Cotolo’s Harness Review, News And Notes

We’re back from this year’s Breeders Crown finals at the Meadowlands. In cooperation with the Hambletonian Society, we covered the two nights of a dozen championship events in the 30^th anniversary of the tralatitious series. Our personal thanks to Tom Charters (executive director), Moira Fanning (director of operations) and the entire board of directors of the society for their accommodations and recognition of our dedication to promoting standardbred racing’s pari-mutuel theater.

In our final entry of this year’s Breeders Crown Countdown blog, located at Blogspot, we will look at the strange evolution of the this year’s path to the series’ conclusion, along with some exclusive photos taken on the nights of the finals. Watch for that posting this week.

The expected and the unexpected, of course, designed the outcomes of the 12 finals. We were correct with some suggested plays, close with others and wrong about some but in all cases our contenders were alive in more battles than not.

Four finals went on Friday, Nov. 21. Here are the results of our plays and comments about them.

Mistery Woman (9-1) left very hard in the Open Mare Trot but she was kept wide too long and, huddled near 3 lengths from the leader for three calls, she broke stride at three-quarters and finished sixth but was placed seventh. We wanted her atop Bee A Magician, who won ($7.40, $3.00, $2.40).

We offered a possible upset in the frosh-filly trot with a caviat—if Mission Brief breaks. There was no way to tell before hand, of course, but it was her biggest foe that broke (Wild Honey) and the victory went to a well-behaved Mission Brief ($2.80, $2.80 ok, $2.60). Our upset possibility finished third: Livininthefastlane returned $4.80 at 12-1.

Always on the side of Shake It Cerry ($2.40, $2.20, $2.10), she came through flawlessly in the soph-filly trot.

The soph-filly pace found supplement Sayitall Bb, who just made the final in a disappointing elim effort, win at 9-1. We backed Precocious Beauty (14-1) and her trip from post 9 (she was the 10 horse but Gallie Bythe Beach was a late scratch) was an overland journey that she could not survive after a three-wide brush at three-quarters.

Eight finals were on the Satruday, Nov. 22 program.

No handicappers in the press box were feeling good about the public’s choice in the frosh-colt trot. Pinkman, we all thought, didn’t deserve even-money status. We weren’t on him, anyway. We went for Muscle Diamond (4-1) and he finished second to the top choice, Pinkman, for an exacta worth $19.00.

The frosh-filly pace was the mortal lock we predicted as Jk She’salady ($2.20, $2.10, $2.10 ok) won her 12^th-straight race of her first season on the racetrack.

Sweet Lou looked to have the win clinched in deep stretch until the third-quarter’s clocking of 1:20.4 took a few steps out of him getting to the wire. Thinking Out Loud, notorious for being able to pass tired horses in order to pick up big wins, put the slimmest of heads in from of Sweet Lou ($3.80, $2.60) to win.

The frosh-colt pace was a mess, with early breaks that scattered most of the field, which was in positioning mode at the time. Last week we had Traceur Hanover, the highest paying of all the elims, at 20-1. We didn’t want him less this week, figuring he wouldn’t be in the mid anyway. But he steered clear of the confusion and battled In The Arsenal, the race favorite, to win in a close finish. Our choice, Tomy Terror, was deeply affected by the chaos and finished eighth at 23-1. 

In the No. 20 blog we offered Somewherovrarainbow as a possible upset in the Mare Pace. She was, however, only 8-1, a surprise to us. If you were following our tweets you saw our change of heart, as we took a 10-1 shot that won—Shelliscape ($23.00, $8.60, $6.20).

There was never a doubt for us that the soph-colt trot’s winner would be Jimmy Takter’s best soph trotter. We were correct. Father Patrick ($4.60, $3.80, $2.10) went off as the second choice (more about that in our Breeders Crown essay).

Next, we had to leave you on your own, since our choice, Always Be Miki, scratched. It was quite a shock to all of us except those reporting that the top colt was jumping and wild while scoring and looked terrible all day. Earlier, Limelight Beach scratched, and the reduction of the field’s foes benefited the opportunistic Mcwicked, who turned out to be the second choice and won. We tweeted one suggestion, Luck Be Withyou (12-1) as an alternative. He was alive, left well but was hanged out after stressing to take the lead and tanked to finish fifth.

In the Open Trot we were subject to a bad performance from of Your So Vain (4-1). He never actually got involved, getting buried from the 1 hole with no excuse for it. Then he began to gallop and that was that. He finished last.

Congratulations to the winners of the TwinSpires/Breeders Crown Hit it & Split it Pick 4 contests. The Nov. 21 results were good for 51 winners, each earning 19,608 points. The Saturday winners, 19 of them, earned 52,632 points.

Though the crème de la crème of all divisions are calling it a season, we will be covering a few more stakes that are scheduled, as well as we will be expanding our horses-to-watch lst (H2W) and eyeing some overnight events around North America.

As always, in between published harness blogs, follow @FrankCotolo and @TwinSpires on Twitter.

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 18 active horses on the H2W list.

Winners

Big Sky Angelina, $9.20, $5.00, $3.00, Freehold
One True Friend, $3.80, $3.10, $2.30, Saratoga
 
Seconds

Ardelle, $4.60, $2.60 (Exacta $16.20), Meadows
 
Thirds

MG Home Run, $3.40, Pompano
Manchine, $3.20, Scarborough
Doctor RJ, $2.80, Meadows
Fancy Pants Gram, $2.60, Maywood
Dew N Doughnuts, $2.40, Meadows

News & Notes

Greg Peck, the expressive trainer of super-trotter-and-sire Muscle Hill, made a Facebook statement that surely got away from those not friending him on the social-media site. Greg said The Meadowlands needs a passing lane. “The issue is we need to give the two dollar or two hundred dollar bettor a chance, no matter how it changes driving tactics of the first seven-eighths of the race. I know lots say there is less action in the middle because of a passing lane. However, we keep saying we need new fans and need to have a more non-cerebral product. How do you tell new customers, ‘Yes your horse could have won but he was "boxed in.’?” Greg said he asked top drivers Ron Pierce, Tim Tetrick and Corey Callahan if they felt the same way. “They all agreed with me,” Greg said.

After Father Patrick’s victory in the Breeders Crown soph-colt trot, the Takter team dismissed all rumors about the colt racing next week at the Meadowlands. Rumor had it that Father Patrick would race against elders in a special Open Trot, hoping to win or make a great enough go of it to increase his chances to be voted Horse of the Year. Kudos, Mr. Takter. From our point of view, one more race, against older trotters or gazelles for that matter, should not change anyone’s opinion that Father Patrick deserves a huge shot at the title.

Saturday morning, Nov. 22, the Meadowlands held qualifiers. It was a chance to see some standardbred stars that did not show up for the Breeders Crown finals that evening. We were not there that morning but some friends told us they were freezing while enjoying the miles, which were races in what was called “a considerable cross-wind.”

Sebastian K came out to race as a tune-up for next week’s special Open Trot (that you now know will be sans-Father Patrick). The early-season giant looked sharp in a 1:55 win for trainer/driverAke Svanstedt. It was reported that “Sebastian K left the gate alertly with ears pricked, then allowed Svanstedt to rate him through a kind :59.4 half with Lindy’s Tru Grit in close pocket attendance.” The final quarter was clocked in :27. Sebastian K held to be a comfortable ¾- length winner “over a very willing Lindy’s Tru Grit,” who came close to catching the leader.

Another qualifier matched a pair of nice three-year-old pacers and included a 1:53.4 win from with Ontario-bred Play It Again Sam. He held off early season sensation National Debt. Golden Receiver “looked fantastic” in a 1:52.1 romp, leading all the way with no urging. Golden Receiver may race next week, if his connections allow, in the special Open Pace that will be co-featured with the special Open Trot.

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 ~