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Tuesday, October 31, 2017

ALL SYSTEMS GO FOR MEADOWLANDS PICK 10 SURVIVOR

First-of-its-kind wager begins Saturday, November 4

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ (October 31, 2017) – With the return of the Meadowlands Harness season this Saturday, November 4 also comes the debut of a new wager – The Pick 10 Survivor.

The first-of-its-kind wager requires the selection of the winner in the first 10 races on the program. The unique twist in the wager is ticket holders that correctly select the winner of Race 1 will advance to Race 2 while those tickets that fail to pick the Race 1 winner will be eliminated. Then all live tickets after Race 2 will advance to Race 3 while those that failed to pick the Race 2 winner will be eliminated. This continues until there is only one correct ticket (“The Survivor”) or all 10 races have been completed.

The lone surviving ticket will win the entire pool minus the wager’s 15-percent takeout. If there are multiple tickets that survive through all 10 legs or if the last surviving tickets are eliminated at the same time, they will split the entire net pool. The wager will carry a 20-cent minimum and begin each night on the first race. There is no carryover associated with the wager. The Meadowlands is partnering with the USTA’s Strategic Wagering Program to guarantee the wagering pool at $10,000.

All of the tote providers in the U.S. and Sportech facilities in Canada have passed a test and will be able to offer the wager to customers at both simulcast facilities and advance deposit wagering platforms.

In addition to the Pick 10 Survivor, the wagering menu will feature the large multi-race guaranteed wagers that horseplayers have come to expect.

The 50-cent Pick Five begins in Race 1 and carries a $25,000 guaranteed pool with a 15-percent takeout. The Early Pick Four begins in Race 3 and has a $25,000 guaranteed pool. The always-popular Late Pick Four has a $50,000 guaranteed pool. Both Pick Four wagers also carry a 15-percent takeout.

The Jackpot Super High Five also returns on Races 5 and 13 (or the last race of the card). The 20-cent minimum wager requires players to correctly select the first five finishers in order. If there is one unique ticket, that person wins the entire net pool. If there are multiple winning tickets, the winners share in 75-percent of the net pool while the remaining 25-percent is added to the jackpot. The wager carries a 15 percent takeout. The Race 13 Super High Five will begin the season with a carryover of $6,092.

Saturday’s season-opening card at the Meadowlands includes four six-figure finals in the Kindergarten Classic for 2-year-old trotters and pacers. Post time is 7:15 p.m.

For more information, visit www.playmeadowlands.com.


Monday, October 30, 2017

VETERANS RACE AT MONTICELLO RACEWAY ON NOVEMBER 9th

By Shawn Wiles
Efforts by the North American Amateur Drivers Association and the Catskill Amateur Drivers Club are under way to organize a race for military veterans who are also amateur harness drivers are coming to fruition according to NAADA vice president, Alan Schwartz. The event will be held on Thursday November 9, noted Alan Schwartz a former U.S Marine who besides being the vice president of NAADA is also the president of the Monticello Raceway’s Harness Horsemen’s Association. 
At the end of the November 9th racing card at the Mighty M both NAADA and CADC will each donate $1000 to the Veteran’s Food Pantry of Sullivan County, NY.
Both amateur organizations are urging those who plan on attending the afternoon’s race card to please bring along a non-perishable food item which will then be delivered to the veteran’s food pantry.

Beginning Wednesday November 1, Monticello Raceway will revert to its winter post time of 12:25pm. 

THE MEADOWLANDS POST POSITION DRAW SHOW BEGINS TUESDAY, OCTOBER 31

Fans can watch selected post position draws for stakes races on Facebook Live at 11:00 a.m.

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ (October 30, 2017) – The Meadowlands Fall/Winter Meet begins Saturday, November 4 and fans will get an inside look into the racing office thanks to a new Facebook Live broadcast.

Beginning Tuesday, October 31 and continuing each Tuesday during November, the Meadowlands will produce a Facebook Live broadcast at 11:00 a.m. featuring the post position draw for selected stakes races.

The shows will take place inside the Meadowlands Race Office and be hosted by Big M TV host Justin Horowitz.

The first show will include the post position draw for the Kindergarten Classic Final for 2-year-old trotting colts. That race is one of four Kindergarten finals that headline the opening night program.

To watch the broadcasts, be sure to “Like” the Meadowlands Racetrack on Facebook.

For more information, visit www.playmeadowlands.com.


Sunday, October 29, 2017

YONKERS’ MONDAY PICK 5 FEATURES $1,200 CARRYOVER

                          BY FRANK DRUCKER, Publicity Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway          

YONKERS, NY, Sunday, October 29, 2017—A friendly reminder from Yonkers Raceway that Monday evening’s (Oct. 30th) Pick 5 wager starts with a carryover of $1,228.27.


The Pick 5 is a 50-cent base wager comprising races 7 through 11 during every racing card. It has no consolation payoff, meaning if no one selects all five winners (as was the case Sunday afternoon), the entire pool (minus takeout) moves to the next racing program. 

HOME’N DRY WINS SUNDAY AFTERNOON 50G OPEN HANDICAP TROT

BY FRANK DRUCKER, Publicity Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway

YONKERS, NY, Sunday, October 29, 2017—Home’n Dry (Jason Bartlett, $8.50) was anything but Sunday afternoon (Oct. 29th), winning Yonkers Raceway’s waterlogged $50,000 Open Handicap Trot.

Away third from assigned post position No. 5, Home’n Dry did his bidding in a wind-swept deluge, but no problem. He watched as 19-10 favorite In Secret (George Brennan), remanded outside his six rivals, made the lead (:28.4, :57.1, 1:26.1).

As he did in his prior effort, Home’n Dry vacated the three-hole, engaged the leader, then won going away. The margin here was 2½ lengths in a moist 1:55. In Secret was a safe second, with Tight Lines (Jeff Gregory), Centurion ATM (Dan Dube) and Sumatra (Eric Goodell) settling for the remainder.

For third choice (again) Home’n Dry, a 5-year-old Credit Winner gelding owned by J L Sadowsky LLC and trained by Robert Bresnahan,  it was his seventh win (third consecutive) in 18 seasonal starts. The exacta paid $49.60, with the triple returning $155.50.


            This scheduled edition of the ‘New York, New York Double’ went south when Belmont Park cancelled its last-day-of-meet program. The gimmick wager returns Sunday, Nov. 12th, with Aqueduct as the NYRA venue.. Note post time for Yonkers that afternoon is TBA (we  promise to advise).    

BREEDERS CROWN RESULTS/SATURDAY

                Compiled by Dave Little, for Breeders Crown

               ANDERSON, Ind. – Here are the results of the Breeders Crown events for male horses, held Saturday night at Hoosier Park, a seven-eighths mile track, with winner (driver, trainer, time and win payoff; *-denotes betting favorite), second-place finisher and third-place finisher:

               Track condition: Fast; Temperature: 40 degrees.

               Open Trot – Hannelore Hanover (Yannick Gingras, Ron Burke, 1:52.1, *$3.00), Crazy Wow, Marion Marauder

               2-Year-Old Colt and Gelding Trot – Fiftydallarbill (Trace Tetrick, William Crone, 1:55, $17.20), Met’s Hall, Samo Different Day

               2-Year-Old Colt and Gelding Pace – Stay Hungry (Doug McNair, Tony Alagna, 1:50.4, $11.00), Shnitzledosomethin, Closing Statement

               3-Year-Old Colt and Gelding Trot – What The Hill (David Miller, Burke, 1:52.3, *$4.80), Lindy The Great, International Moni

               3-Year-Old Colt and Gelding Pace – Beckhams Z Tam (Ricky Macomber Jr., Jamie Macomber, 1:51.1, $11.20), Downbytheseaside, Miso Fast

               Open Pace – Split The House (Brett Miller, Chris Oakes, 1:48.1, $18.40), McWicked, Mach It So

               BETTING REPORT: Wagering on the six Breeders Crown races totaled $1,126,238 ($187,706 per race). For the entire 14-race card, betting totaled $2,064,015, which established a new record at Hoosier Park.

DR. J HANOVER WINS SATURDAY NIGHT 50G OPEN HANDICAP PACE

FRANK DRUCKER, Publicity Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway

YONKERS, NY, Saturday, October 28, 2017—Odds-on Dr. J Hanover (Brent Holland, $3.90) took it to the house (call) Saturday night (Oct. 28th), winning Yonkers Raceway’s $50,000 Open Handicap Pace.

Sent right down the road from assigned post position No. 4, Dr. J Hanover left around pole-sitting Thisjetsabookin’ (Jason Bartlett), then had few issues (:27.4, :56.3, 1:23.4, 1:52).

It was Bit of a Legend N (Jordan Stratton) settling third, then unable to author a second move down the backside before backtracking to the cones. Meanwhile, Dr. J Hanover opened a length-and-a-half lead into the lane, then held sway by a length.

Bit of a Legend N did close inside for second, with a belated The Real One (Pat Lachance), Thisjetsabookin’ and Scott Rocks (Eric Goodell) settling for the remainder.    

For Dr. J Hanover, a 4-year-old Somebeachsomewhere gelding co-owned by Brad Grant, Robert Leblanc, Steven Wienick & Irwin Samelman and trained by Tony Alagna, it was his fifth win in 21 seasonal starts. The exacta paid $16, with the triple returning $48.60.


A remainder Yonkers races Sunday (Oct. 29th) with a 12-race, all-trot program and a High Noon first post. The remaining five Sunday matinees through the end of the season are post time TBA.

TOUGH TRIP NO PROBLEM FOR SPLIT THE HOUSE

By Frank Cotolo, for Breeders Crown

ANDERSON, Ind. – Split The House made his second move worthy of winning the $421,000 Breeders Crown Open Pace at Hoosier Park Saturday night in a sparkling 1:48.1. Brett Miller drove the winner, who hit the finish one length in front of McWicked.

Split The House (Rocknroll Hanover-Shake That Junk) left alertly but settled for second as All Bets Off soared from the outside nine post to take the early lead. The first quarter came up in a sizzling :25.4 as the shuffling began.

From the second tier the first takeover came when Keystone Velocity went to the outside and brushed to the lead, putting All Bets Off in second, but not for long. Split The House retook the lead with another brush, passing those two.

The battles were not over as All Bets Off returned to the outside and took on Mach It So, one of the early leaders shuffled, as the lead exchanged through a half in :53.4 and three-quarters in 1:21.1.
Into the stretch, the duelers were Mach It So and All Bets Off, but neither could handle the second move by Split The House, as he passed the battling duo and took the win.

McWicked took advantage of the late duel and flew by the pair to take second. Mach It So earned the show spot. Both were sent to the gate at odds of 2-1, with Mach It So the slight actual favorite.

Fair Winds Farm bred Split The House, who is owned by Crawford Farms Racing. Chris Oakes trains the 5-year-old gelding, who won his second race of the season in only his sixth start of the year.


Split The House paid $18.40 to win.

BECKHAMS Z TAM SCORES IN 3YO C&G PACE

By Ken Weingartner, for Breeders Crown

ANDERSON, Ind. – Beckhams Z Tam out-dueled 3-5 favorite Downbytheseaside down the stretch to win Saturday night’s $527,500 Breeders Crown for 3-year-old male pacers by one-quarter length in 1:51.1, and in the process, touched off an emotional celebration at Hoosier Park. Miso Fast was third.
Beckhams Z Tam, the third Indiana-bred of the night to capture a Breeders Crown, has spent nearly his entire career racing at Hoosier Park. He was driven by Ricky Macomber Jr. and is trained by his wife, Jamie, who is a former assistant to trainer Ron Burke.

The colt is owned by Bill Matz’s Z Tam Stables. It was the first Breeders Crown win for all.
Jamie Macomber greeted her husband with a hug and kiss as he returned to the winner’s circle with Beckhams Z Tam. A large crowd gathered in and around the winner’s circle and shouted words of congratulations to the connections.

“I never dreamed anything like this,” a teary-eyed Jamie Macomber said as she made her way to the trophy presentation. “This is his home track. Turning for home, I knew he was the winner. I don’t know what to say. My husband did it. It’s amazing.”

All but three of Beckhams Z Tam’s career races have come at Hoosier Park.

Miso Fast was the early leader, taking the field to the opening quarter in :26.2. Downbytheseaside claimed the lead prior to the half, reached in :56, and remained on top when he hit three-quarters in 1:24.4.

Beckhams Z Tam was fourth at three-quarters, following the first-over cover of Mac’s Jackpot, before surging three wide and making his way to the front. Downbytheseaside remained within striking distance, but was unable to get closer than the final margin.

“That horse that was first up, I was a little worried that he wouldn’t be able to carry me around the last turn, and I was more concerned about that half being in 56 flat,” said Ricky Macomber. “It was a little slow, but he overcame it.”

Macomber pumped his fist as he crossed the finish line.

“I was thrilled,” he said. “Just a big weight lifted off my shoulders.”

Jamie Macomber is in her first year of running her own stable after spending the past 10 years handling Burke’s Indiana-stabled horses. She received support, as well as horses such as Beckhams Z Tam, from Wilbur Eash, who was looking to slow down with an eye toward retirement. Macomber took over the training of Beckhams Z Tam in March.

“I couldn’t have had a better team to prep me for this,” said Jamie Macomber. “Ron Burke is an amazing man and my parents are awesome.”

Beckhams Z Tam has won 11 of 19 races this year and earned $500,295. For his career, the son of Always A Virgin out of the mare Sara’s Lucky Charm, has won 11 of 25 races and $547,994.


Sent off at odds of 9-2, Beckhams Z Tam paid $11.20 to win.

Sweet Ashley T wins Vernon Downs feature.


Sweet Ashley T (Homer Hochstetler) would win the Vernon Downs Featured trot ($9,000) on Saturday night (October 28).

Sweet Ashley T (Conway Hall) would put up all the fractions :28.3, :57.3, 1:26.1, 1:55.1.  Owned by South Of The Tracks Racing Inc. and trainer Hochstetler, the 4 year-old mare would hold off a late spurt by runner-up Painite (Truman Gale) and third place finisher Lucid Thoughts (John MacDonald).

Sweet Ashley T ($8.70) would get her fifth win of the year and nail down her 10th career victory.

Arsenic (Chris Lems) would win the $7,500 pace.

Cam's Lucky Sam (Leon Baily) would battle Golden Gun (Bret Crawford) all the way through three-quarters.  Arsenic (Bettor's Delight), who is owned by Scott Dillion and trained by Heidi Rohr, would take advantage of the speed dual and fly right by to win by a length in 1:51.2.  Cam's Lucky Sam would take second while Golden Gun would settle for third.

Arsenic ($8.90) won for the fourth time this season.  The 4 year-old gelding would get career win number 11.

Jimmy Whittemore would win three on the night.  He would get his victories with Western Toro ($3.10), Ameriman ($8.40) and Bosshoss Hanover ($3.00).

Vernon Downs will close out live racing for the 2017 season this coming weekend.  Post time for Friday (November 3) is 6:45 p.m.  Saturday (November 4) is closing night and will have a special post time of 6:00 p.m..  Free long sleeve t-shirt giveaway on closing night while the supply lasts.

WHAT THE HILL KING IN CROWN

By Frank Cotolo, for Breeders Crown

ANDERSON, Ind. – What The Hill dominated his division foes again as he won the $527,500 Breeders Crown 3-Year-Old Colt and Gelding Trot at Hoosier Park Saturday night in 1:52.3. David Miller drove the winner.

Four left the gate evenly, finding spots behind Lindy The Great, who guided the field through a :26.4 opening quarter. In the catbird seat was slight 7-5 favorite What The Hill as positions stayed the same through a half in :55.4.

Yes Mickey began an overland journey to chase the top two, passing Top Flight Angel and Seven And Seven, who had no chance when What The Hill left the pocket and glided down the stretch to deny Lindy The Great the win, as International Moni, also 7-5 at post time, closed strongly down the center of the track.

What The Hill stayed in flight to win by 2 lengths over Lindy The Great, who held second as International Moni picked up the third spot.

Stan Klemencic bred What The Hill (Muscle Hill-K T Cha Cha). Ron Burke trains the colt, owned by his Burke Racing Stable, Our Horse Cents Stables and J & T Silva Stables.

What The Hill paid $4.80 to win.


STAY HUNGRY FEASTS IN 2YO C&G PACE

By Ken Weingartner, for Breeders Crown

ANDERSON, Ind. – Stay Hungry charged off the final turn to overtake Western Passage and then held off Shnitzledosomethin by a neck to win Saturday night’s $600,000 Breeders Crown for 2-year-old male pacers in 1:50.4 at Hoosier Park. Closing Statement was third.

Shnitzledosomethin, Karpathian Kid and Western Pleasure all spent time in front during the first three-quarters of the race, with the quarter in :26.1, half in :54.3 and three-quarters in 1:22.3.
Stay Hungry was sixth up the backstretch and three wide coming off the final turn.

Doug McNair guided Stay Hungry to victory and earned his first Breeders Crown win. It was the third trophy for trainer Tony Alagna.

“It worked out but I moved him pretty early down the backstretch,” said McNair. “This track with the long stretch, it worked out pretty good. This colt, I moved him, and he knew what to do and he raced awesome. It’s exciting. I think I’ve driven in five or six of these Breeders Crowns and never won, so it’s a big thrill for me.”

Stay Hungry has won six of eight races and earned $437,964 for owners Brad Grant and Irwin Samelman. It was the first Breeders Crown win for both.

“At the head of the lane I was a little worried having to go three wide,” said Grant. “But he’s showed up every race for us this year. Dougie gave us a great drive.

“We were confident. Tony and I talk a lot and we were very confident with the colt and believed he deserved to be here and could get it done and he did. It’s rewarding. My dad won this with Bettor’s Delight and to win it tonight means a lot.”

Stay Hungry is a son of Somebeachsomewhere out of the mare My Little Dragon, who was a three-time Breeders Crown champion. The colt was bred by AV & Son Bloodstock.

Sent off at odds of 9-2, Stay Hungry paid $11.00 to win.

Favorite Lost In Time was sixth-placed-fifth because of interference.


FIFTYDALLARBILL CASHES IN 2YO C&G TROT


By Frank Cotolo, for Breeders Crown

ANDERSON, Ind. – Fiftydallarbill won the $600,000 Breeders Crown 2-Year-Old Colt and Gelding Trot at Hoosier Park on Saturday night by 1¼ lengths over Met’s Hall in 1:55. Trace Tetrick drove the winner.

Fiftydallarbill (Swan For All-CR Dixie Chick) settled into sixth off the gate as Met’s Hall and Samo Different Day fired quickly to the front with the former getting the top. Fourth Dimension, the 1-2 public choice, took a spot in fourth. Missile Hill jumped as the field was set in motion.

Met’s Hall took the first quarter in :27.3 and as the half came in :57, Crystal Fashion started the outer flow, with Dawson Springs taking cover and Fiftydallarbill third over. Crystal Fashion swung around the turn and was pressured as he hit three-quarters in 1:26.4.

With Crystal Fashion tiring, Fiftydallarbill was full of trot, defying Met’s Hall, who was all out to stay afloat to the wire but Fiftydallarbill easily passed him as the backfield faded, except for Samo Different Day, who kept going and took third over Skyway Torpedo.

William Crone trains Fiftydallarbill for owner John E. Barnard, who also bred him.
Fiftydallarbill paid $17.20 to win.


THE LADY IS A CHAMP IN OPEN TROT



By Ken Weingartner, for Breeders Crown

ANDERSON, Ind. – Hannelore Hanover became the first female winner of the Breeders Crown Open Trot in 19 years, beating Crazy Wow by 1¼ lengths in 1:52.1 in Saturday night’s $526,250 final at Hoosier Park. Marion Marauder was third.

Crazy Wow led the field around the first turn with Hannelore Hanover staying to his outside in a move for the lead. She got there just prior to the quarter, reached in :26.3, but held the spot only briefly as Marion Marauder trotted by and took the group to the half in :55.3.

Marion Marauder remained on top as the field hit three-quarters in 1:25, but Hannelore Hanover and driver Yannick Gingras were soon to make a move in the stretch to take the lead for good.

"I honestly didn't see that one coming," said Gingras about Marion Marauder leaving hard off the gate. "I didn't really want to be in a two hole. I know he is a nice horse, but I didn't want to be behind him. It's just the way it goes and it worked out."

Hannelore Hanover, a 5-year-old mare trained by Ron Burke, became the first female winner of the Open Trot since Moni Maker in 1998. The only other mare to win the Open Trot was CR Kay Suzie in 1996.

For the year, Hannelore Hanover has won nine of 16 races and earned $952,879. For her career, the former Indiana Sire Stakes champion has won 35 of 57 races and banked $2.37 million.

Hannelore Hanover is owned by Burke Racing Stable, the partnership of Mark Weaver and Mike Bruscemi, Frank Baldachino and J&T Silva Stables. Burke Racing and Weaver Bruscemi each have seven Breeders Crown wins while J&T Silva Stables has three and Frank Baldachino two.
Hannelore Hanover is a daughter of Swan For All out of the mare High Sobriety. She was bred by Hanover Shoe Farms.

"It's an Indiana bred, we bought her as a baby,” said Baldachino. “We never had expectations when we bought her. If she had been a nice Indiana-sired horse we would have been tickled pink. And for her to do this tonight is incredible."

Gingras picked up his fourth Breeders Crown win of the weekend and pushed his career total to 20. Burke got his 12th trophy as a trainer.

Hannelore Hanover paid $3.00 to win as the 1-2 favorite.


Hinckley Noses Out Horoky in Handicapping Contest


(October 29, 2017) –  In perhaps the busiest three-day (10/26-10/28) week in the Hambletonian Society Grand Circuit Handicapping Challenge, twenty-one races were contested; the Breeders Crown Finals at Hoosier Park plus the final preliminary leg of the Kindergarten Classic at Vernon Downs as a warm up.  When the results were tabulated, Sally Hinckley nosed out Steve Horoky by three points, 115.0 to 112.0.

Horoky drew first blood on Thursday night with his selection of Points North ($14.80) in the 2yo pacing colt division of the Kindergarten Classic.  The selection of Points North and four others allowed Horoky to earn 70 points for the day.  Dennis O’Hara had the same longshot but only a total of three winners which was good for second place for the evening.

Friday night was Hinckley’s turn to draw blood and she blew the other handicappers away for the evening with her selection of Pure Country ($31.00) in the Breeders Crown Final for pacing mares which with four additional winners earned her 75 points.  While two other handicappers had five winners, Hinckley’s net profit of $43.50 was far ahead of her closest competitor.

With a seven-point lead going into the final night of the week’s racing, Horoky was looking to put the week away on Saturday but it was not to be as Ray Cotolo took the checkered flag with a net profit of $57.80 thanks to selecting a trio of longshots; Stay Hungry ($11.00), Breeders Crown 2yo Colt and Gelding pace; Beckhams Z Tam ($11.20), Breeders Crown 3yo Colts and Gelding pace; Split The House ($18.40), Breeders Crown Open pace.  Hinckley managed to pull out the victory for the week with her four winners for Saturday versus Horoky’s double.

For the third week in a row, Rusty Nash leads in the overall standings, just under 48 points ahead of Anne Stepien.  Gordon Waterstone is roughly 4 points further behind in third.   Megan Maccario is in fourth while Sally Hinckley moved up from seventh to fifth place, still in contention with five legs remaining in the contest.
  
Standings thru Saturday, October 28, 2017 - Leg #74

Pos
Handicapper
Total Points Earned
Legs Won
Points Back
Last Week
Streak
1st
Rusty Nash
1,376.20
6

1st
3
2nd
Anne Stepien
1,328.82
9
47.38
2nd

3rd
Gordon Waterstone
1,324.50
10
51.70
3rd

4th
Megan Maccario
1,310.90
9
65.30
4th

5th
Sally Hinckley
1,295.98
9
80.22
7th

6th
Matt Rose
1,278.88
10
97.32
5th

7th
Dennis O’Hara
1,278.85
10
97.35
6th

8th
Steve Horoky
1,222.83
5
153.37
9th

9th
Russ Adams
1,182.54
8
193.66
8th

10th
Ray Garnett
1,074.11
6
302.09
10th

11th
Bryan Owen
1,041.90
9
334.30
11th

12th
Jay Hochstetler
924.50
4
451.70
12th

13th
Michael Carter
868.03
3
508.17
14h

14th
Ray Cotolo
834.33
5
541.87
15th

15th
Terry Wilson
807.47
5
568.73
13th

16th
Rich Mattei
644.30
2
731.90
16th



Next Up: This week ten stakes races will comprise Saturday’s leg, made up from the finals of the Kindergarten Classic from the Meadowlands and the Carl Erskine, Crossroads of America, USS Indianapolis, and Monument Circle finals at Hoosier Park.

The following week, Dover Downs hosts the Matron Stakes for 2yo and 3yo trotters and pacers of both sexes.


The 2017 Hambletonian Society Grand Circuit Handicapping Challenge is sponsored by Adam Friedland, DRF Harness, Green Acquisition Corporation, The Hambletonian Society, Hoosier Park Racing and Casino, Meadowlands Racing and Entertainment, Northfield Park, Ontario Harness Horse Association, Red Shores Charlottetown/Summerside, Tioga Downs, Vernon Downs, Wellbourne Farms, and WEG Entertainment.  The contest is administered by HANA Harness, the harness racing division of HANA, the Horseplayers Association of North America.  Fans may follow the challenge by visiting the contest site at http;//hanaharnesscontest.blogspot.com.