For Opinion, click here for View from the Racetrack Grandstand

Saturday, March 8, 2014

Grand Circuit Opening Report

Hello to all and welcome to the 2014 Grand Circuit season!

This season the Grand Circuit welcomes new/returning Ohio member tracks Scioto Downs, Miami Valley and congratulates the Quebec Jockey Club on the resurrection of the Prix d'Ete at Trois-Rivieres Racetrack. Grand Circuit races now number in excess of 200 and the tracks 24.

The season begins in New York over the weekend of March 21-22 with the George M Levy Memorial and Bluechip Matchmaker for older pacers at Yonkers Raceway and concludes on December 12 at Northfield Park. In between are the very best races that harness racing has to offer.

We ask again this season that our member tracks include the Grand Circuit logo (available here http://news.ustrotting.com/grandcircuit/downloads.cfm ) on trophies and trophy coolers, if possible. In lieu of the complement of flags that were shuttled from track to track, we now have a Grand Circuit flag featuring the logo that we ask our member tracks to purchase and fly freely. Carol Cramer, GC secretary and newly minted member of the Communicator's Hall of Fame, is handling the orders and distribution and she'll be in touch.

We also are fortunate to have a web presence on the USTA website at http://news.ustrotting.com/grandcircuit/ and a facebook page that now has over 1,000 subscribers at https://www.facebook.com/thegrandcircuit

There is great cause for optimism in harness racing this year and we are hopeful that the Grand Circuit will be a positive force in the promotion of our industry, its tracks and races.

Please don't hesitate to call on us with any questions or suggestions on how the GC can better serve our member tracks and the races that carry the designation.

Good luck and good racing!