As promised, we have scoured our records to end the season with our TwinSpires Harness Players’ Horses of the Year. While the industry rattles off its divisional title-winners (see News below and last week’s blog), we continue a tradition we began when we began our popular player blogs at YouBet.  

Listed below are all the horses listed in this blog in 2012 that won and paid 4-1 or more, though there were plenty of other winners suggested (tweets that did not appear in the blogs are not included, even though many were more than 4-1). We note the track where they won (most Balmoral winners were linked to our Hoof Beats blog) and the price that they paid in descending order.  

Atop the list is the Players’ Horse of the Year—the highest paying win mutuel of the lot.  

That horse is Kommander Hawk. From this year’s early horses-to-watch (H2W) list, the six-year-old pacing gelding won at Pompano Park and paid $78.20. Ellen McNeil owns him, John McNeil III trains him and Fern Paquet drove him. He is by Pro Bono Best out of the Seahawk Hanover mare Spinners Hawk. His mark is 1:51 at Pompano.

 

Kommander Hawk, Pompano, $78.20
Poorlittlegirl, Cal Expo, $64.20
Electrofire, Meadowlands, $43.00
Fox Ridge Banner, Pompano, $35.60
Goldern Terror, Buffalo, $33.00
Art Z, Meadowlands, $32.80 

Warrawee Nonsuch, Woodbine, $28.80
Life Is Good Today, Balmoral, $25.00
Rockincam, Hoosier, $23.20
Lady Lakes, Balmoral, $21.80
Devilish Donnie, Cal Expo, $20.60
Ruffleshaveridges, Meadows, $20.60 

Sell The Dragon, Balmoral, $20.60
Captain Obvious, Balmoral, $20.20
Darena Hanover, Pocono, $19.20
Slippin Away, Balmoral, $19.20
Aracache Hanover, Pocono, $18.80
Tone, Balmoral, $18.40 

Judys Jet, Balmoral, $16.80
Rock N Lawyer, Balmoral, $16.60
Wrangler Reward, Cal Expo, $15.80
Cherry Tree Nicole, Cal Expo, $15.40
Allamerican Improve, Buffalo, $15.00
Hollywood Lenny, Cal Expo, $15.00

Totowin, Buffralo, $14.80 

Romantic Moment, Mohawk, $14.50
Pilgrims Haley, Balmoral, $14.00
Verdad, Pocono, $13.60
Blue Claw, Woodbine, $13.40
Rejoiceandbeglad, Balmoral, $13.20

Yankees In Six, Pompano, $12.80
CDs Ideal, Balmoral, $12.60
Explosive Action, Yonkers, $12.40
Rebecca Bayama, Tioga, $12.40
Acapulco Gold, Balmoral, $12.20
Art Z, Yonkers, $12.00

Gentle Dragon, Cal Expo, $12.00
Rocklamation, Cal Expo, $12.00

High Noon, Meadows, $11.80
Bewareofthisaffair, Cal Expo, $11.60
A Rocknroll Dance, Meadowlands, $11.40
Destinys Chance, Pocono, $11.20  

Prestidigitator, Mohawk, $11.00
Aperfectyankee, Meadowlands, $10.80
Ideal Romance, Vernon, $10.80
Sand Starla, Balmoral, $10.80
Stylemaster, Balmoral, $10.80
Fritzs Z Tam, Yonkers, $10.60  

Mystician, Woodbine, $10.50
Billmar Scooter, Yonkers, $10.20
Day Blue Chip, Meadowlands, $10.20
Hanover DGN, Cal Expo, $10.20
Wishing And Hoping, Balmoral, $10.20
Pet Rock, Yonkers, $10.00
Say It Best, Pompano, $10.00

We hope you have benefited from the publishing of these horses when projected as winners. Through the next year we hope to continue to supply you with live horses, great-paying winners and elements for healthy paying exotics.

Here they are from the highest paying to the lowest paying winners from the list on our blog last Thursday:  

$9.80, Dani California, Cal Expo

$8.80, Gray Olives, Freehold
$8.40, Tangram, Cal Expo
$5.20, Exotic Sparkle, Fraser
$4.20, Chica Caliente, Fraser
 

Seconds:
Sir Jillian Z Tam (7-1), Yonkers; Rileys Luck (9-1), Philly; Sweet Reunion (7-1), Fraser   

Sir Jillian Z Tam was the second half of an exacta with the race favorite, paying $31.80. Rileys Luck paid $10.40 to place and $4.20 to show while losing to a 14-1 shot.  

Thirds
Coal Younger (11-1), Cal Expo; Paul The Powerful (8-1), Cal Expo; Jessalilpeace (4-1), Cal Expo; Cool Ashlee (10-1), Freehold; Straight Dancer (2-1), Northfield; Lee A Bryant (5-2), Northfield  

All adjustments for returnees to the list and additions will be in the Thursday blog. 

Indulge in many standardbred topics at my Hoof Beatsblog titled Vast Performances. Every weekend as part of that blog we we offer Balmoral Pick-4-and-win picks at the USTA’s Strategic Wagering Program page which includes suggested win bets.  

Connect to Twitter and follow Frank and Ray Cotolo for up-to-the-minute suggestions on wagers at many harness raceways. Then, wager from your TwinSpires accounts.