Hoosier Sparks Top Winner At $32; H2W Average Soars To 45-Percent In The Money; Five Exactas With Favorite Partners

Our features were heavily concentrated on Saturday, Oct. 15. At Yonkers, the afternoon program presented the $1-million Yonkers International Trot. Resolve, the U.S. star, won as a huge favorite. Jonesy (62-1), our invader from Finland, rode a dull 1 ¼ miles, finishing eighth.

More favorites pleased chalk players in the Invitationals that co-starred on Yonkers’ Saturday program. Bee A Magician won the trot but we took second with Melady’s Monet ($5.40, $3.90) for a $26.20 exacta.

Wiggle It Jiggleit won the pace Invitational as the choice, while we were third with Mel Mara ($3.00).

At Mohawk there were eight Ontario Sires Stakes Super Finals. We took second in the frosh-colt trot with Tycoon Seelster ($4.10, $3.40), with an exacta worth $10.40. We also took second with Gerries Sport ($5.80, n/s) with an exacta worth $18.10.

Of the other six we suppoted at Mohawk, Cracklin Rosie (40-1) finished fourth, Magic Presto scratched; Blameitonthenight (8-1) finished sixth; Bee In Charge (4-1) finished fourth; Royal Charm (17-1) finished sixth; and Calvin K (5-1) finished seventh.

Saturday afternoon at Scarborough we had two winners in four of the Maine Breeders Stakes for sophomores—Miss Flaggy Meadow ($3.40, $2.60, n/s) and Talladega Speed ($4.60, $3.20. $2.20). The latter actually came in second to Seely Man, who was first but barred in the betting due to his overwhelming win record.

At Hoosier Park there were Eight Indiana Sires Stakes Super Finals. We had one winner, Uncmprmising Z Tam ($5.80, $4.60, $3.40). We also were second with Swan chase ($8.20, $4.60) and third with Topville Avatar ($19.80). Also starting but finishing off the board were Pretty Image (12-1), Endeavor’s Fantasy (22-1), Intothelight (4-1), Incredible Shark (38-1) and Let Her Go scratched.

At Dayton, we struck out in all three of the sires stakes for aged trotters and pacers. Chips Star (35-1) broke badly, finishing seventh; Led Schnepplin (20-1) came in fifth; and MJ’s Victory Wish (59-1) crossed the finish line sixth.

BREEDERS CROWN COUNTDOWN

The Breeders Crown Countdown (BCC) blog covered four SimpsonsMemorials at Philadelphia on Friday, Oct. 14. Soph-filly-and-colt trotters raced for $40,000 a mile.

In the first filly event we missed the winner but had the place horse, Maker A Yankee ($9.40, $10.20 ok) and the show horse, Turn The Paige ($5.00). If you liked the winner, the public’s second choice, you had the three elements of the triple, which was worth $284.60.

In the second filly division we were third with Jazebel De Vie ($4.40).

Our colt in the first of that division’s Simpson, Lima Cadillac (12-1), broke and recovered to be fourth, while our choice for the second colt stakes, Tight Lines, scratched.
 
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 xx active horses (a 10-percent win hit rate and a 45-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

Ideal Rowan, $32.80, $15.40, $6.00, Hoosier
Windsong Lightning, $12.10, $6.60, $5.60, Mohawk
Gramercy Hanover, $9.10, $2.30, $2.10, Charlottetown
Special Kim, $6.20, $3.60, $2.20, Philadelphia
Springforth, $4.00, $2.60, $2.10, Rosecroft
 
Seconds

Wikedwitchothewest, $14.00, $8.80 (Exacta $45.00), Freehold
Snoz, $7.30, $7.00 (Exacta $28.20), Monticello
Worth Watching, $6.30, $2.80 (Exacta $23.60), Monticello
Katies Rocker, $5.20, $3.00, Pocono
BZ Glide, $5.00, $3.60, Batavia
Hititoutofthepark, $4.60, $2.40, Philadelphia
Well Shaded, $4.60, $3.30, Saratoga
Massive Attack A, $3.60, $3.00, Yonkers
Gliding Boy, $3.50, $2.50, Vernon
Rockrockwhosthere, $3.20, $2.20, Freehold
Gadsden Hanover, $3.00, Yonkers
 Lastchancelilly, $2.40, $2.10, Saratoga
 
Thirds

Wishin Iwas Fishin, $5.20, Dayton
Emeritus Maximus, $3.60, Pocono
Tinys Million, n/s, Plainridge
Ashton Seelster, $2.10, Bangor
Come On Eileen, $2.10, Rideau-Carleton

News & Notes

Anndrovette, a tough mare and one of the most decorated pacers of the last decade, has been retired at nine. She leaves her racing career with a summary of 45-22-27 from 144 starts with earnings in excess of $3.5 million. It was a great investment from the $65,000 spent by Bamond Racing and Joe Davino when they bought her at three. In the six seasons after that purchase, Anndrovette banked at least $350,000 in each one. Not broodmare owners, they made the decision to sell her. It only took one phone call to find a buyer: Al and Michelle Crawford's Crawford Farms in New York.

Dover Downs opens for its 48th season on Oct. 31 and the following day begins the track’s “Novemberfest of Racing,” a month long featuring outstanding stakes races. The track’s signature event is the $350,000 (est.) Hap Hansen Progress Pace, which begins with $35,000 eliminations on Nov. 21 and a final on Nov. 28, with a $25,000 consolation. The Matron Stakes, the sport’s longest continued stakes series, leads off the Grand Circuit events with all four Matron finals for frosh colts and fillies on Nov. 3. On Nov. 10 all four trots and paces for sophomores are featured. Watch this blog for coverage of the events.

State Treasurer, one of the top open pacers in recent years and Canada’s reigning Horse of the Year, has been retired to stand stud at Seelster Farms in Ontario, starting with the 2017-breeding season. Now seven, State Treasurer earned $1,908,424 during his racing career, facing the starting gate 106 times for 33 wins. Trained throughout his career by Dr. Ian Moore, State Treasurer’s most successful season was at six where he earned just shy of $900,000.

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 ~