Cotolo’s Harness Review, News And Notes

We nailed the rhyme and reason Always B Miki was going to win the Monument Circle at Hoosier on Oct. 31 with our essay on him, the glamour-boy pacing division, his possible appearance at the Meadowlands in November and the race itself in our Breeders Crown Countdown blog, located at Blogspot.

Winning the event, Always B Miki ($5, $3.40, $2.80) paid generously considering his upscale competition, but also ignited the conversations we mentioned would take place if he won. Trainer Joe Holloway said “Miki” would have to display considerable talent in the race or win in order to recommend a supplement to the division’s “Crown” events. When Miki won, the portion of the purse was then in question as payment to supplement to the Crown. The supplement is $62,500; Miki’s share of the Monument easily cleared that and now we await word from Holloway and company.

The same situation presented itself on the Oct. 31 Hoosier program when Color’s A Virgin won the Nadia Lobell. (Our choice, Gallie Bythe Beach ($3.80, $2.60) was second.) “Color” connections have to decide if she will supplement to the soph-filly pacer Crown.

We took the Moni Maker that same night with Shake It Cerry ($3.60, $2.20, $2.10), paying far more than we predicted, while we lost with Father Patrick ($2.10, $2.10) who was beaten by the threat we wrote about, E L Titam. Also, we were second with Sweet Lou ($5.80, $3) who was an across-the-board profit while returning to form, as we predicted.

Our super pick for the week, as flashed on @FrankCotolo on Twitter Oct. 27, came from the horses-to-watch list. At the Meadows, our winner was Obee (see below for full prices) at 30-1. Also take note that all of this week’s place horses were the other half of exactas.

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 on Nov. 21 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.

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 may 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

Obee, $63.60, $27.60, $20, Meadows
Remix, $7.40, $4.40, $2.60), Scarborough
Classic Mosee, $6.20, $3.80, $2.80, Rosecroft
Doo Wop Hanover, $5.20, $3.40, $2.80, Pocono
Kiwi Ideal N, $5.10, $2.80, $3.40, Yonkers
Dw’s Ny Yank, $4.20, $2.90, $3.10 ok, Yonkers

Seconds

Jenkins Creek, $6.80, $3.20 (Exacta $21.40), Rosecroft
Kate At The Gate, $5, $2.60 (Exacta $12.60), Scarborough
Bestfillyintown, $4.80, $3.40 (Exacta $15), Scarborough
Westport, $4.20, $2.40 (Exacta $10.80), Meadows
Tumblin Dice, $3.20, $2.40 (Exacta $10.20), Pompano

Thirds

Andwin Hanover, $11.80, Freehold
Fortissimo, $7.80, Meadows
Can He Go, $6, Yonkers
Bolero Loupet, $4.20, Scarborough

News & Notes

Top frosh-colt pacer Artspeak is done for the year, according to trainer Tony Alagna. Artspeak, eligible to the Matron Stakes and Breeders Crown, will obviously pass the two stakes series. Artspeak earned $742,185, a purse total that leads all two-year-old pacers so far this year. “It’s such a long year for all of them,” Alagna said. “We raced him ten starts, which is what we like to do if possible … We just made the decision as a group that we’d rather spend the extra days [of the season] turned out in Lexington, letting him grow up and get ready for next year.” He won the Governor’s Cup on Oct. 25 and came out of it “in great shape,” Alagna said. He claims the horse “has no issues” and will be back for a sophomore campaign.

The Cane Pace will move to The Meadowlands in 2015 and become a part of the Hambletonian day program on the first Saturday in August. The Cane Pace is joined by its filly counterpart, the Shady Daisy, for soph-filly pacers, on the program. The Meadowlands will also be adding a “sister race” to the John Cashman Memorial for the older mare trotters that same day. Since the demise of the Oliver Wendell Holmes Pace, Hambo day has not featured a stakes for the glamour-boy pacers. These additions to the card mean there will be a major stake race for every division three and older. The races have traditionally been raced at Freehold and moved to Tioga Downs. The major change to the “Cane” is that it will be a single heat, without eliminations. This will enhance the purse and perhaps attract more horses as the event is raced on a mile track for the first time.

Sebastian K, harness racing's fastest trotter, will race in 2015 but possibly has just one race left in 2014 and it he will pass the Breeders Crown. Trainer Åke Svanstedt said, “Unfortunately, Sebastian has not been at his best in the recent starts but like many of the other horses in the stable he has had problems with infections. If everything is well within the next few weeks he will finish his season at The Meadowlands [on Nov. 29 in a FFA Trot final]. After a rest in Florida he will begin training for next season, which begins in early May. “I truly hope and believe that Sebastian can be as good next year,” said Svanstedt. “The competition looks to be basically the same as this year, in addition to some four-year-olds like Father Patrick and Nuncio.” The 2015 schedule for Sebastian K might not be as intensive as in 2014. His connections only plan to race Sebastian K around 10 times next year.

Speaking of the Breeders Crown, the sites for the next three years have been secured by the Hambletonian Society, which owns and services the races. The “Crown” will return to Canada in 2015. The Woodbine Entertainment Group will host all 12 events in October. In 2016, the championships will return to The Meadowlands, the site of this year’s Crown finals on Friday, Nov. 21 and Saturday, Nov. 22. The events head to the Midwest in 2017 as Hoosier Park hosts its first Crown. The seven-eighths mile track was awarded all 12 championship races, becoming the thirty-first racetrack to host. “Hoosier Park is a world-class racetrack and has been a solid supporter of Grand Circuit and stakes racing since they opened,” said Tom Charters, president of the Hambletonian Society. “We are delighted to add a new track to the Breeders Crown roster, especially one as celebrated, and as accommodating to fans, owners, and horsepeople as Hoosier Park … The Breeders Crown series, the horsemen, owners, fans and racetracks benefit in every way by rotating among the best tracks in North America.” The 30-year-old series has offered more than $164 million in purse money over 346 events through the years. Originally conceived and executed as a traveling series, the Crown has traveled to racetracks across North America and been raced as single night or multiple events.

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 ~