The Grand Circuit's weekly overview highlights a busy weekend including the Breeders Crown finals.
This Week: Breeders Crown finals, The Meadowlands, East Rutherford, New Jersey; John Simpson Stakes, Harrah’s Philadelphia, Chester, Pennsylvania; and The Circle City, Harrah’s Hoosier Park, Anderson, Indiana.
Schedule Of Events: Grand Circuit action this week commences on Wednesday afternoon (Oct. 27) at Harrah’s Philadelphia with two divisions in the $130,000 John Simpson Stakes for two-year-old colt trotters and two divisions in the $95,200 John Simpson Stakes for two-year-old colt pacers. The Thursday (Oct. 28) card features three divisions in the $120,900 John Simpson Stakes for two-year-old filly trotters and three divisions in the $97,820 John Simpson Stakes for two-year-old filly pacers.
Hoosier Park on Friday (Oct. 29) will host The Circle City for three-year-olds of both sexes and gaits. There will be two divisions in the $68,000 three-year-old colt pace; two divisions in the $65,100 three-year-old colt trot; a single $56,000 division in the three-year-old filly trot; and a single $50,000 division in the three-year-old filly pace.
Breeders Crown finals at The Meadowlands will take place on Friday (Oct. 29) and Saturday (Oct. 30). Friday will feature the $600,000 finals for two-year-olds of both sexes and gaits. Saturday features the $650,000 three-year-old colt trot, $650,000 three-year-old filly trot, $600,000 three-year-old colt pace, $600,000 three-year-old filly pace, $650,000 Open Trot, $600,000 Open Pace, $330,000 Open Mare Pace and $300,000 Open Mare Trot.
Complete entries for the races are available on the USTA website.
Last Time: Millionaire Perfect Sting and near-millionaire Charlie May put together strong performances to leave their competition behind and win the $25,000 eliminations for the Breeders Crown three-year-old colt and gelding pace on Saturday (Oct. 23) at The Meadowlands.
Charlie May charged first-over into the final turn to blitz leader Southwind Gendry and scoot clear to a 1:49.1 win in the second of the two eliminations.
Heart Of Chewbacca hustled to the point with Water Sports Teen settling into second to a :26.4 first quarter. Southwind Gendry raced third to the backstretch before angling off the pylons and circling Heart Of Chewbacca to lead into a :54.4 half.
Driver Brett Miller sat fourth with Charlie May to the final turn, but soon launched the McArdle gelding towards the top as Southwind Gendry attempted to slow the tempo to three-quarters, timed in 1:22.3. Charlie May grabbed the front off the corner and stayed firm on the lead while Southwind Gendry cut into his deficit to the inside to secure second, beaten by three-quarters of a length. Rockyroad Hanover ripped off cover from third over to finish third with Heart Of Chewbacca and Water Sports Teen holding fourth and fifth, respectively, to make the $600,000 final.
Conditioned by Steve Carter, Charlie May collected his ninth victory from 18 starts this season and his 16th from 27 overall, pushing his earnings to $950,652. Don Tiger’s homebred paid $3.60 to win.
Starting from the pylon post, driver David Miller pushed for position with Perfect Sting to race third to a :26.2 first quarter set by Chase H Hanover. Miller slid Perfect Sting off the pegs to the backstretch and overtook Chase H Hanover to commandeer the field before a :55 half. The Joe Holloway pupil remained headstrong to the final turn, gaining separation on Chase H Hanover to three-quarters in 1:22.3 and widening his lead through the stretch. He stayed to task in a straightaway sprint to stop the clock in 1:49.2 and finish three lengths better than Chase H Hanover.
Abuckabett Hanover ground first over through the mile to take third, holding off a late charge from Southwind Petyr kicking off his cover in fourth. Ill Drink To That rounded the finalists in fifth.
Perfect Sting, a colt from a family of Holloway graduates in sire Always B Miki and dam Shebestingin, won his sixth race from 15 starts this season and his 16th from 25 in his career. The homebred for Brittany Farms and Val D’Or Farms has banked $1,561,447 and returned $2.40 to win.
Grand Circuit Standings: In 2021, 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 2021 Grand Circuit awards.
Here are the leaders (through the races on October 23, 2021):
Drivers: 1. Dexter Dunn – 1,119; 2. Yannick Gingras – 1,011; 3. Tim Tetrick – 871; 4. David Miller – 863; 5. Andrew McCarthy – 709.5.
Trainers: 1. Ron Burke – 1,131; 2. Tony Alagna – 682.5; 3. Ake Svanstedt – 580; 4. Nancy Takter – 570; 5. Nifty Norman – 560.
Owners: 1. Burke Racing Stable – 234.8; 2. Weaver Bruscemi – 202.2; 3. Crawford Farms Racing – 191.8; 4. Brad Grant – 182.9; 5. Threelyonsracing – 182.
Looking Ahead: Grand Circuit action will take place next week at Dover Downs, Harrah’s Hoosier Park, and The Meadowlands. Dover will host the Matron Stakes for two-year-olds of both sexes and gaits; Hoosier has four stakes for three-year-olds in the Carl Erskine for open trotters, the Monument Circle for male pacers, the Crossroads of America for filly trotters, and the USS Indianapolis for filly pacers. The Meadowlands hosts a leg of the Kindergarten Series for two-year-olds of both sexes and gaits.
(With files from Grand Circuit)