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The Grand Circuit, also known as the "Big Wheel", is a group of harness racing stakes races run at various race tracks around the United States. Run on one-mile tracks, it is "the oldest continuing horse-racing series in the United States."

The series was started in 1871 by Colonel Billy Edwards, of Cleveland, Ohio, L.J. Powers of Springfield, Massachusetts, E.A. Buck of Buffalo, New York, and later C.W. Hutchinson of Utica, New York. The first meeting of the Circuit was held in 1873 in Cleveland, followed by races in Springfield, Buffalo, and Utica. The original four-location competition was named "The Quadrilateral Trotting Combination," but was renamed when additional legs were added.

In 1914 the Grand Circuit consisted of six tracks, located in: Cleveland, Ohio; Columbus, Ohio; The Red Mile in Lexington, Kentucky; Detroit, Michigan; Grand Rapids, Michigan; and Kalamazoo, Michigan. Prior to this there were more, including Narragansett Park in Providence, Rhode Island; Charter Oak Park in Hartford, Connecticut; Readville Race Track in Boston, Massachusetts; Rockingham Park in Salem, New Hampshire; Fleetwood Park Racetrack in New York, New York; and Poughkeepsie, New York, but anti-gambling laws during the early part of the 20th century caused them to drop out.

As of 2023, the circuit was run at 22 tracks.

Tracks as of 2023

As listed by the United States Trotting Association, in 2023 the Grand Circuit Races were held at the following 22 venues:

• Charlottetown Driving Park
• Delaware County Fairgrounds racetrack (1940–present)
• Dover Downs
• Freehold Raceway
• Goshen Historic Track (1911, 1927–1942, 1946–present)
• Harrah's Philadelphia
• Hoosier Park
• Dayton Raceway (1989–present)
• Indiana State Fairgrounds (1926–1941, 1946–present)
• Meadowlands Racetrack (1977–present)
• The Meadows (1966–present)
• Woodbine Mohawk Park (1978–present)
• Pocono Downs
• Northfield Park
• Plainridge Racecourse
• The Red Mile (1904, 1912–present)
• Saratoga Race Course (1942–present)
• Scioto Downs
• Tioga Downs (2006–present)
• Vernon Downs (1954–present)
• Western Fair Raceway
• Yonkers Raceway (1899–1890, 1903–1905, 1910, 1913, 1951–present)

Former tracks

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (October 2022)

• Cleveland Driving Park (1871–1904)
• Buffalo Driving Park (1871–1878, 1880–1884, 1886–1894, 1898–1902)
• Hampden Park (1871–1877, 1880–1881, 1883–1893)
• Utica Driving Park (1871–1879, 1881–1884, 1886–1888)
• Rochester Driving Park (1875–1895)
• Poughkeepsie Driving Park (1875–1877, 1882, 1889–1890, 1894, 1906–1909, 1916, 1918–1922)
• Homewood Park (1881–1882, 1884, 1890–1893)
• Narragansett Park (1883–1885, 1899–1905, 1907)
• Charter Oak Park (1876–1892, 1894, 1897–1925, 1929–1932)
• Island Park (1884–1889)
• Detroit Driving Club (1886)
• Fleetwood Park Racetrack (1888–1890, 1893–1897)
• Point Breeze Park (1890–1894)
• Hamtramck Park (1893)
• Union Park (1894–1896)
• Grosse Pointe Track (1894–1917)
• Columbus Driving Park (1896–1925)
• Indianapolis (1896)
• Fort Wayne Driving Park (1896–1898)
• Glens Falls Mile Track (1897–1901)
• Readville Race Track (1897–1908, 1910–1912, 1918–1925)
• Rigby Park (1898)
• Vigo County Fairgrounds (1900–1902)
• New York State Fairgrounds Racetrack (1901–1930, 1933–1941)
• Chester Park (1901–1906)
• Brighton Beach Race Course (1902–1904)
• Kenilworth Park Race Track (1903–1908)
• North Memphis Driving Park (1904–1905)
• Elkwood Park (1908–1909)
• Kalamazoo Recreation Park/Exposition Park (1908–1931)
• Fort Erie Race Track (1909–1914, 1932–1934)
• Forest City Fairgrounds (1909–1939, 1945)
• Indiana State Fairgrounds (1911)
• Comstock Park (1911–1915, 1927, 1929–1930)
• Pittsburgh Driving Club (1912–1914, 1916)
• Rockingham Park (1912–1913, 1932–1934)
• Michigan State Fairgrounds Speedway (1912–1914, 1927, 1929)
• Windsor Fair Grounds (1913)
• Montreal Exposition Grounds (1915)
• Piedmont Driving Club (1916–1922, 1925–1928)
• Belmont Driving Park (1917–1922)
• Maumee Downs (1918–1930, 1932–1941, 1947–1951)
• Devonshire Raceway (1923–1924)
• Aurora Downs (1925, 1929–1930, 1947–1950)
• Ideal Park (1926)
• Monroe Driving Park (1926)
• Orange County Fair Speedway (1926)
• Coney Island Race Track (1929)
• Thorncliffe Park Raceway (1931)
• London Fairgrounds (1931)
• Illinois State Fairgrounds Racetrack (1931–1941, 1946–2015)
• Good Time Park (1935–1956)
• Ohio State Fairgrounds (1936–1937)
• Milwaukee Fairgrounds (1936, 1941–1948)
• Kite Track (1936–1939, 1942–1946, 1949)
• Reading Fairgrounds (1937–1943, 1946–1955)
• Agawam Park (1937–1938)
• Mineola Race Track (1940)
• Narragansett Park (1940)
• Kentucky State Fairgrounds (1940–1941)
• Roosevelt Raceway (1941–1987)
• Buffalo Raceway (1941, 1966–????)
• New Jersey State Fairgrounds (1944–1945)
• DuQuoin State Fairgrounds Racetrack (1944–2009)
• Santa Anita Park (1946, 1948, 1950, 1952)
• Maywood Park (1947–1950)
• Hollywood Park (1947, 1949, 1951, 1953–????)
• Fairmount Park Racetrack (1949–1950)
• Missouri State Fair Speedway (1949–????)
• Wolverine Raceway (1951–????)
• Hazel Park Raceway (1954–????)
• Bay State Raceway (1956–????)
• Sportsman's Park (1956–1997)
• Arden Downs (1957–1962)
• Suffolk Downs (1960)
• Rosecroft Raceway (1961–????)
• Baltimore Raceway (1961–????)
• Monticello Raceway (1961–????)
• Grandview Raceway (1961–????)
• Liberty Bell Park (1963–1983)
• Phoenix Trotting Park (1966)
• Pompano Park (1966–2021)
• Atlantic City Race Course
• Brandywine Raceway (1971–1985)
• Garden State Park Racetrack
• Los Alamitos Race Course
• Freestate Raceway
• Batavia Downs
• Hippodrome de Trois-Rivières
• Miami Valley Gaming

See also

• Harness racing § Important races

References

1. ^ Hinkle, Charlie (May 23, 1954). "Racing's Grand Circuit Opens Colorful Season". Dayton Daily News. p. 12. Retrieved November 1, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
2. Siegel, Paul D. (2002). How to Own Winning Standardbred Racehorses. Neehah, Wisconsin: The Russell Meerdink Company Ltd. p. 20. ISBN 0-929346-72-6. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
3. Hoffman, Dean (2012). Harness Racing in New York State. Charleston, SC: The History Press. ISBN 978-1-61423-629-0. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
4. ^ "Grand Circuit". Encyclopædia Britannica. March 4, 2004. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
5. Fasig, William Benjamin; Gocher, William Henry (1903). Fasig's Tales of the Turf. Hartford, CT: W.H. Gocher. p. 25. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
6. Kline, Tedd H. (November 28, 1914). "The Handwriting on the Wall". The Breeder's Journal. 3 (11): 6–9. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
7. ^ "All Age 2023 Grand Circuit Races" (PDF). United States Trotting Association. November 25, 2023. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 14, 2024. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
8. ^ Trott, Frank (January 28, 1940). "American and National Trots Set for Gansett". The Boston Globe.
9. ^ "Goshen in Grand Circuit Racing". The New York Times. January 11, 1911.
10. ^ "Grand Circuit Sets Dates for Season". The New York Times. January 5, 1927.
11. ^ "Hambletonian Set Aug. 7". The New York Times. December 13, 1945.
12. Baumgartner, Paul (June 18, 1989). "Financial success attracts horsemen". The Plain Dealer.
13. ^ "Dates Announced for Grand Circuit Meet". The New York Times. January 6, 1926.
14. ^ Trott, Frank (February 2, 1941). "Hambletonian Stake Date Set by Grand Circuit for August 6". The Boston Globe.
15. "Meadowlands Joins Circuit". The New York Times. February 24, 1977.
16. ^ "Blake Named Head of Grand Circuit". The New York Times. December 12, 1965.
17. "Speed starts to show as Mohawk's horses await Grand Circuit". The Globe and Mail. June 19, 1978.
18. ^ "Great Campaign Planned by The Grand Circuit". The Boston Globe. January 25, 1904.
19. ^ "Grand Circuit". The Boston Globe. January 13, 1905.
20. ^ "10 Grand Circuit Tracks". The New York Times. April 11, 1942.
21. "Tioga Downs to host stakes series". Press & Sun-Bulletin. July 22, 2006.
22. ^ "2 Courses Added to Grand Circuit". The New York Times. December 13, 1953.
23. ^ Gocher, William Henry (1903). Fasig's Tales of the Turf. Hartford: W. H. Gocher. p. 21. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
24. ^ "An Ideal Chain". The Boston Globe. January 28, 1903.
25. ^ "Will Open July 23". The Boston Globe. January 10, 1906.
26. ^ "New York in Grand Circuit". The Boston Globe. January 12, 1910.
27. ^ "Readville is Out of Grand Circuit". The Boston Globe. January 15, 1913.
28. ^ "Grand Circuit Dates". The New York Times. January 14, 1914.
29. ^ "Yonkers is Invited Into Grand Circuit". The New York Times. December 13, 1950.
30. ^ Trott, Frank (January 29, 1917). "Fourteen Weeks of Great Racing Assured". The Boston Globe.
31. ^ "Grand Circuit Meet for Elkwood Park". The New York Times. May 3, 1908.
32. ^ Trott, Frank (January 28, 1929). "Fifteen Weeks of Mile Track Racing". The Boston Globe.
33. ^ "Dates for 1933 Set for Grand Circuit". The New York Times. November 22, 1932.
34. "On The Grand Circuit". The Boston Globe. July 17, 1894.
35. ^ "Readville Meeting Will Open Aug 26". The Boston Globe. January 9, 1918.
36. ^ "Columbus is Out of Grand Circuit". The New York Times. December 19, 1925.
37. ^ "Grand Circuit Dates". The New York Times. January 13, 1909.
38. ^ "Famous Fort Miami Track at Toledo Out of Grand Circuit-Syracuse Abandons Harness Racing For Runners". The Boston Globe. January 6, 1931.
39. "Brighton Beach Out Of The Grand Circuit". The New York Times. December 16, 1904.
40. ^ Trott, Frank (January 18, 1932). "East Again Strong in Grand Circuit". The Boston Globe.
41. "Phellis Trotting Head". The New York Times. December 21, 1944.
42. "Large Fields for Grand Circuit Races". The Gazette Times. July 10, 1911. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
43. ^ Trott, Frank (January 22, 1912). "Rockingham Gets Date". The Boston Globe.
44. "Changes in Grand Circuit". The New York Times. January 13, 1915.
45. "Grand Circuit 14 Weeks' Show". The Boston Globe. January 12, 1916.
46. ^ Trott, Frank (January 12, 1925). "Readville Has Its Usual Dates". The Boston Globe.
47. ^ "Blake New Chief of Grand Circuit". The New York Times. December 12, 1946.
48. "Devereaux Again to Head Stewards". The New York Times. January 10, 1923.
49. ^ "13 Dates Are Set in Grand Circuit". The New York Times. January 6, 1931.
50. Martinez, Marcia (April 14, 2016). "Harness horse owners skeptical about Department of Ag's pledge on state fair purses". The State Journal-Register. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
51. ^ "Grand Circuit Gives West Three Meets Late in Fall". The Boston Globe. January 28, 1936.
52. ^ "Old Orchard Back on Grand Circuit Program in '49". The Boston Globe. Columbus, Ohio. AP. December 15, 1948. p. 27. Retrieved November 1, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
53. "13 Weeks of Racing for Grand Circuit". The New York Times. May 22, 1937.
54. ^ "Grand Circuit Schedule to Open at Old Orchard". The Boston Globe. January 23, 1944.
55. Milbert, Neil (March 26, 2010). "World Trotting Derby a victim of budget cuts". The Chicago Tribune.
56. "Grand Circuit Racing at Foxboro This Year". The Boston Globe. June 10, 1956.
57. "Chicago Downs Meet Sets Pace". Daily Defender. September 5, 1956.
58. "Arden Downs Pace to Thorpe Hanover". The New York Times. October 13, 1957.
59. "Suffolk Downs Harness Racing Opens Monday". The Boston Globe. October 23, 1960.
60. ^ Records & Briefs New York State Appellate Division. pp. 49–50. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
61. ^ Kiser, Jack (March 24, 1984). "Brandywine Opens Meet, Might Be Its Last Season". Philadelphia Daily News.
62. Jerardi, Dick (August 21, 1985). "Harness Racing Goes on Trial at Garden State". Philadelphia Daily News.

• Harness racing
• Horse racing