Hoosier $20 Tweet Tops Prices; Always B Miki Fastest Pacer; Public Hammers Pocono Stakes Champs

We were back on Twitter, at Hoosier Park, on June 29 and tweeted our top-paying winner of the week in a two-year-old Indiana Sires Stakes. We nabbed Fomor ($20.20, $9.80, $6.20), tossing a profit though we lost our other two suggested plays, also from INSS frosh events. There was The Swamp Fox (9-1) broke stride and was eliminated, while Willy Mouse (14-1) lagged throughout the mile.

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.
 
The weekend features were concentrated at Pocono Downs where all eyes were on the prospect of the Ben Franklin Final becoming a World-Record mile. We liked the pacer everyone wound up liking. Though we thought he would be a third choice to Wiggle It Jiggleit and Freaky Feet Pete, Always B Miki ($5.20, $3.00, $2.20) won as the second choice—at a fair price—as “Wiggle” went off the favorite, as we predicted. However, the duel that ensued between Wiggle and “Pete” did not stop them from finishing third and second, respectively. Promising closers State Treasurer (27-1) and Shamballa (38-1) never had a chance to up the exotic prices. Always B Miki tied a World Record, winning in 1:47.

We were a roaring second in the “Franklin” Consolation with Cooperstown ($14.00, $6.80)

In other stakes action it was a parade of favorites at the finish line. In the Max Hempt we were third to Racing Hill with Boston Red Rocks ($3.00).

In the James Lynch, heavy public choice Pure Country won. However, we were in the thick of it with Darlinonthebeach until she suffered heart trouble going into three quarters and finished last (see News & Notes).

Our “Lynch” Consolation duo, Shezarealdeal (4-1) finished sixth and Princess Fabulosa (9-1) was fourth.

In Northfield Park’s Cleveland Trotting Championship on July 2, the public’s choice, Obrigado, won, while our choice Homicide Hunter (3-1) lost ground with an outside trip and finished sixth.
 
HAMBLETONIAN TRAIL

The only upset on the Pocono elim-stakes program June 25 was in one of the elims for

At Tioga on July 1, there were Tompkins-Gears stakes for colts and fillies. We were on target with a huge choice in one division of the colts—Hititoutofthepark ($3.10, $2.10, $2.10 ok) was tons the best. We were third in a filly division with Sweet Ashley T ($3.00). Sir Royson (45-1), the other colt contender, finished fourth to a 39-1 winner, while Dream Child (13-1) finished fourth in the second filly split even though she broke at the start.

At the big Pocono stakes program on July 2, in the Earl Beale, Jr. Memorial Final, the leading soph-colt trotter and favorite Southwind Frank ($2.40, $2.10, $2.10) won with our outside contender, Bar Hopping ($3.80) third. Brooklyn Hill (18-1) broke and was eliminated.

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 61 active horses (an 12-percent win hit rate and a 43-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

Lone Rider, $15.60, $4.90, $3.10, Century
Flight Seelster, $10.00, $4.00, $3.40, Northfield
Apollo Seelster, $7.00, $4.00, $4.00 ok, Philadelphia
Ladys Bag Man, $4.00, $3.00, $2.10, Bangor
Divas Dragonfly, $3.20, $2.50, $2.20, Century
Italian Rebel, $2.60, $2.40, $2.40 ok, Plainridge
Rocknroll Wildcats, $2.60, $2.10, $2.40 ok, Northville

Seconds

Meadowlarkcelestia, $14.40, $5.70, Century
Rock That Look, $9.40, $4.30 (Exacta $30.60), Buffalo
Linda B, $8.70, $5.30, Monticello
Paris Beau, $7.80, $2.80, Bangor
Officialconnection, $6.80, $5.10 (Exacta $18.00), Century
Kinda Naughty, $5.50, $3.70, Saratoga
Twin B Macho, $4.50, $3.90, Charlottetown
Can You Fly, $3.80, $5.40 ok, Scarborough
Magic Cam, $3.60, $3.60 ok, Harrington
Last Minute Cindy, $3.60, $3.00 (Exacta $20.80), Scioto
Well Shaded, $3.20, $2.30, Vernon
Wolfs Milan, $2.40, $2.40, ok, Scarborough
 
Thirds

Don Dorado, $12.00, Philadelphia
Delightful Hill, $5.10, Mohawk
Sayitlikeyoumeanit, $4.10, Century
Icanwithmagic, $2.80, Meadowlands
Astronomical Union, $2.70, Charlottetown
Cloudy Out dh$2.10, Ocean
Voltina, $2.10, Buffalo
 
News & Notes

Two good friends and talented co-workers of this blog over the years are headed for the Communicators Hall of Fame, a portion of the sport’s hallowed rooms in Goshen, New York. The USTA’s David Carr, statistician extraordinaire, has served the standardbred press and the industry’s community over many years and developed the modern Information and Research Department at the association’s headquarters. Carr originally worked in racetrack publicity, as did the other honoree, Jerry Connors. A true fan of the sport, Jerry always worked to “look at things from the fan’s standpoint,” as he says. Having worked personally with both of these men over a few decades, we endorse their stature in the sport’s history with the honor.

Since harness racing in Virginia collapsed in 2014 with the closing of Colonial Downs, another theater for the sport has not arisen. Now, the Virginia Harness Horse Association (VHHA) beckons horsemen to become involved again, this time with the inaugural race meet at the newly renovated Shenandoah Downs in northwestern Virginia. It has stables for more than 100 horses. The half-mile track has been widened, with banked turns, to accommodate eight-horse fields. The cooperation of the Shenandoah County Fair, the Virginia Equine Alliance and the VHHA has secured a five-year lease with three five-year options at Shenandoah Downs. Racing in 2016 will be on Saturday and Sunday starting Sept. 10 and ending Oct. 9 with a purse average of $50,000 per day.

Halfway through the lengthened season at Century Downs Racetrac, the racing handle continues to show strength. When comparing the 25 days of harness racing in May and June 2016 to similar 25 racing days in 2015, racing handle has grown 14.4 percent. The average daily live racing handle continues to trend 31 percent better than the average of 2015.Harness racing continues through Nov. 6, 2016 with racing on weekends and holidays at 1:10 p.m. and Homestretch Fridays until Aug. 28 at 5:45 p.m. Special racing will occur on Friday, Sept. 9 at 5:05 p.m. and no racing on Sunday, Sept. 11. The track put harness racing back on the Calgary, Alberta, scene after the closing of Stampede Park.

Darlinonthebeach suffered atrial fibrillation at the three-quarters of the James Lynch Final. She did not break stride but faded miserably. Her trainer, Nancy Johansson, said, “At least it wasn’t an issue with her legs and this is a fixable problem.” She added it is too early to know how long the filly will be out of action. The winner of the race, Pure Country, is trained by Nancy’s dad, Jimmy Takter, who before this race was dealing with major competition in the soph-filly-pacer division from Darlinonthebeach.

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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