More Red Mile Matches Through Weekend; Indiana Sires Stakes Freshmen Finals

Autumn in Lexington continues for the second and last week of Grand Circuit action. We have coverage for every day, including the Sunday, Oct. 9 closing program featuring The Kentucky Futurity for colts, the filly futurity, the glamour-boy pacing Tattersalls, the soph-filly pace Glen Garnsey and the four Allerage stakes for older trotters and pacers of both sexes and gaits.

However, the Sunday program of the Red Mile will cover that program with an updated blog to be posted Saturday evening, Oct. 8. The update for the week’s features and horses-to-watch (H2W) list will be posted on Sunday night, Oct. 9.

The International Stallion Stakes are the focus of our Breeders Crown Countdown blog on Friday, Oct. 7, this week covering two-year-old filly trotters.

On this blog we cover through Saturday, Oct. 8 with more than The Red Mile features, including Indiana Sires Stakes at Hoosier and the Robert Kane Invitational at Batavia.
 
Pow! We also have the TwinSpires horses-to-watch list (H2W) highlighting harness contenders for all types of wagers. Remember: No other handicappers cover this much activity and few can brag as much about profiting from choices. You won’t find our best winners on any on-line or hard copy sources. Take these horses seriously when constructing your wagers.

INTERNATIONAL INCIDENTS

The International Stallion Stakes (ISS) for freshmen is a stable of the second week of the Grand Circuit in Lexington. On Thursday, Oct. 6, the colt trotters go in a quintet of races with purses of $56,000 each.

In round one, Race 4, last week’s Bluegrass winner, New Jersey Viking, should get a lot of play but we are onto lightly raced Shivered. The Credit Winner colt takes on this higher class in his fifth start and betting on him improving is a good deal in a race with lots of name-brand boys.

In ISS Race 5 on the program, we will go with our choice in a Bluegrass last week. Finishing third, Equestrianconxtion is as consistent as the rest. He gets to leave from the wood while probable favorite Snowstorm Hanover is six out.

The seventh race picks up the ISS series with a few tough boys. Devious Man and Long Tom will attract many bets for their recent performances. Again, we will follow through with one of last week’s failures, Simply Volo. Having raced sixth in a Bluegrass last week, he won’t be a top choice but we can through that race out and count on a far better mile at a good price, at least as good as he went off last week.

Race 8 is the return of another winner we gave you on the Breeders Crown Countdown blog last week, Dover Dan. It was such a smooth and easy victory for him that he will go off much less than the 3-1 he received last week. Walner has only lost one of four races and that was due to a gallop at the half. An outside contender, though maybe not by much in the betting, is Muscles Jared. As a co-favorite, hopefully a third choice, he should offer a decent price after two losses with excuses and maybe start another winning streak like he had in Pennsylvania through the summer.

The nightcap, Race 9, also gathers green guys from the Bluegrass on opening week. This ISS includes our big winner last week, Shake It Off Lindy. He has to deal with a few obvious contenders here—Fly On, What The Hill and Bill’s Man. However, we want them all to deal with Don Dream, who from post 7 could be dismissed by the public.

Saturday, Oct. 8 more ISS action features frosh-colt and filly pacers. A few of last week’s choices from this blog return to The Red Mile from their Bluegrass efforts and we will go with them again.

In the filly installments, two return from our Bluegrass lists as Race 4 offers Robin J and That’s The Ticket in Race 4. In Race 6 we go again with Miss Jones. Another attempt to beat Idyllic Beach leaves us with Big City Betty in Race 8. In the last filly ISS, we take Jenny’s Terror.

In the colts’ contests, we have some repeaters and new choices. Race 2 presents another chance for Manattack. Race 5’s colt field renews the chances for McThriller. Race 7’s field of eight spawns a new choice, RJP in a competitive bunch. Then, in the nightcap, Race 10, we repeat our support for The Wall.

HOOSIER HOOLIGANS

Indiana Sires Stakes (INSS) finals are features at Hoosier this weekend and on Thursday, Oct. 6, state-bred soph-colt trotters go for $75,000. The huge choice is Bridge To Jesse’s because he has dominated the division, losing only two of a dozen starts. Fly Jesse Fly would be his obvious competitor. Topville Avatar, the probable third choice, may not get the respect he deserves and wind up a fourth or fifth choice. No matter, he is the best bet to most likely upset and deserves attention.

Friday at Hoosier, frosh-filly trotters and soph-filly pacers face their $75,000 finals. The frosh event has a field of 10 with Satin Dancer and Foxy Swan the most likely favored duo. The danger to them both is Power Wave. Race for race, the Ron Otto trained gal comes into this race with only seven starts, in which she has cashed checks for being in the top three four times. She will be dismissed by the crowd and if she maintains her growing talent will surprise them all.

Also Friday, 10 soph-filly pacers take flight, led by the magnificent Seventimesavirgin. She towers over these, with 10 wins in 11 starts. It is her race to lose. She will be tested, for sure, if not beaten, by Can’t Touch This and even, from the 10 hole, Au D Lox Bluegrass. From post 2, however, danger looms from Endeavors Fantasy. She is a professional racehorse making money hoof over mane and with the right trip behind greedy speedsters she could upset.

Saturday, Oct. 8, two more $75,000 finals are featured. The first is for frosh-filly pacers, where Hah Chachacha from the rail looks to put this field away, having kept the division at bay in most of her dozen starts. Always Giggling has missed the board only three of 13 times and will be battling hard. We want to give a shot to Rock Me Gorgeous, who has only raced five times and won three. She has every reason to take the top ones to task and may be a good price trying.

The two top frosh colts, Rock N Tony and On The Virg should take all the win money between them, promising very low rewards for support. On the far outside you might want to shake things up backing Meadowbrook Tiger, who has been on the board 50 percent of his dozen races and can overcome the post if things go right or if he has afterburners we are yet to see.

BATAVIA INVITE

An annual feature of the Batavia Downs season is the Robert Kane Invitational, a $50,000 free-for-all pacing event. It’s the feature this Oct. 8. Struggling Foiled Again is among the seven less-than-famous group. He may not get the kind of support he has been used to getting but he may also race as poorly as he has this season and be worth even less.

Luck Be Withyou will get much action from post 1 and Mel Mara should, too, leaving some dollars to spare for Polak A. He has earned enough working hard and regularly at Yonkers to make him competitive here, as is evidenced by his 13 on-the-board finishes in 19 starts. He may be the upset and at a price. 

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

Batavia
10/7/16, Babe In The City ae R6
10/8/16, BZ Guide R5

Charlottetown
10/616, Briannas Angel R3; Badlands Giovanni R5; Jamantha R7
10/8/16, +Jetta Flys R9
10/9/16, +Caliban Hanover R3; +Rodeo Joe R6

Dayton
10/8/16, +Banger L R2; +Ballerina Rosa ae R2

Freehold
10/8/16, +Brick Bazooka R4; +Camcracker Dynasty R12

Hoosier
10/7/16, Speed Trap R3; King Me R7

Meadows
10/8/16, Dark Money R2; Keystone Nikki R3; Major Matter R4; Kingofthejungle R8
10/10/16, Fancytucky R10

Mohawk
10/616, +Manofmanyimages R8
10/8/16, Windsong Lightning R8

Monticello
10/616, Caviar Court R10

Northfield
10/8/16, Desperate Crowds R2; Fly Me Courageous R4; Whole Lotta Evil R5; Hopeful Trust R11

Northville
10/7/16, SS Aurora’s Dream R2; Samba Gal R4; Karlee Sue R10

Plainridge
10/6/16, +Midnite Craze R7
10/7/16, +Allamerican Extra R7

Pompano
10/9/16, Hava Kadabra R7; Glammit R9; Silver Spir R12
 
Red Mile
10/7/16, Wicked Little Minx R2; +Heels On Wheels R4; +Hilarmbro R4

Rideau-Carleton
10/616, Thrillogy R2; Happy Holidays R5; Requested R7

Rosecroft
10/6/16, +Rethink Possible R4

Saratoga
10/6/16, +Broad Priority R3; +Stell R Time R8
10/9/16, +Kinda Naughty R6

Vernon
10/7/16, Williams Wish R8

 
Ray Cotolo contributes to this blog