Features On Fire With Exotic Additions; Pompano’s $15 Winner Tops Selections

This weekend our three personal features came from programs in the Northeast—New York, Delaware and New Jersey—and one from the Midwest—Ohio. Winter conditions ruled near Cleveland, with sub-freezing temperatures and scattered snow showers at Northfield Park. Horses and horsemen campaigning there are well acquainted with the elements of December climates. Elsewhere on the map where our features took place, it was evident that autumn was fading rapidly.

Thursday, Dec. 8 our personal feature was in Delaware, closing the program at Dover Downs. In Race 15, as the favorite broke and was eliminated from the start, the public’s second choice took over and just held on at 3-1. Our two choices followed behind the winner and contributed to a monstrous trifecta. Second by a head was Brody ($19.80, $11.80) and third was All About Rusty ($6.20), presenting a trifecta worth $1,283.

That same evening at Saratoga, the favorite won Race 8 and the second choice finished second. Pumping up the trifecta was our choice, Muscles And Spice ($6.90), whose 20-1 offering helped return a trifecta worth $149.50.

Our two Meadowlands’ features on Friday, Dec. 9, delivered a surprise to how we evaluated the races. Both of our choices attracted the public’s interest, making them favorites—and both lost. The first, Nowucit Nowudont ($2.60, $2.40) finished second to the public’s second choice. Then, in Race 7, Shutthefrontdoor (6-5) finished fifth in a mile won by a 41-1 shot.

Saturday, Dec. 10, we took on a pair of overnights in the Cleveland chill. In Northfield’s third race of the evening we finished second at 8-1 with Becky’s Giftedangel ($8.80, $5.60). The public’s second choice (2-1) won by a head. With our place finish we assisted bringing home an exacta worth $50.20. In Race 10 we were third with Ruler’s Best ($3.80).

We have two more preview blogs left with the pair of Thursdays remaining in December and two more update blogs to post as 2017 settles on our calendars. We will be posting our 2016 review blog, including all of this year’s H2W and feature winners, as well as our TwinSpires Players’ Horse of the Year (our top-paying winner of the year from this blog), as well as some closing notes for all of our followers.

Stay tuned.

H2W LIST RESULTS

The H2W results list across-the-board prices. Also, exactas listed are included when a H2W horse finishes second 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 a cold exacta). The note “ok” determines that prices published are correct even when a show price exceeds a place price or any or all of the prices are the same. This week, there were 43 active horses (an 16-percent win hit rate and a 42-percent ATB [across-the-board] hit rate).

Please note that some H2W results reflect win, place, show and exotic results occurring by press time but some horses race after the blog is posted (we list them the following week) It is up to you to follow horses that have not performed before this weekly review is posted.

Winners

Warlock, $15.80, $7.00, $3.40, Pompano
Do Your Job, $10.60, $5.20, $3.60, Yonkers
Gene Eugene, $6.20, $3.80, $2.40, Cal-Expo
Bobby The Greek, $6.00, $4.20, $2.60, Dover
Game Of Dreamers, $3.40, $2.80, $2.40, Cal-Expo
CJ’s Last Storm, $3.20, $2.40, $2.10, Monticello
Skinny Dipper, $3.00, $2.60, $2.10, Yonkers

Seconds

Jazeel, $11.80, $7.00, Freehold
Bedroomconfessions, $5.60, $3.20, Yonkers
That’s My Girl, $4.80, $3.60 (Exacta $13.00), Northfield
Aint Got A Home, $3.40, $3.80 ok, Rosecroft
Strings, $3.40, $2.40, Cal-Expo
Ideal Lifestyle, $2.50, $2.30, Charlottetown
Analyze, $2.40, $2.10, Saratoga

Thirds

Officernagentelman, $7.60, Pompano
Silverheel Storm, $5.10, Charlottetown
Lemon Drop Hall, $4.80, Freehold
Wrangler Magic, $3.20, Woodbine

News & Notes

Yonkers Raceway announced its 2017 live season dates, set to begin Sunday, Jan. 8. The schedule, with 238 programs, offers one year-long change. Tuesday matinees are replaced by Tuesday evenings, joining Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays (with one exception), with first posts of 7:10 p.m. There are 23 Sunday matinees on the calendar, with varying post times still to be determined. The season, which includes a mid-season hiatus (May 29 from June 15 inclusive), concludes Dec. 17. The 2016 season ends Dec. 18with a 1:00 p.m. post, after which the track goes until Dec. 29.

H2W followers will notice the closing of some tracks. Freehold’s half mile closes after Dec. 10 until reopening Jan. 5. In Ohio, Dayton turns horses over to Miami after New Year’s Day. In Maine, Scarborough Downs and Bangor Raceway are done for the year. Batavia (see below) is ending. Plainridge has completed racing until April, Philadelphia harness has ended its meet and in Maryland, Rosecroft is done Dec. 15. The H2W will keep track of horses still to race in their various venues for the first and/or second times as the New Year launches.

The New York State Gaming Commission approved a request from Western Regional Off Track Betting to extend the current Batavia Downs meet by two days: Dec. 16 and Dec. 17 are added. Post time for Friday (Dec. 16) will be 6:15 p.m. and Saturday (Dec. 17) will be 5 p.m. The additional days are a make up for the first Sunday of the current meet that was cancelled due to a shortage in the box and other track commitments. The move shortens the amount of down time until Buffalo Raceway’s meet starts.

Hambletonian contender Bar Hopping has been retired from racing and will begin stallion duty in 2017. A son of Muscle Hill, the Jimmy Takter-trained colt  raced well at two, defeating Marion Marauder and Southwind Frank, his main foes at three. As a sophomore he earned more than $1.28 million in purses, winning six of his last 10 starts, including a Breeders Crown, the Canadian Trotting Classic and Carl Erskine Memorial. He retires with $1,385,293 in earnings and will stand at Hanover Shoe Farms in Pennsylvania.

Extraordinary Extras

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

Ray Cotolo contributed to this blog

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