Cal-Expo $32 Winner Tops Weekend Harness Scores

The weekend of March 13, which resulted in huge winners, including the season’s first three-digit win price, a few two-digit winners and the $500-plus Daily Double at Northville, wasn’t over until after we posted our review blog. There were still races to watch on Sunday night, after we posted.

As Cal-Expo raced its March 15 program with a three-hour time difference from our headquarters in the east, one more double-digit winner—which is posted in the horses-to-watch list (H2W) results below—added to the manifest. Dickies Motel ($32.00) wound up the third-highest win price for the weekend.

Again, across-the-board productivity was present in the H2W action. The high place price on the list was $11.20 and the high show price was $15.60.

The debut of Yonkers’ older pacing series, on Friday, March 20, and Saturday, March 21, produced only one winner for us. Week one of the six-weeks series of Matchmaker and “Levy” contests was not a strong showing for some of the outsiders we supported but plenty of opportunities will arise as the series’ tighten.

Our winner in the Matchmaker, Krispy Apple paid $5.00. Due to the field being shortened by the scratch of probable favorite and defending-champion Somwhereovarainbow. In another split, our choice, Coffee Addict, went off at 21-1 and finished third in the no-show-wagering mile. We were fourth and fifth in the other leg with a 9-1 and a 24-1, both beaten by the prohibitive favorite, also with no show wagering.

Saturday, the quintet of Levy legs in the first round eluded us with scorching speed-oriented victories and only one two-digit winner. We came closest with Fat Mans Alley ($3.70, $2.30) in the first division. Dancin Yankee ($3.40) took third with an unpredicted come-from-behind attempt. Failing miserably were National Debt (15-1), Validus Deo (30-1) and Holdingallthecards (37-1).

Always check out the H2W list for prospects and, as below, for across-the-board and exacta results. 

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H2W RESULTS

The H2W results list across-the-board prices. Also, exactas are included when a H2W horse finishing second completes the result with a race favorite or the first two finishers making up the exacta are H2W horses (an asterisk appears when both horses were listed to complete the exacta). If a horse appears twice in any category it is because it won after press time from the previous week’s list. This week, there were 53 active horses.

Winners

Dickies Motel, $32.20, $13.20, $8.60, Cal Expo
Rays Rayzer, $8.20, $5.40, $2.60, Cal Expo
Peenie, $6.90, $3.10, $2.60, Buffalo
Lindy Truffles, $5.60, $2.60, $2.80 ok, Monticello
Johnny Grippa, $5.40, n/p, n/s, Pompano
Bust My Chops, $3.40, $2.80, $2.20, Maywood
Modest Prince, $3.20, $2.40, $2.10, Meadowlands

Seconds

Hillcrest Romeo, $11.20, $6.00, Cal Expo
Wind Of The North, $5.60, $3.80, Meadowlands
Barrys Shelby, $5.10, $3.00, Flamboro
Brandon Iron, $4.40, $2.50 (Exacta $18.30), Flamboro
Kayleighs Future, $3.80, $3.40, Northfield
Paco Labrook, $3.80, $2.80, Miami
Yacht King, $2.60, $2.10, Freehold
Digam, $2.40, $2.20, Northville

Thirds

The Lunch Pail, $15.60, Yonkers
Freaky Flyer, $5.20, Buffalo
The Bad Deputy, $4.20, Freehold
El Puncho, $3.80, Northville
Hi Speed Sis, $3.80, Northville
CJs Sweet Racer, $3.40, Northville
ER Myron, $3.40, Meadows
Incredible Frank, $3.20, Western Fair

News & Notes

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission approved a request to postpone Plainridge Racecourse’s opening day for two weeks. The delay was necessitated by Massachusetts experiencing record snowfall this winter, which set back training schedules. The 2015 opener will take place on Wednesday, April 15 with first post at 4 p.m. Plainridge will also offer racing on Thursday, April 16. On April 19, the track will add Sunday afternoons to its schedule, with a first-race post time of 1 p.m. One hundred and five programs of racing – a 30-percent increase over recent seasons – will be conducted at the in 2015.

The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono kicked off its 50th season on Saturday, March 21, and a commemorative book looking back at the past 50 years has been released. Pocono has had its trials over five decades. It was headed for bankruptcy but rebounded full force, attracting some of the best horses and horsemen in the country, as well as it twice hosted the Breeders Crown races (both covered live exclusively by TwinSpires harness staff). Pocono horses join the H2W list, as to choices from the Pennsylvania harness circuit’s Harrah’s at Philadelphia.

The second edition of the $400,000 (estimated) Hambletonian Maturity Stakes at the Meadowlands attracted 25 trotters, including filly Shake It Cerry and the inimitable Father Patrick. The event moves to Saturday, July 18, a night worth $2.6 million, led by the Meadowlands Pace. Created by the Hambletonian Society and the Meadowlands as a racing opportunity solely for four-year-olds previously eligible to the Hambletonian and “Oaks,” the inaugural event drew a field of 14 that included the Bee A Magician and Royalty For Life. Your So Vain won it. Also paid into the Maturity are Gural Hanover, Rose Run Parker and EL Titan, who, like Father Patrick, will race and breed in 2015. The distance is 1 1/8 mile. All starters in the race will receive money, with the winner receiving 50 percent of the purse. One percent of the purse will be paid to the owners of those finalists finishing sixth through last. The remainder of the purse will be divided to pay horses finishing second through fifth.


Extraordinary Extras

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Ray Cotolo contributed to this blog

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