Hoosier Bomb At $82; Obrigado Strikes Again With $19 Score; Caprice Hill, Idyllic Beach Rebound Scores

Our big winner of the Thursday preview blog came from the horses-to-watch (H2W) list—see list below—but we also came up with a few feature scores worth their prices.

The best of the feature scores was also the highest winner of the FFA events at The Meadowlands on Nov. 12. In the horse trot we gave you Obrigado ($19.80, $10.80, $8.20).

We hit two of the other three but so did everyone else, nabbing the last race and win for Always B Miki ($2.10, $2.10, n/s ok), who retired after the race. We warned all about the super Lady Shadow ($2.40, $2.10, n/s) who was our second choice but won, as our proposed upset, Katie Said (27-1), failed miserably, finishing eighth. In the mare trot we were third with D’one ($3.00).

On Friday Nov. 11’s Fall Final Four frosh elims (just two for two editions) at Woodbine, we won a filly pace elim with Idyllic Beach ($4.20, $2.10, n/s) and in the other for that division we were second with That’s The Ticket ($3.40, $2.30) for a $11.70 exacta with the public choice. In the colt elims we were second with What The Hill ($3.40, $2.40) and seventh-placed-sixth with Whiskey Lindy (10-1).

Thursday, Nov. 10 at Dover, we won the soph-filly trot Matron with Caprice Hill ($6.20, $3.00, $2.40). In the soph-colt trot we were second with Double L Lindy ($2.80, $2.40) for a mild exacta worth $9.60, while in the same race Milligan’s School (73-1) broke and was eliminated. Racing Hill (2-1) disappointed in the soph-colt pace, finishing fourth, and Newborn Sassy (4-1) finished a poor sixth in the soph-filly pace.

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 26-percent win hit rate and a 45-percent ATB [across-the-board] 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

Rockinthepines, $82.00, $34.80, $16.60, Hoosier
Screaman Seaman A, $11.40, $5.00, $3.20, Meadowlands
Tomei Seelster, $9.60, $4.60, $3.00, Northfield
Traceur Hanover, $9.40, $5.60, $3.50, Woodbine
Optima Kent, $6.90, $3.00, $3.30 ok, Rideau-Carleton
Pembroke Delux, $6.20, $3.40, $2.10, Plainridge
Wine Snob, $6.00, $3.60, $2.80, Dayton
Officernagentleman, $4.20, $2.40, $2.10, Pompano
Cowboy Mathis, $3.80, $2.40, $2.10, Cal-Expo
Bags To Riches, $2.40, $2.10, $2.10, Dover

Seconds

Vangura, $3.60, $2.60, Pompano
Hawken, $3.40, $2.40 (Exacta $6.80), Plainridge

Thirds

Silver Spir, $9.00, Pompano
SS Derby Girl, $4.00, Freehold
Manofmanymissions, $2.80, Woodbine
Lodi Dorian Blues, $2.40, Cal-Expo
PL Intowin, $2.40, Freehold

News & Notes

Yonkers’ harness schedule has changed. Live racing from Nov. 14 on includes Monday, Friday and Saturday programs with first post at 7:00 p.m., Tuesdays with a first post at 1:00 p.m. Sunday post times are to be determined. There will be no more Thursday harness racing. There will be a “New York, New York Double” eith very Sunday harness program. It includes one race from Aqueduct and one from Yonkers. It is a $1.00-minimum wager with a 18.5-percent takeout.

The return of harness racing to Woodbine, according to the driving colony, is a lot different from what they deal with at Mohawk. “It’s a tough track sometimes,” said James MacDonald. “It’s a really a big half-mile track; there’s not a lot of room down the lane and the last turn is significantly tighter.” His contemporaries agree with MacDonald that Woodbine for harness is a speed track where it is important to be on the lead or close to it. Horseplayers will continue to enjoy all the wagers they are accustomed to betting during the Woodbine meet, including the $50,000 guaranteed Early Pick 4 and the $30,000 guaranteed Pick 5. The Jackpot Hi-5 wager will begin with a carryover of $213,609.40 from Mohawk. Post time for each card during the meet is 7:30 p.m. except for a special matinee card on Boxing Day (Dec. 26) at 1 p.m.

Beginning last week, harness programs at Cal-Expo offered Friday and Saturday nights action. First post is 6:10 p.m. for the Friday and Saturday programs. Both the 20-cent Pick 4 and 50-cent Pick 5 at the Sacramento 1-mile oval feature a reduced 16-percent takeout rate and looking at recent payouts in those two wagers show just how much value that equals.

Marion Marauder, one of only nine trotters in the history of the sport to win the Trotting Triple Crown, has been retired to stallion duty in Ontario. Trained by Paula Wellwood and Mike Keeling for owners Jean Wellwood and Devin Keeling, Marion Maurader retires with $1.9 million earned from 28 starts, including victories in the Hambletonian (both heats on the same day), Yonkers Trot (both elimination and final) and single heat of Kentucky Futurity.

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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