Frosh-Trotter Bluegrass Blast At $29 In $62 Exacta; Origado Nails Dayton Derby; Sandbetweenurtoes Envy Of Ellamony

Grand Circuit week during the first weeks of autumn at The Red Mile ruled our features, mostly with two-year-olds in Bluegrass Stakes. But the best featured hits came at the beginning of our weekend, Thursday in our sister blog:

BREEDERS CROWN COUNTDOWN

The Breeders Crown Countdown (BCC) blog covered the Bluegrass two-year-old stakes for colt trotters as the Grand Circuit began at The Red Mile on Sept. 29. It was a big night for the TwinSpires BBC blog. From the six divisions we gave three winners and a third.

Shake It Off Lindy ($29.60, $8.60, $4.40) led the winning parade in the second event of the program. In that race, we had the place horse, Moonshiner Hanover in our H2W list (see list below) which completed the $62.00 exacta.

In the next Bluegrass we gave readers Snowstorm Hanover ($13.40, $4.60, $2.20) and in the last of the sextet we won with Dover Dan ($8.40, $5.40, $3.20).

The first mile resulted in a third with Equestrianconxtion ($3.80). In the remaining two stakes were fourth with Always A Good Time (4-1) and fifth with Simply Volo (6-1).

Another great score took place on Saturday, as we gave bettors the winner of the Ellamony Stakes at Flamboro Downs. Sandbetweenurtoes ($11.40, $6.70, $3.00) got a terrific second-over trip to fly home and win the six-digit event.

Dayton’s trotting and pacing derbies were the top national events in Ohio on Sept. 30, a week after the Little Brown Jug, as the track’s fall meet opened. We were spot on with the trotting derby. Though the crowd wound up agreeing with us, the price was all right for the winner, Obrigado ($5.40, $4.00, $3.60).

The two top pacers in the world right now dueled to the finish line with Wiggle It Jiggleit nosing Always B Miki. We hoped for a mile where once again Shambala (16-1) caught the duo but our choice was dull from start to finish and had not chance against the big two.

Frosh-filly trotters filled five fields at The Red Mile on Sept. 30. In the first mile we backed Amuse’s (19-1) but she never went on stride and galloped through the mile. We coupled her with Evelyn ($2.20) who picked up third.

In round two we got stuck with a favorite, Grandma’s Moni, which finished fifth. Then in the following Bluegrass we took second with Hillarmbro ($4.00, $2.40) in an exacta with the favorite that paid $11.60. In the last two events we were seventh with Heels On Wheels (7-1) and sixth with Donato Fashion (35-1).

We took on the Oct. 1 filly and colt pacers in nine Bluegrass Stakes at The Red Mile.

We were second with two fillies, That’s The Ticket ($11.80, $5.00) and Caviart Ally ($4.80, $3.40), while Big City Betty (52-1) finished fourth and a favorite, Jenny’s Terror, broke to finish sixth.

In the colts’ Bluegrass affairs, we were second with McThriller ($4.60, $3.00) and third with Ocean Colony ($2.60), while McGold (16-1) and The Wall (9-1) finished fourth and Manattack (5-1) took fifth.

On various Wednesday nights we tweet for TwinSpires Twitter members from @FrankCotolo –retweeted by @twinspires—and the raceway involved. Losers from each week will appear on the next week’s horses-to-watch (H2W) list unless they race before that blog is published, so watch for them returning to the races on days in between blogs. Watch for special tweets from raceways on various Wednesdays.

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 xx-percent win hit rate and a xx-percent in-the-money [ATB] 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

Kings Treasure, $14.20, $7.80, $4.60, Plainridge
Classic Venture, $7.80, $4.30, $3.20, Mohawk
Sectionline Aqua, $4.20, $2.80, $2.20, Dayton
Music Is Art, $4.00, $2.80, $2.60, Pocono
Titus Seelster, $2.20, $2.10, $2.10, Saratoga

Seconds

Cracker Coffee, $9.40, $5.00, Yonkers
Brusen N Cruisen, $6.80, $4.00, Freehold
Moonshiner Hanover, $5.00, $3.20 (Exacta $62.00), Red Mile
Manofmanymissions, $3.80, $2.80, Mohawk
Woody, $3.80, $3.00, Monticello
Agent Q, $2.10, $2.10 ok, Philadelphia

Thirds

Camcracker Dynasty, $13.80, Freehold
Caliban Hanover, $4.20, Charlottetown
Captain Primeau, $3.20
Inukchuk Chuck, $2.60, Freehold
Mel Mara, $2.10, Pocono

News & Notes

The reason you didn’t see the glamour-boy trotting leader this week at The Red Mile is because Marion Marauder is targeted for the legendary Kentucky Futurity next weekend. It’s a trotting-triple-crown bid for 2016 as the connections of Marion Marauder supplemented their colt race to race the third jewel, the 2016 Kentucky Futurity. The colt’s trainer, Mike Keeling, confirmed the move.

Marion Marauder, our top choice to win the Hambletonian as we followed the division with TwinSpires exclusive Hambletonian Trail blog beginning last May, captured the first two legs of trotting’s triple crown—the Hambletonian in August and the Yonkers Trot in September. After the Yonkers Trot, the connections were bombarded about Marion Marauder supplementing to the “Futurity.” The decision was made but was not a consensus for the connections, which include trainers Keeling and Paula Wellwood and owners Marion Jean Wellwood and Devin Keeling.

Paula and Jean Wellwood were not convinced it was the right move. Keeling convinced them. The colt was given the week off after he finished second in the Canadian Trotting Classic to Jimmy Takter’s Bar Hopping, who won a Hambo elim heat but was beaten soundly in the final heat. Marion Marauder ships to Kentucky early this week.

Pompano Park opens on Sunday, Oct. 2 for its 53^rd season. It’s a 126-night stand that will conclude on May 30, 2017. The track will offer a Pick 5 beginning with Race 1, a Pick 6 from Race 3 through 8 and a Pick-4 that will cover Race 6 through Race 9. The popular pentafecta is available on the fourth race, while the Super Hi-5 is offered on the final race on every program. The pentafecta features a 100 per cent carryover if no tickets hit the combo, while the Super Hi-5 pays the entire pool only if one unique ticket can be cashed. Should there be multiple winners in the Super Hi-5, each share in a 50 per cent net pool payout with 50 per cent carried over to the next Super Hi-5.

The Pompano Pick-6 will have a 75 per cent carryover with a 25 per cent consolation shared for the penultimate total of winners selected. The Pick 4 starts out with a $7,500 guaranteed pool and features an attractive takeout of 12 per cent. The Pick-5 offers a new $1 minimum wager while the Pick-6 will feature 50-cent boxes and wheels.

The 2016-2017 Pompano meeting also features 15 late-closing events, including three with estimated purses exceeding $100,000 – the Open Pacing Series, the Open Trotting Series and the Open for pacing fillies and mares.

Extraordinary Extras

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

Ray Cotolo contributed to this blog

For Thom Pye cartoons, informative harness history and more, click here ~