Indiana Downs in Shelbyville, which had its Grand Opening last month, is the new home for the John Simpson Stakes and will host those eight events during their Grand Circuit week from August 19-August 23.

The Breeders Crown, harness racing’s championship series, will also be part of the Grand Circuit for the first time. Both the three older events (slated for late August at Woodbine) and the eight two and three-year-old races (in late November at The Meadowlands) will be contested under the G.C. banner.

The Grand Circuit has been in existence since 1871, when representatives from three racetracks in different states met to create a racing circuit. The first campaign for the Grand Circuit took place in 1873, when four tracks offered $169,300 in purses. From those humble beginnings, the Grand Circuit has blossomed into a yearly showcase of the finest two and three-year-old harness horses competing in North America, with purses now totaling many millions of dollars at racetracks and fairs in many areas of the continent.