The publicity department for the Grand Circuit has sent its weekly recap and preview of racing on the Grand Circuit.
This Week: Dexter Cup final and Lady Suffolk, Freehold Raceway, Freehold, N.J., and Graduate Series first leg, The Meadowlands, East Rutherford, N.J.
Schedule of events: The Grand Circuit at Freehold on Saturday (May 1) features the $115,583 Dexter Cup final for three-year-old open trotters and two $36,057 divisions in the Lady Suffolk for three-year-old filly trotters.
Also on Saturday, The Meadowlands has a pair of $50,000 first leg divisions in the Graduate Series for four-year-old open pacers.
Last Time: Rather than accept a bye and guarantee himself two Dexter Cup final starters, trainer Åke Svanstedt decided to let Incommunicado compete in Saturday’s (April 24) Dexter Cup elimination at Freehold Raceway. The gamble paid off, as Incommunicado cruised under the wire 2-3/4 lengths in front and established himself as one of the favourites for this week’s Dex
Graduates Mark Stakes Season Kickoff | Standardbred Canada standardbredcanada.ca - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from standardbredcanada.ca Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
This Week: Dexter Cup elimination, Freehold Raceway, Freehold, N.J.
Schedule of events: The Grand Circuit at Freehold on Saturday (April 24) features a single $38,529 Dexter Cup elimination for three-year-old open trotters.
Ten horses entered the Dexter Cup on Wednesday. Two of them, Ambassador Hanover for trainer Åke Svanstedt, and Sunny Crockett, trained by Julie Miller, accepted byes and will advance to next week’s final. As a result, the top six finishers in the elimination will move on to the final.
Last Time: This Is The Plan was able to overcome starting from the outside post eight with a blitz off the gate and then never let anybody get close to him after that in winning Monday night’s (April 19) $514,000 MGM Borgata Pacing Series final at Yonkers Raceway in 1:50.4. This Is The Plan, driven by Yannick Gingras and one of three in the final sent out by trainer Ron Burke, was dispatched at odds of 11-1.
It’s not every day the phone rings and the person on the other end wants to send a stakes-caliber mare to your stable. But that’s exactly what happened a few weeks before the Blue Chip Matchmaker Series first leg when Todd Buter answered Bill Bercury’s call.
Then the trainer of Blue Ivy, who he was pointing to the Matchmaker Series at Yonkers Raceway, the western Pennsylvania-based Bercury asked New York-based Buter to take the mare on the recommendation of Todd’s son, Tyler.
“Mr. Bercury contacted Tyler and said he wanted him to drive Blue Ivy in the Matchmaker. He asked if Tyler had any suggestions of who he should send her to. Tyler said, ‘well, I’m sure my dad would take her,’ so he gave me a call and that’s how it ended up. He brought her out about a week before her first start.”
Ana Bests Colossal At Big M | Standardbred Canada standardbredcanada.ca - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from standardbredcanada.ca Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.