennsylvania.
Schedule of Events: The Grand Circuit weekend kicks off on Friday, June 23 at Yonkers Raceway, with a pair of $40,000 eliminations in the MGM Yonkers Trot, the first leg of the Trotting Triple Crown for three-year-olds, and a pair of $20,000 eliminations in the Park MGM Pace for three-year-old pacing fillies.
The MGM Grand Messenger Stakes, the first leg of the Pacing Triple Crown for three-year-olds, and the New York New York Mile, for three-year-old filly trotters, didn’t require eliminations and will go straight to their respective finals on June 30.
Grand Circuit racing shifts to The Meadowlands on Saturday, June 24 for the third leg of the Graduate Series for four-year-old pacers and trotters. There will be a pair of $50,000 divisions in the Open Pace and a single $75,000 division in the Open Trot. Also on the card will be the third leg of the Miss Versatility Series for older trotting mares, with a single $40,000 division set to go behind the gate,
Also on Saturday, The Meadows will host the $58,390 Currier & Ives for three-year-old filly trotters.
Entries for the races can be found by clicking here.
Last Time: Showcasing one of the deepest fields in its storied history, the 40th edition of the $1 million Pepsi North America Cup produced an instant classic on Saturday night (June 17) at Woodbine Mohawk Park. To read the complete recap, click here.
For a list of 2023 race winners on the Grand Circuit, click here.
Grand Circuit Standings: In 2023, 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 2023 Grand Circuit awards.
Here are the leaders (through the races on June 17, 2023):
Drivers: 1. Dexter Dunn – 190; 2. Yannick Gingras – 171; 3. Scott Zeron – 169; 4. Jordan Stratton – 127; 5. Matt Kakaley – 110.
Trainers: 1. Linda Toscano – 155; 2. Ron Burke – 152; 3. Ake Svanstedt – 107; 4. Jeff Gillis – 102; 5. Jared Bako – 74.
Owners: 1. Mark Ford – 98; 2. Team Tritton Inc. – 52; 3. Jesmeral Stable – 47; 4. Diamond Creek Racing – 39.3; 5. Robert Di Nozzi – 39.
Looking Ahead: Grand Circuit action will take place next week at Yonkers Raceway, The Meadowlands, Hoosier Park and Goshen Historic Track. Yonkers will have the MGM Yonkers Trot final for three-year-old open trotters, the MGM Grand Messenger for three-year-old open pacers, the Park MGM Pace final for three-year-old fillies and the New York New York Mile for sophomore trotting fillies; The Meadowlands will feature four events for the older set, the Dave Brower Memorial for open pacers, the Crawford Farms for open trotters, the Perfect Sing for pacing mares and the Six Pack for trotting mares, plus Reynolds Memorial races for three-year-old colt and filly trotters and Tompkins-Geers stakes for two-year-olds of both sexes and gaits. Hoosier will host the Nadia Lobell for three-year-old filly pacers. Goshen Historic Track will card eight Landmark Stakes events for two and three-year-olds of both sexes and gaits.
(Grand Circuit)