The publicity department for the Grand Circuit has sent out its weekly story recapping and previewing Grand Circuit races.
This Week: Nadia Lobell, the Meadows, Washington, Pa.; Kindergarten Series, the Red Mile, Lexington, Ky.; Maple Leaf Trot, Canadian Trotting Classic, Elegantimage, William Wellwood Memorial and Peaceful Way finals and Milton Stakes eliminations, Mohawk Racetrack, Campbellville, Ontario.
Schedule of events: Grand Circuit action will kick off on Wednesday (Sept. 16) at the Meadows with the $170,000 Nadia Lobell for three-year-old filly pacers.
On Thursday (Sept. 17) the Red Mile will host three $10,000 divisions in the Kindergarten Series for two-year-old colt trotters and two $10,000 divisions in the Kindergarten Series for two-year-old filly trotters.
Grand Circuit action at Mohawk will be held on Saturday (Sept. 19) with the $680,000 Maple Leaf Trot for older trotters, the $700,000 Canadian Trotting Classic for three-year-old open trotters, the $404,000 Elegantimage for three-year-old filly trotters, the $373,000 William Wellwood Memorial for two-year-old open trotters, the $410,000 Peaceful Way for two-year-old filly trotters, and two $35,000 eliminations in the Milton Stakes for older pacing mares.
Last time: Doo Wop Hanover and driver Ronnie Wrenn Jr. led all the way to win the $225,000 Jim Ewart Memorial for free-for-all pacers in 1:49.2 on Ohio Super Night this past Saturday (Sept. 12) at Scioto Downs.
The 5-1 Doo Wop Hanover paced strongly down the stretch to win by a head over All Bets Off from the pocket. State Treasurer was third. Trained by Steve Elliott for co-owners Peter Blood and Rick Berks, Doo Wop Hanover is a four-year-old horse by Rocknroll Hanover.
Wind Of The North dug in to score a wire-to-wire, 1:53.2 win in the $100,000 Sam ‘Chip’ Noble III Memorial Trot at Scioto Downs.
Driven by Dave Palone, Wind Of The North hung on to win by a head with Gural Hanover second. Local star Southwind Pepino was third by a neck. Wind Of The North is co-owned by trainer Daryl Bier and Joann Dombeck. He is a five-year-old gelding by Cantab Hall.
Mohawk Racetrack had several Grand Circuit races last week. Among the most noteworthy was the $168,680 Simcoe Stakes for three-year-old open pacers. Tony Alagna trainee Artspeak turned in a career-best and stakes record performance of 1:48.2 to win the Simcoe on Saturday (Sept. 12) night.
Driven by Scott Zeron, Artspeak quickly erased Reverend Hanover’s lead in the stretch and paced by the leader with powerful strides to score an impressive two and a half-length victory in a stakes record clocking of 1:48.2. Reverend Hanover held on to finish second, while Split The House and The Wayfaring Man finished third and fourth, respectively.
Artspeak is owned by Brittany Farms, Marvin Katz, Joe Sbrocco and In The Gym Partners. The three-year-old colt now has four wins and $483,325 earned this season.
Grand Circuit Standings: In 2015, 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 2015 Grand Circuit awards.
Here are the leaders following the past week’s action:
Drivers: 1. Yannick Gingras – 849; 2. David Miller – 526.5; 3. Tim Tetrick – 517; 4. Brian Sears – 447; 5. Corey Callahan – 352.5.
Trainers: 1. Ron Burke – 1,109; 2. Jimmy Takter – 762; 3. Tony Alagna – 315.5; 4. Jeff Bamond Jr. – 300; 5. Erv Miller – 216.
Owners: 1. Burke Racing – 260.1; 2. Bamond Racing – 235; 3. Weaver Bruscemi – 234.4; 4. George Teague Jr. Inc. – 140; 5. Christina Takter – 131.7.
Looking ahead: A busy schedule of Grand Circuit racing will be taking place next week at the Delaware County Fair, Mohawk Racetrack, and Hoosier Park. Delaware will be hosting nine Grand Circuit events, led by the Little Brown Jug, the third and final leg of Pacing’s Triple Crown for three-year-olds; Mohawk will feature the final of the Milton Stakes for pacing mares; and Hoosier will host five Grand Circuit races, including the Centuar for open trotters, the Kentuckiana Stallion Management for freshman filly pacers and trotters and the Elevation for two-year-old colt pacers.
(Grand Circuit)