Cotolo’s Harness Review, News And Notes

We start with our biggest success of the weekend, certainly a surprise to us at the price. Pointing to Luck Be Withyou in the Messenger elim at Yonkers on Oct. 18, we expected a decent price but not a longshot. The winner of the elim was Luck Be Withyou ($23, $4.90, $2.40). The Messenger Final is on the big bill next week. 

The Breeders Crown Countdown blog, located at Blogspot, covered other elims at Yonkers on Oct. 18. We were two for two in the Lady Maude elims with Act Now ($4.90, $3.50, $2.70) and Fancy Desire ($2.70, $2.10 n/s). The Yonkers Trot elims produced nothing for our bettors.

The “Countdown” blog will continue coverage of races connected to “Crown” eligibles leading to the championship events in November (where we will cover the finals live from the Meadowlands). Don’t miss one episode of the Breeders Crown Countdown on Blogspot and look for archived race reviews at the Hambletonian Society site.

Friday’s Maywood stakes parade had only two on the tote for our readers. The public choices swept the quintet. In the Abe Lincoln, 11-1 Angelo J Fra ($3.60) was third and in one Cinderella split Major Dancer was second ($2.80, $2.80), contributing to an exacta worth $7.40.

Friday’s quartet of Final Four elims at Woodbine were public-choice laden, though we went along with Jk She’salady ($2.10 n/p n/s) in a Three Diamonds division and were third in a Goldsmith Maid split with Juanitas Fury (n/s).

The Saturday Final Four elims offered a few upsets but none were predicted on our blog. We did, however, nail one Valley Victory elim that made flat bets on all of our choices come out profitable. The cold exacta of Habitat ($2.90, $2.80, $2.10) to Jetapedia ($11.70, 5.40) came back $32.

The Indiana Sires Stakes Super Finals produced three winners of obvious stature: Churita ($2.40, $2.10, $2.10) with a cold exacta partner of Golden Big Stick ($3.20, $2.60) worth $7; Always B Miki ($2.10, $2.10 ok, $2.10 ok) and Color’s A Virgin ($2.60, $2.20, $2.10). Second-choice Hudson Jesse ($7.60, $4.80, $3.60) with our first choice, Baby Steps ($5.20, $4.40) produced a $29.60 exacta.

HARNESS OCTOBER – During the month of October, TwinSpires is offering harness bettors some great deals when you wager on standardbreds at any racetrack we carry.
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TwinSpires and Hoosier continue a three-pronged power-packed program for harness players. Tuesdays, wager all you want and earn 10 TSC Elite Points per dollar bet. Click here for details. Every Thursday night, there is a 20-percent bonus on hitting the Pick 4 starting at Race 3. Click here for details. And the ongoing 10-percent Pick-4 bonus every racing night on Pick-4 hits continues through the meet. Click here for details.

In between published harness blogs, follow @FrankCotolo and @TwinSpires on Twitter to get tips on Hoosier contenders you can use in your tickets. Other possibilities appear in exclusive H2W list.

H2W RESULTS

The H2W results list across-the-board prices. Also, exactas are included when a H2W horse finishing first or second completes the result with a race favorite or another H2W horse listed in the same race (an asterisk appears when both horses were listed to complete the exacta). This week, there were 30 active horses on the H2W list.

Winners

Grandpa Don, $14.60, $5.50, $3.70, Saratoga
Rascal Shark, $9.40, $5.60, $3, Cal Expo
Wondering Heart, $9.40, $4, $3.20, Freehold
The Midnights Owl N, $5.40, $2.40, $2.60 ok, Scarborough
Fitness Craze, $4.60, $3.40, $3, Freehold
Secret Journey, $4.20, $3.80, $2.80, Scarborough
Art Genta, $3.40, $2.60, $2.20, Colonial
Ma Cherie Hall, $2.50, $2.20, $3.70 ok, Vernon
 
Seconds

Southwind Cartier, $13, $3.70, Vernon
Ny Ice, $5.40, $5.80 ok (Exacta $26.80), Freehold
Docdor Laughing, $4.60, $4.20 (Exacta $22.20), Pompano
Allstar Shark, $4.20, $2.20, Meadows
Fox Valley Shannon, $4.20, $2.10, Scarborough
Bettors Promise, $4, $2.10 (Exacta $4.80), Cal Expo
Shady Mountain Ga, $3.80, Plainridge
Boots N Chains, $3.20, $7.90 ok, Vernon
New York Kitty, n/s, Plainridge

Thirds

Camille, $3.40, Pocono
Dvc Kolor Me Krazy, $3.20, Rosecroft
Battle Call, $2.90, Saratoga

News & Notes

Amid the Fall Four Finals, Yonkers Trot, Messenger and other events in our Oct. 23 blog, we will cover the Yonkers International Trot Preview. Yonkers announced the cast for the overture, at 1 ¼ miles, worth $250,000. In alphabetic order, the preview field includes Arch Madness, Bee a Magician, Commander Crowe, Market Share, Natural Herbie, Not Afraid and Sebastian K. One of Europe’s preeminent trotters, Commander Crowe is am 11-year-old Juliano Star gelding whose 60 victories include the Elitlopp in 2012 and Sweden’s Åby Stora Pris invitational. This is his U.S. debut and third North American start, the first two of a pair of thirds in Breeders Crowns (2011 and’12). “Commander” is trained by Fabrice Souloy.

We will be on top of the action at newly opened Ohio track Dayton Raceway in our next blog, as richest pacer in history and the hottest free for all trotter in North America head to the five-eighths mile oval for the inaugural Grand Circuit stakes. The $150,000 (est.) Dayton Trotting Derby and companion $110,000 (est.) Dayton Pacing Derby will be contested on the Friday, Oct. 24 program. The pacing feature will star Foiled Again, the 10-year-old wonder horse with $6,702,111 in earnings. A total of 26 of North America’s best older pacers are staked to the new event, including, but not limited to, Apprentice Hanover, Bolt The Duer, Clear Vision, Sunfire Blue Chip and Twilight Bonfire.

Creatine comes to Dayton for the trotting division from his win in the $166,300 American National at Balmoral in a track-record 1:51.3, just after beating Sebastian K by a head in 1:51.2 in the $173,000 Allerage Final in Kentucky. A total of 47 trotters remain eligible to the Dayton Trotting Derby, including Sebastian K, Archangel, Daylon Magician, Wishing Stone and local Dayton track record holder Count Me In.

Pompano Park has revised its racing schedule. It has eliminated the remaining Monday dates in October – the 20^th and 27^th – and added two racing programs to the track’s April schedule. The change was made due to an insufficient supply of racehorses, a condition expected to be remedied with the arrival of several stables within the next two to three weeks. The track is still committed to race its full 126-day meeting.

The Meadowlands’ next harness season begins soon, so the qualifying schedule has been posted. Horsemen with potential Breeders Crown starters who are looking to get a qualifier into their horse prior to the Breeders Crown get shots with the first round of qualifiers on Nov. 6 at 9:30 a.m. Beginning with Saturday, Nov. 15, weekly qualifiers will occur on Saturday mornings at 9:30 a.m.

Jeffrey P. Jacobs announced on Oct. 4 a closure date of Nov. 1 for Colonial Downs, Virginia's only horse race track and statewide system of off track wagering facilities and the only harness racing one-turn mile. Jacobs said at a Virginia Racing Commission meeting that he withdrew Colonial Downs’ thoroughbred and standardbred race day requests and the request for approval of the Old Dominion Horsemen’s contract. He said he turned in Colonial Downs’ unlimited pari-mutuel owners and operators licenses to be effective Nov. 1.
 
Extraordinary Extras

Indulge in many standardbred topics at my Hoof Beats blog titled Vast Performances.

Ray Cotolo contributed to this blog

Cartoons by Thom Pye ~ For Thom Pye cartoons, informative harness history and more, click here ~