‘Miki’ Marks Fastest Win Ever—1:46; Tri-Crown For Marion Marauder; $48 Place Price Tops $23 Winner

The second Grand Circuit week at The Red Mile again ruled our features, including those in our addendum blog that covered Sunday, Oct. 9’s Kentucky Futurity program.

Lady Shadow, a prohibitive favorite, raced about the worse mile we have seen from her this season in the Allerage Mare Pace, finishing off the board after a duel to three-quarters. The place and show prices blew up. Our proposed exacta partner, Venus Delight ($42.00), was third.

Surprising favorite Flanagan’s Memory won the Allerage Trot while our choice, Musical Rhythm (18-1) faded badly along with other racing atop the field.

There were two Glen Garnsey splits for soph-filly pacers and the co-star of the division, Pure Country won, with our choice, Call Me Queen Be ($2.20, $2.10) second for an exacta worth $4.20. In the other split, Darlinonthebeach ($3.00, $2.40. $2.20), the obvious choice for us all, won, while our exacta possibility, Dime A Dance (54-1) finished off the board.

The first Tattersalls split featured a 19-1 shot defeating our choice, JJ Flynn (12-1), who was off the board in a sweeping line of closers. Racing Hill turned out to be the crowd’s huge choice and won the second division while our choice, Lyons Snyder ($2.20), was third.

Red Mile race-caller Sam McKee called the Allerage Pace and at the finish line he annotated the win by Always B Miki ($2.10, $2.10, $2.10) with a note. Sam said, “The was the fastest mile anyone has ever seen anywhere in the world.” Indeed, “Miki” beat Shamballa ($2.60, $2.10) in 1:46. The exacta paid $4.80.

The first of two elim heats for the Kentucky Filly Futurity went to Broadway Donna, a soft favorite, over our choice, Earn Your Wings ($11.80, $6.00) for an exacta worth $70.80.

The other elim was a major upset at 47-1, while our probable upset character, Gin And Lindy (14-1) finished fourth.

The trotting triple crown cost the connections of Marion Marauder a bundle since they had to supplement the colt to the third jewel of the series but it was a worthy investment as the colt won the Kentucky Futurity to capture the title (Hambletonian, Yonkers Trot, “Futurity”). We thought he would be beaten and settled for second with Southwind Frank ($4.00, $2.80), who we thought would go off the third or fourth choice but shorted us.

Saturday, Oct. 8 was another Red Mile day of International Stallion Stakes, four each for frosh-colt-and-filly pacers. Mostly, we mirrored last week’s Bluegrass picks and experienced 50-percent success across the board and as elements of exotic wagers, one big one with a favorite.

The colt pacers resulted in two thirds, McThriller ($6.60) and RJP ($2.20), while Manattack (8-1) and The Wall (30-1) finished fourth and fifth, respectively.

The filly pacers resulted in a huge second, Big City Betty ($12.00, $5.60), who, with the winning favorite delivered an exacta worth $54.20. Another juicy second was Thats The Ticket ($8.00, $5.80). In that race we also delivered the other paying horse, Robin J ($4.20). Curiously enough, although we won’t take credit for this, the winner in that race was a 93-1 shot. If you enjoyed using that horse in the triple (in some form of the wager) along with the two selections we had for the race, your reward was $2,702.30 and the exacta with Thats The Ticket was worth $819.60. The remaining frosh event picks, Miss Jones (4-1) and Jennys Terror (6-1) finished fourth.

At Batavia on Oct. 8 we were all surprised by the rare win for Foiled Again. He took the Robert Kane Memorial at 9-1 and our choice, Polak A ($8.40, $2.80) followed him. If you liked Foiled Again to win and used our choice in an exacta, that came up $130.00.

Two more Indiana Sires Stakes ensued at Hoosier Saturday and we were fourth in both with Rock Me Gorgeous (4-1) and Meadowbrook Tiger (17-1).

Friday, Oct. 7’s two Indiana Sires Stakes finals were won by first and second choices, leaving us in the dark with Power Wave (9-1), who broke and was eliminated, and Endeavors Fantasy (26-1) was fourth.

Thursday’s five International Stallion Stakes resulted in two seconds: Simply Volo ($3.40, $2.60, Exacta $12.00) and Don Dream ($3.60, $2.80). Three favorites and a second choice beat us off the board. Muscles Jared (4-1) finished fifth; Shivered (19-1) broke and was eliminated; and Equestrianconxtion (21-1) finished sixth.

Also that night, our Indiana Sires Stakes Final choice, Topeville Avatar (16-1), finished eighth to the public choice. 

BREEDERS CROWN COUNTDOWN

The Breeders Crown Countdown (BCC) blog covered the International Stallion Stakes for frosh-filly trotters on Friday, Oct. 7 at The Red Mile. There were four divisions, each with small fields. We nailed but one winner, Ice Attraction ($6.40, $5.40, $3.40).

We were second in two, with Hillarmbro ($4.60, $2.40) and Chezatter ($2.20, $2.10, Exacta $4.00). Our off-the-board choice, Dream Baby Dream, finishing fourth, went off the favorite.

We tweeted three spot plays at Flamboro Downs on Oct. 5 with no success. Good Luck Kathy (17-1) finished fifth, while Deck The Halls (24-1) and Cards That Count (20-1) both finished sixth.
 
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 58 active horses (a 14-percent win hit rate and a 38-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

Briannas Angel, $23.70, $8.10, $4.20, Charlottetown
Jamantha, $7.30, $5.50, $3.10, Charlottetown
Blue Moon Stride, $7.40, $5.40, $3.60, Red Mile
Midnite Craze, $6.40, $2.40, $2.20, Plainridge
Scottish Blue, $6.30, $3.10, $2.60, Saratoga
SS Aurora’s Dream, $4.20, $2.40, $2.40 ok, Northville
Thrillogy, $3.60, $2.10, $2.10, Rideau-Carleton
Kerfuffle Cookie, $3.20, $2.80, $2.20, Northfield

Seconds

Banger L, $48.20, $13.80, Dayton
Bruisen N Cruisen, $16.80, $8.00, Freehold
Fly Me Courageous, $6.20, $5.80 (Exacta $11.40), Northfield
Whole Lotta Evil, $3.80, $2.60 (Exacta $6.60), Northfield

Thirds

Jetta Flys, $8.40, Charlottetown
Dark Money, $6.40, Meadows
Rethink Possible, $5.80, Rosecroft
Keystone Nikki, $4.40, Meadows
The Royal Harry, $4.30, Yonkers
Kingofthejungle, $4.00, Meadows
Happy Holidays, $3.70, Rideau-Carleton
Desperate Crowds, $2.60, Northfield
Williams Wish, $2.40, Vernon
Primo Giovani, $2.10, Red Mile

News & Notes

The world-class European trotters came to town for the million-dollar Yonkers International Trot on Oct. 15. It’s a 1 ¼-mile jaunt around the half-mile track featuring 10 invited trotters in a rare afternoon program at the New York track. The out-of-towners include BBS Sugarlight (Norway), Explosive DeVie (Sweden), Jonesy (Finland), Oasis Bi (Italy), On Track Piraten (Sweden) and Tano Bork (Denmark). They join the mare Hannelore Hanover, Canada’s Flanagan Memory and Resolve (reports indicate Obrigado has scratched from the event). Next Thursday’s blog will highlight the “International.”

Ron Pierce made it official—his driving career is over. The 60-year-old Pierce had left the track for outdoor sports after working at the March 7 Meadowlands program. Pierce made the announcement to reporter/historian Bob Heyden. Pierce said he feels great after a few surgeries on his back from race accidents and that he has found he enjoys “doing other things and having my time alone.” The sport will miss Ron and so will I, since he has been a character in my reporting far before he made it big in harness racing by moving east. He retires the winner of $215,314,239 in purses.

Freaky Feet Pete has had it for the season. The four-year-old’s connections did not reveal any specifics about the problems but they did say, “Hopefully, if everything goes well, we will try to come back [at five] bigger, stronger and tougher.” So far, he has won 30 of 42 starts but has not had significant impacts against the two top older pacers, Wiggle It Jiggleit and Always B Miki.

Dover Downs opens its six-month season beginning Oct. 31. The Delaware track will race through April 13, 2017. The traditional Dover feature races will ensue. The $350,000 Hap Hansen Progress Pace has eliminations on Nov. 21 and a Nov. 28 final. The last stakes series of the season, the Matrons, highlight two- and three-year-olds left standing after the Breeders Crown. The six Matrons finals are the national events taking place two weeks in November.

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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