Hoosier Showdowns: Wiggle It Jiggleit Vs. Freaky Feet Pete; Pinkman’s Revenge; Trottin’ Kids At Vernon

Post Breeders Crown finals time may offer breathing room for those that made it into the soggy spotlight last week at Woodbine but some from and some that passed the championships for one reason or another crossed the border to get to Indiana for Hoosier Park’s feature-filled Oct. 30 program.

First and foremost on the agenda is the hometown/”Crown” champ Freaky Feet Pete who returns to his home track to meet his top division rival, Wiggle It Jiggleit, who passed on supplementing to the Crown. Pinkman looks to make amends for a lost to his stable mate in the Crown in another stakes and three other major events put the weekend feature focus on Hoosier.

Two-year-old trotters of both sexes have big purses posted in Kindergarten Stakes at Vernon on the last day of October and the overnight schedules entering November are packaged with pacers and trotters of all ages around North America, as covered in our popular H2W (horses to watch) list for a weekend laden with wagering opportunities.

Clash Of The Hoosier Titans

The $285,000 Monument Circle at Hoosier on Oct. 30 will offer a field of 10. However, only two names will come up concerning the 13^th race that night—Wiggle It Jiggleit and Freaky Feet Pete. They met just before the Crown and “Pete” won, giving him unprecedented confidence to leave the only track where he ever raced to take on the two other colts to defeat Wiggle.

A few others having fallen to either or both are in the “Monument.” Yankee Bounty, My Hero Ron and Lost For Words look for some situation favorable to defeat them. Five others hope for any piece of the six-digit purse.

As for bettors, they can only rely on the scenario that allowed Dealt A Winner to become the 2015 Cane Pace champ at the Meadowlands. It insists Wiggle, Pete and Lost For Words (more likely than My Hero Ron, both from Ron Burke) to engage in a fiery duel that does not allow any of them to survive a ground-saving close by an unlikely candidate. If you care to invest in that scenario, take Roland N Rock, the next best percentage winner in the field. The chances are slim but not nearly impossible.

Ship Ahoy, Pacers

The $100,000 USS Indianapolis Memorial, a pace for soph fillies, also finds a few Crown foes meeting a week later. Certainly bound for favoritism is Sassa Hanover, who was a super second in her Crown division at 27-1. She earned that place spot, while Southwind Roulette, also arriving from Canada, was fifth and is still looking for a single win this season.

”Sassa” may or may not appeal to your taste for price but she so towers over this group that her odds may still be high enough to qualify as an overlay. An exacta with Mystical Treasure could deliver a decent price.

Glamour-Girl Trotters

The $140,000 Crossroads of America presents 10 soph-filly trotters, six having earned over $200Gs this year. Hometown-girl Churita is the most accomplished, if not from battling the division’s best, none of which are here. The crowd may lean on Jimmy Takter’s Speak To Me, who was third last week in the Mission Brief and I’m So Fancy, who was second. However, the Mission Brief break allowed them to make the board because they were not involved in the first incident with Danielle Hall and Elegant Serenity, which occurred at the start.

For that reason, we will take Churita and Muscle Baby Doll as the most serious contenders. Hopefully, these two will offer better than the Crown place-and-show finishers.

In The Pink, Man

I still cannot believe Takter’s The Bank beat Takter’s Pinkman in the Crown final. The Bank did not get an easy trip and still caught Pinkman by a neck. Muscle Diamond was third and he joins Pinkman and his other familiar foes—Uncle Lasse, Crazy Wow and Habitat—to take on the local champ of the division, Homicide Hunter.

This sets up for another good Pinkman win offering, as well as a strong exacta if you use Habitat, who is likely to go under the radar leaving from post 10. Let the locals load up on “Hunter,” because the exacta team we favor are the best trotters in this field and to offer a great partnering price makes them impassable.

Derby Sextet

The $165,000 Hoosier Park Pacing Derby for aged stallions can go a few ways with only six at bat. How Jk Endofanera could wind up anything but the public’s top choice could be a mystery and a blessing. He was second to the super Always B Miki in the Crown finale. We will give a resounding shot to All Bets Off, noting his performance in that same race was very good, as well as it was offering 65-1 in the win pool. You have to find an upset with reasonable probability and All Bets Off fits the bill. In the Crown, he finished fourth, far better than the other six, including Foiled Again and Bettor’s Edge, both in the “Derby” field. 

The Kids Are All Right

Vernon Downs presents twa pair of major Kindergarten stakes on Saturday, Oct. 31. The soon-to-be sophomores of both sexes are seeking high returns and a strong launch into 2016 from these events.

The first is a $191,500 route for frosh-colt trotters, with progeny from a few generations of “Muscles.” Hollywood Highway should come up the crowd’s expectations as the choice, having been sharp in five of six events this year and with the best speed badge here, which is always attractive to common-core handicappers. Also, Dog Gone Lucky, though strapped with post 9, will get strongly supported, being the top earner in the field and showing productive finishes.

Staffan Lind’s Celebrity Express hasn’t earned much by comparison but deserves a good look here, especially if the crowd doesn’t invest much in him. With only five races all year, the Andover Hall product may just be revving up as his birthday nears.

Round two is for fillies and Crown-elim winner Haughty, seven wins in eight starts, gets post 1 and probably all the win-pool dollars the Vernon vaults can hold. It will be hard to hold her back but we take a shot in the lightly raced Radiant Beam. This Holiday Road product demands following during her green period and if she happens to improve between now and becoming three she should pay well.

H2W Legend

Review our choices and follow the wagering at the prescribed track. These are possible contenders we have judged from reviewing races. The horses’ names are listed beneath the name of the track after the date they will be racing. The race in which they are entered (R and race number) follows. If a + is in front of a horse’s name it means it is appearing on the list for the second (and last) time because it failed to win the first time it appeared. An “ae” signals the horse is entered on the also-eligible list. If a horse is listed twice, refer to the entries on the night of the race since a horse may enter in more than one race. Types of wagering on any of the H2W listed horses are based on your judgment. If you have any questions, email us at TwinSpires.

H2W LIST

Bangor
10/30/15, Ms Neutralize R2; Realist R4; DWs Abby R5

Batavia
10/31/15, Freaky Flyer R10; Winners Streak R11; +Bad Bad Boy R12

Cal Expo
10/31/15, Meritage Hanover R1; Slow And Easy R1; Perfect Pitch R6; Just The Way Itis R9; Red Star Wild One R9; Whoop D Do Bazzle R11

Charlottetown
10/29/15, +Kims PJs R3
10/31/15, Holy Molie Maggie R6

Dayton
10/29/15, +Victorinthevalley R5; +Out Of My Hands R7; +New Zion R8
10/30/15, +Janinne R2; +Lucky Virgin R3
10/31/15, +Wattafind R6

Fraser
10/29/15+Rock Allstar R9
10/30/15, +Imrunninonsunshine R3; Son Of Anarchy R9
11/1/15, +Wrapped To Go R11; Gray Glory R12
 
Freehold
10/30/15, Smooth Finish R11
10/31/15, +Good Side R8

Hoosier
10/29/15, +Carolinkia R3
10/30/15, +Lindy Land R2; +Cue Hall R3

Meadows
10/31/15, +John Paul R11

Northfield
11/2/15, +Strawberrys On Top

Northville
10/30/15, Norma Rei R4; +Quick Little Miss R8
10/31/15, Noahs Shark R9

Philadelphia
10/29/15, Knocking Around R8

Plainridge
10/28/15, +Pembroke Delux, R1

Pocono
10/31/15, +Raise The Curtain R8

Rosecroft
10/31/15, Lil Miss Bourbon R1; Nothing Wrong R3; Jada Queen R6; Beckett Hanover R9; Little Miss Woohoo R10

Saratoga
10/30/15, +Rock Market ae R1; Bluebridge Jezebel R10

Scarborough
10/30/15, Logan Rum R3; The Irish Maverick R5; Rodeo Du Ruisseau R8

Vernon
10/30/15, Pegasus Point R5; +Twice As Nice R5; +Proud Flag R9

Ray Cotolo contributes to each edition