Freehold Cold Exacta Pays $93 With Week’s Top Winner At $14; In-The-Money Picks Rated At 45 Percent

Freehold’s two features we chose were unkind to us while on the horses-to-watch list (H2W) Freehold produced our biggest score of the week. As the headline announces, H2W horses finished one-two for a cold exacta worth $93.60. See Civic Duty and Mysticalman on the list below for all the prices.

Jan. 14’s Freehold offerings—Spirit Of Truth (16-1) and Pacific Escape (5-1)—each finished off the board, beaten by a favorite and a co-third choice, respectively.

On Jan. 15 we offered a single feature, where Eskimo Joe (11-1) came in 10^th after a strong but strenuous start at the Meadowlands, beaten by the public’s 7-2 second choice.

Saturday, Jan. 16 was a busy day. In the afternoon we finished fifth at Charlottetown with Capitalism (9-1).

We scored with the first leg of the Pick 4 at Miami Valley with Princess Baby Eva ($6.80, $3.00, $2.10). We were second in leg two with Sunday Poker ($5.60, $4.00), with the favorite winning for a $34.80 exacta, while Wildcat Bobby (25-1) finished sixth. Leg three delivered another place finisher, Straight Comic ($5.00, $4.00), with the favorite winning for a $15.00 exacta, while Pq Three (7-2) finished eighth. Leg four’s Fancy Creek Elusiv ($4.40) was third, while Talk Strategy was sixth at 4-1. The 50-cents Pick 4 paid $86.80.

We aimed high for the $1.00 Pick 3 at Yonkers, striking out with all three choices. Major Trick (6-1) was eighth; Grand Master (19-1) was fifth; and Southwind Indy (38-1) finished seventh. The winners came in at 2-1, 7-5 and 5-1, the first two public choices for an astounding price of $634.00. We reached out for some suggestions as to why this Pick-3 combo of odds produced such a large price but no one responded.

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 38 active horses (a 5-percent win hit rate and a 45-percent in-the-money 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

Civic Duty, $14.40, $5.80, $3.20 (*Exacta $93.60), Freehold
Desperate Crowds, $10.80, $7.80, $4.60, Northfield
 
Seconds

Allstar Man, $15.00, $6.60, Dover
Lyons Katina, $11.10, $3.90, Charlottetown
Mysticalman, $10.00, $4.60 (*Exacta $93.60), Freehold
National Interest, $5.00, $3.20, Fraser
Sweet Miss Cantab, $4.40, $2.80 (Exacta $13.20), Freehold
Outa My Head, $3.90, $2.60 (Exacta $10.80), Yonkers
My Hare Lady, $3.60, $2.60, Miami
Yankee Flyer, $3.40, $3.20, Cal Expo

Thirds

Gonna Makem Pay, $4.60, Dover
Brow Down, $5.80, Miami
Caviart Luca, $3.20, Yonkers
Tower Of Power, $3.10, Woodbine
Every Day, $2.80, Charlottetown
Lucksgottachange, $2.40, Charlottetown
Body Double, $2.10, Pompano

News & Notes

The John Simpson Memorial Stakes for colts and fillies will return to the Pennsylvania in 2016. For five years they have been presented the Meadowlands, Tioga and Vernon. There are eight races for two- and three-year-old trotters and pacers and they all will be reformatted as early-closing events. The Pennsylvania Harness Horsemen’s Association will host the races at Harrah’s Philadelphia with double the amount of added money. The Simpson Stakes were originally the Hanover-Hempt Stakes, named after two of Pennsylvania’s largest standardbred breeders that owned the events. The races were first raced in 1960 at the Carlisle Fair, near Harrisburg, the state capitol. Through the season, Twinspires’ harness blogs will handicap, cover and broadcast the series.

Speaking of Pennsylvania, the 2016 harness-racing schedule for The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono will launch on March 19 and continue for the month of March on March 22, March 26, and March 29. April, racing moves to Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Saturday. All of the track’s feature events return, hopefully including the stars of the new season. The Sun Stakes Saturday is set for July 2. Aug. 20 is the $2.1 million Super Stakes Saturday and the Pennsylvania Classics for state-bred soph pacing colts will be held on Kentucky Derby day, May 7. Also on Kentucky Derby day Pocono presents two live race cards. First post for Sunday nights is 7:30 p.m., with all other nights 6:30 p.m. In September, October and November, Monday night posts switch to 4:30 p.m. post. The 51st season concludes on Nov. 26.

And from the western boundaries of the Keystone State, in March and April the Meadows will initiate eight early- and late-closing series for three- and four-year-olds and another quartet for sophs.The events for state-bred three- and four-year-olds, each feature three preliminary legs and a final with an estimated purse of $20,000. The series state-bred sophs offers two preliminary legs and a final worth an estimated $25,000. They are the Walter Russell Memorial Pace; Donna Dunn Memorial Pace; Ken Weaver Memorial Trot; Mary Wohlmuth Memorial Trot; Atta Boy Dan Pace; Do Me Honor Pace; Whata Donato Trot and Classicality Trot.

Buffalo Raceway cancelled its opening night, Jan. 13, due to heavy lake-effect snow. Buffalo had to begin the season on Friday, Jan. 15. Buffalo horses will soon be added to the H2W list in our next edition. The track’s new Pick-5 wager has a .50-cent minimum. It begins nightly with the fifth race. 

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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