Harness Weekly Update: Wins Over Borders

The TwinSpires Harness Blog Weekly Update covers our successes and failures from selected features and the H2W (horses-to-watch list, now including Hoosier spin-offs).

Thursday, Sept. 2

Grand Circuit action at Mohawk saw all of our picks hit the board as the public agreed with our measurements of the stakes events.

We won and were second twice in the trio of Wellwood elims with Letsdoit S ($2.10, $2.10 OK); King Of The North ($2.30, $2.10); and World At War Deo ($2.60, $2.20)

The latter was second to our winner, Temporal Hanover ($4.20, $2.50, $2.50 OK) to complete an exacta worth $9.50. We lost to a public choice with our lone longshot, Mercutio (28-1).

Friday, Sept. 3

The frosh-sires-stakes finals at the Meadows began well for us with winner True Blue Lindy ($4.60, $3.40, $2.60). Then we were third in the next event with Global Pandemic ($3.00) to the favorite winner.

Another favorite won over our JK I Feel Fine (20-1), finishing sixth. In the last of the quartet, a 5-1 scored over Baptism (7-1), fourth, and A Perfect Heaven (19-1), eighth.

That night at Mohawk we lost both Casual Breeze splits. In the first, a 5-1 (and the other five in the field) defeated our outsider Southwind Cersei (59-1).

In the second division, we had the second favorite, Donna Soprano (2-1), who broke and was eliminated, losing to the public choice. Also in that field, outsider Rubys Are Nice (35-1) never made a move and finished sixth, beating only the ill-gaited “Donna.”

Saturday, Sept. 4

We were on top of some Mohawk upsets and favorites in elims and a final.

The big Canadian Pacing Derby went to our choice, Allyway Hanover ($4.20, $2.80, $2.60). The other Brett Pelling shipper, Whichwaytothebeach ($2.90, $2.30), was second to the favorite in a North America Cup elim for a $7.70 exactor. We scratched with Lawless Shadow in the other Cup elim.

In the Goodtimes elims, Dancinginthedark M ($2.60, $2.10) was second, while Colonial As It (53-1) watched the field go around, finishing sixth. When our top choice, the favorite Sonofamistery, broke in the second test, we won with the other Hambletonian alumni, Locatelli ($12.20, $5.20, $3.20).

H2W LIST RESULTS

The H2W results list across-the-board prices. Exactas listed include a H2W horse finishing second to a race-favorite or if the first two finishers are H2W horses (an asterisk appears when both horses are listed—a cold exacta). The note “OK” determines that prices are correct (even when a show price exceeds a place price or all prices are the same).

Please note that some results reflect horses racing after the blog posts (they appear the following week).

This week, there were 34 active horses (a 15% win hit rate and a 35% ATB [across-the-board] hit). Horses with asterisks before their names were tweets @FrankCotolo. Follow for late choices.

Winners

Andoverthewinnings, $10.80, $4.40, $2.20, Meadows
Kaboomski, $10.80, $5.60, $3.00, Hoosier
Blue Ivy, $4.80, $3.20, $3.00, Northfield
Baia’s Delight, $3.40, $2.40, $2.40 OK, Running Aces
Mystic Waze, $2.20, $2.20, $2.40 OK, Hoosier

Seconds

Voelz Delight, $7.00, $3.20, Mohawk
Golden Gun, $6.30, $3.70, Vernon

Thirds

Queen Of All, $3.80, Hoosier
Rojo Caliente, $3.80, Running Aces
My Panther, $2.60, Hoosier
Dream On A Roll, $2.10, Vernon
Mysweetboymax, $2.10, Pocono

NEWS & NOTES

Without comparisons to any other states, breeding standardbreds in Minnesota is clearly promising considering the many state-bred freshman pacers and trotters at the state’s only pari-mutuel harness track, Running Aces. Even with dominating Alilthundadownunda—who left the state to take on national stars, a first in that action alone—the season for Minnesota-breds has been plentiful. For veteran horsemen like Gerald Longo and James Lackey, to name two, Minnesota became a surrogate-circuit venue for the California-based harness community.

Racing returned to The Meadowlands after a three-week hiatus. The fall meeting will consist of 29 programs contested on Fridays and Saturdays, with two exceptions. The track has added a pair of Thursday nights, one on Dec. 2 and another on Dec. 9. There is racing throughout September before the track takes another three-week break. After that, racing resumes on Oct. 22 and continues through until the end of the year, except for Christmas week, when there is no racing on Dec. 24 and 25.

This year, TwinSpires harness blog will add extra coverage for the Little Brown Jug’s handicapping / betting with spin-off articles at TwinSpires Edge. These extras will concentrate primarily on betting options for The Jugette (filly pacers) and the main event, The Little Brown Jug (colt pacers), on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively. When another stakes event at the meeting offers a strong wagering possibility, that event will supplement the texts. The usual Weekly Preview and Weekly Update will be available, as usual.

Here’s the latest countdown/comparison for the Little Brown Jug contenders. Our top five in the first installment follows fair publicity director Jay Wolf’s top five.

1. Perfect Sting / Lawless Shadow
2. Lawless Shadow / Southwind Gendry
3. Southwind Gendry / Perfect Sting
4. Rockyroad Hanover / Mysweetboymax
5. Town Gossip / Rockyroad Hanover