It's fitting that the stakes season at MGM Yonkers Raceway will come to an end this year with leading trainer Per Engblom sending out five from his stable in the opening round of the MGM Grand Prix Series for trotters and pacers. The two Grand Prix Series offer three preliminary legs, with $250,000 finals slated for closing night on December 19. Last year Engblom had the favorite in the initial Grand Prix for pacers in Coaches Corner, but the then 4-year-old was upset in the final. Coaches Corner leads three candidates for Engblom in Monday's (November 24) first leg. "Last year he did most of his racing at Yonkers because we really didn't have him staked," said Engblom. This year Coaches Corner enters the MGM Grand Prix following a second-place finish in the Breeders Crown at Woodbine Mohawk Park, a third in the Potomac at Rosecroft and then a third-place finish in the FanDuel Championship at the Meadowlands on November 15. Coaches Corner drew post two in the third $50,000 division of the MGM Grand Prix (race seven) on Monday and looks to get back on the winning track over a Yonkers half-mile surface he has more than become comfortable racing over. One would have thought it would be difficult for Coaches Corner to top his 2024 campaign that saw him earn $645K, but with this lucrative series at year-end, it's possible he will equal that or exceed it this year. "I had no idea he would be this kind of horse when we first got him," said Engblom. "He's was a non-winners-of-four horse that raced on the Indiana Fair circuit." Coaches Corner will once again be pitted against Desperate Man in the opening leg of this year's series. The Travis Alexander-trained gelding has done some of his best racing as an older horse over the Yonkers half-miler but has not raced since capturing an Invitational on October 27. Huntinthelastdolar (post three) hasn't had as much racing luck as his stablemate but enters the MGM Grand Prix in great form. He'll face a solid field in the third race on Monday night and first division of the series. "He hasn't been that lucky with the draws," said Engblom. "He drew the 10-hole in the Breeders Crown and then had the nine- hole in the FanDuel. Even with the outside draw I think he had the fastest last quarter in that race." Indeed, Huntinthelastdolar flashed a 26 second final panel but only netted a sixth-place finish in the FanDuel. In between those two outings Huntinthelastdolar went wire-to-wire in an overnight at Yonkers. While the draw was solid for Huntinthelastdolar, the competition figures to be fierce with Captain Albano (post four) making his series debut and returning to Yonkers for the first time since capturing the $200,000 Aria Invitational (Grade 2) there in September. Jamaican Rock A, third in the Aria, has won 10 of 16 starts this year and figures to be a solid player in this series. The son of A Rocknroll Dance owns multiple Invitational victories over this surface and returns for trainer Scott Blackler following a solid qualifier at the Meadowlands on November 15. Jamaican Rock A landed post two. ► Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter Engblom hopes the length of the series will help Redwood Hanover find a spot in the final. "He's been racing great since we bought him off OnGait," said Engblom of the 5-year-old Stay Hungry-sired stallion. "The post is a problem, and I'm not sure how he'll handle four straight weeks." Redwood Hanover is coming off a wire-to-wire Invitational triumph at Yonkers on November 3 but landed post eight in Monday's fifth race and second MGM Grand Prix division. Borgata Series winner Mossdale Ben N drew post seven while making his first start back after nearly two months on the shelf. The fourth $50,000 MGM Grand Prix division on Monday (race nine) could be the most competitive of the night with some mid-level horses hoping to make the step up. Perhaps the most intriguing horse in this division is the lone sophomore in the field Courts On Fire, a son of Courtly Choice that finished second in this year's New York Sire Stakes final at Batvia and will be making his first start for new trainer Ron Burke following a purchase at the Harrisburg sale. Courts On Fire drew post six in the eight-horse field. Engblom will send out a pair of seasoned trotters in two of the three $50,000 divisions of the opening leg of the MGM Grand Prix Trotting Series on Friday night, with Ultion Face S (post three) going in race five and Cecil Hanover (post seven) slated for race seven. "I like both of them and I think they can trot in 1:53 over this track," said Engblom. "I'm not sure if that's going to be good enough, but I think they'll be competitive." Ultion Face S has been very consistent for Engblom's stable as a 9-year-old after a solid career overseas. He was most recently second in an Invitational at Yonkers on November 6, but Friday's field appears much deeper. Antognoni S, a winner of the John Brennan Series at Yonkers earlier this season, landed the pole position in the field of eight. He's won 13 of 20 starts thus far for trainer Ron Burke. Sir Pinocchio (post four) and Amigo Volo (post eight) add depth to this division. Engblom's Cecil Hanover (post seven) enters the series in great form but finds himself in what appears the most difficult division, with the $2.1 million winner Periculum (post three) and the near $1.2 million winner Ari Ferrari J (post five) to his inside. Periculum is coming off a solid second-place finish in the FanDuel Championship and returns to Yonkers, where he was last seen getting boxed-in against some of the best trotters in the world in the $1 million MGM Yonkers International Trot on September 13. Ari Ferrari J prepped for the series with a 1:52 2/5 qualifier at the Meadowlands on November 8 for trainer Tony Alagna. Security Protected (post five) makes just his second start in trainer Cory Stratton's stable after a purchase, perhaps made with this series in mind. A 4-year-old by Father Patrick, Security Protected finished a solid second behind Up Your Deo in the $200,000 Robert Miecuna Trot on International Trot Day. He'll face six others in the eighth race and third MGM Grand Prix division, with last year's champion Take All Comers (post four) to his inside and the classy Southwind Coors (post seven) to his outside. Post time at Yonkers Raceway for both cards is 6:45 P.M. (EST).