The Grand Circuit's weekly overview highlights its upcoming races at The Red Mile and Dayton Raceway.
This Week: Bluegrass Stakes, Red Mile, Lexington, Kentucky, and Dayton Derbies, Hollywood Dayton Raceway, Dayton, Ohio.
Schedule of Events: Grand Circuit action kicks off on Thursday (Sept. 29) at the Red Mile and the Lexington oval will feature three divisions in the $328,000 Bluegrass for two-year-old colt trotters and two divisions in the $283,000 Bluegrass for two-year-old filly pacers. On Friday (Sept. 30), Red Mile will offer three divisions in the $354,000 Bluegrass for two-year-old filly trotters and three divisions in the $327,000 Bluegrass for two-year-old colt pacers. The first week of racing in Lexington will conclude on Saturday (Oct. 1) with three divisions in the $242,300 Bluegrass for three-year-old filly trotters, two divisions in the $237,000 Bluegrass for three-year-old colt trotters, two divisions in the $178,000 Bluegrass for three-year-old colt pacers, and a single $150,000 division in the Bluegrass for three-year-old filly pacers.
Hollywood Dayton Raceway on Saturday night (Oct. 1) will feature four Grand Circuit stakes in the $250,000 Dayton Pacing Derby for older pacers, the $250,000 Dayton Trotting Derby for older trotters, the $250,000 Dayton Oaks Derby for older female trotters and the $250,000 Dayton Distaff Derby for older female pacers.
Complete entries for the races are available on the USTA website by clicking here.
Last Time: Oh Well strolled to a sparkling score in Saturday’s (Sept. 24) $1 million Mohawk Million at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
After breeding the first two Mohawk Million winners -- Venerate in 2020 and Venerable in 2021 -- Hunterton Farm’s Steve and Cindy Stewart decided to purchase one of nine $100,000 slots (the final slot goes to the winner of the William Wellwood Memorial) with a few partners for this year’s edition of the unique two-year-old trotting event.
It proved to be a winning idea.
Click here to read the complete recap. For a list of 2022 race winners on the Grand Circuit, click here.
Grand Circuit Standings: In 2022, 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 2022 Grand Circuit awards.
Here are the leaders (through the races on Sept. 24, 2022):
Drivers: 1. Dexter Dunn – 993; 2. Tim Tetrick – 748; 3. Yannick Gingras – 746; 4. Todd McCarthy – 539; 5. David Miller – 472.
Trainers: 1. Ron Burke – 617; 2. Tony Alagna – 532; 3. Ake Svanstedt – 414; 4. Nancy Takter – 333; 5. Nifty Norman – 321.
Owners: 1. David McDuffee – 173.4; 2. Caviart Farms – 140.2; 3. Schooner II Stable – 140; 4. Brad Grant – 131.5; 5. Courant Inc. – 124.
Looking Ahead: Grand Circuit action will be taking place next week at Lexington’s historic Red Mile. The Red Mile will feature the Kentucky Futurity, the third leg of Trotting’s Triple Crown for three-year-olds. Also on tap will be the companion Kentucky Filly Futurity for the sophomore fillies, the Tattersalls Pace and the Glen Garnsey Memorial for three-year-old pacers, four International Stallion Stakes races for two-year-olds of both sexes and gaits, and four Allerage contests for open pacers and trotters.
(Grand Circuit)