Frosh Fires With Top $12.00 Score; Public Prolific In Stakes Action

We begin the stakes weekend review with the Breeders Crown Countdown (BCC) blog and the Pennsylvania Sires Stakes (PASS) winner, two-year-old Hititoutofthepark ($12.00, $7.80, $5.40) at the Meadows on Sept 4. There were two other PASS splits for the frosh-colt trotters, where we has a second with Truemass Volo ($3.40, $2.60) and third with favorite Iron Mine Bucky ($3.20). In the other split we were off the board.

There were no surprises, also from the BBC blog, with the Canadian Pacing Derby, as the division leader State Treasurer (8-5) won, followed by Shamballa ($4.50, $3.60), our second choice. Our top selection, JK Endofanera (5-2), was fourth.

Last week we looked for an upset in a “Derby” elim and didn’t get it but in the Mohawk Preferred on the Derby program it was a win for Mach It So ($17.70, $6.40, $4.40).

Our betting supplement to the main blog the BCC, is exclusive blog with our main harness blog at TwinSpires.com and the Hambletonian Society to find great wagering opportunities for “Crown” eligibles as they race their ways to the Crown finals. This year the Crown finals take place at Woodbine on Saturday, Oct. 24, with elims the week before.

There were no arguments at Pocono with our choice in the PASS Championship for soph-colt trotter, winning with The Bank ($4.00, $2.80, $2.10), getting third in that, too, with Uncle Lasse ($2.10). We were second in the PASS event for soph-filly trotters with Bright Baby Blues ($4.00, $3.00), fourth in the mile for soph-filly pacers and seventh in the soph-colt pacer affair to 1-9 Wakizashi Hanover.

Habitat ($3.40, $2.10, $2.10) wired the Yonkers Trot field as we predicted, while his entry-mate broke at the start and gave him the edge. In the same field Pinkman rallied for second but was disqualified for interference getting there and placed fifth.

Also at Yonkers, the Messenger went to a former longshot play of ours, Revenge Shark (9-1) while we supported sixth-place finisher Rock N’ Roll World (4-1).

Mohawk’s stakes-laden card was kind to favorites, so in the Shes A Great Lady Final we could only grab second with Darlinonthebeach ($5.20, $2.40) in an exacta worth $10.60 with the public’s choice winning. The top choice won the Metro Final while we were seventh with Racing Hill (17-1) and third with Voracity ($2.80).

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 the 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 47 active horses (a 17-percent win hit rate and a 38 percent in-the-money hit rate). One note: the list included three horses at Batavia that at the time we thought would be betting races; they turned out to be non-betting races.

Please note that some H2W results reflect win, place and/or show results occurring after press time and that it is up to you to follow those horses that have not performed before this weekly review is posted.

Winners

Urbana Bayama, $6.80, $4.00, $2.80, Yonkers
Simply Burbon, $6.20, $2.60, $2.20, Maywood
Global Power, $5.60, $2.10, $2.10, Red Mile
MJB Got Faith, $3.80, $3.00, $2.20, Scioto
Meirs Hanover, $3.80, $2.70, $2.40, Yonkers
Mr Bricks, $3.70, $3.20, $2.80, Batavia
Sumatra, $3.40, $2.40, $2.20, Philadelphia
Southwind Frank, $2.50, $2.10, $2.10, Mohawk

Seconds

Rich Native, $9.20, $3.60, Century
Apostles Creed, $2.90, n/s (Exacta $8.90), Batavia
Lilu Hanover, $2.80, $2.60, Pocono
Next Thing Smoke N, $2.60, $2.40, Hoosier

Thirds

Tomy Terror, $6.80, Pocono
Pick Of The Day, $4.40, Northville
Jack Attack, $3.50
Urmygeorgia Hanover, $3.40
Brooklets Honeypie, $3.00, Hoosier
Divine Caroline, n/s, Yonkers

News & Notes

 The Hambletonian Society, which owns and administrates the Breeders Crown series, will raise the four freshman divisions of the Breeders Crown races to $600,000 each for 2015. The 12 year-end championship events will be held on Saturday, Oct. 24 at Woodbine Racetrack in Canada. “Adding $400,000 to each of the two-year-old divisions will give owners more of a return on their investment this year and also send them to the yearling sales with more to spend,” said Tom Charters, president of the society. “This is a first step in what we expect to be a series of coordinated measures that will increase the opportunity for yearling buyers and thus support the foal crop and the long-term health of the entire industry.” The 12-race $5.8 million “Crown” night at Woodbine will have an early post time of 6:30 p.m. [EDT]. Woodbine has hosted more editions of the Crown than any other venue.

Could It Be Magic, Emoticon Hanover and Caprice Hill, all daughters of Canadian sire Kadabra, captured Grand Circuit Champlain divisions for frosh-trotting fillies at Mohawk over the past weekend, proving further the praises made first in these blogs about the prowess of the sire’s frosh fillies. It was our insight that recorded support for Kadabra’s gals during his early crops. We delivered to readers the first victories of Bee A Magician and scored with Poof She’s Gone in the Mistletoe Shalee and Hambletonian Oaks elim. Since then, we have endorsed many of his winning progeny and continue to alert bettors of up-and-coming talent during the early freshman season. 

Due to the Pope’s visit to the city of Philadelphia, which is expected to bring heavy congestion to the area and surrounding communities, Harrah's Philadelphia will be dark on Sunday, Sept. 27. The track will continue racing on Monday, Sept. 28, with the regular post time of 12:40 p.m.

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

Ray Cotolo contributed to this blog

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