Multi-Double-Digit Winners Wipe Up With $40, $33, $22, $11, $10 Scores Among Eight

The day before TwinSpires harness blog’s weekend choices appeared, we hit our Twitter fans @FrankCotolo with seven contenders at Buffalo for Feb. 17. One winner was all we needed to profit for the group: Helena’s Hope ($19.80, $7.90, $5.40) was the highest paying winner on the program that night. From the other six we had one second with Woodmere Fullalife ($8.30, $3.90) and a third, RT Lange ($2.90). The six losers will appear on next week’s horses-to-watch list (H2W) as repeat performers. Now and then, watch for updated blog contenders @twinspires through @FrankCotolo.

Some big winners turned out to be repeat performers from last week’s features’ contenders at the Meadowlands. Two of three top choices from the Feb. 12 Pick 3 stream won this week. They were on the H2W list—Montalbano BI ($40.60) and Mc Tinys Hope ($11.20) have their complete prices in the H2W results below.

The two other headliners with top winning prices are also documented on the H2W below.

At Miami Valley on Feb. 20, all you had to do to win the low-returning Late Pick 4 was play the top public choices, as the quartet of events involved featured no surprises but for an accident in leg one that knocked out some horses, one of which was our contender, Lucky Shot (16-1), who did not finish. The other possibility in leg one, He’s Got It (14-1) was fifth. The accident involved hooked sulky wheels. Still, the favorite won.

Leg two, won by the public’s second choice, saw our top contender, Talk Strategy ($2.10), in a dead heat for third while our other choice, ER Rudy (50-1) finished seventh.

Our top contender in leg three, Moonwoods Hanover, scratched. That left Hey Dali ($4.40, $3.80) to finish second to the favorite, which launched an exacta worth $27.00.

The final leg found us second with King Otra ($6.60, $5.00) who combined with the winning race favorite for an exacta worth $25.60. Johnny Come Lately (7-1) never raced a step, finishing ninth.

Freehold was a hilarious failure on Feb. 18, with New York Terror (23-1) eighth, One Bad Shot (37-1) seventh in Race 4 and MT The Banc (160-1) fifth with Between You And Me (17-1) sixth in Race 6. We attempted to try the next two races which were legs two and three of a Pick 3. In Race 7 we won with favorite Wygant Princess ($3.20, $2.60, $2.40) and in Race 8 we were second with Seconds Later ($25.60, $2.40).

Two favorites defeated our choices at Yonkers on Feb. 19 .We were seventh with Warrawee Qually (114-1) in one feature and third with Sir Jillian Z Tam ($3.10) in the second feature. Cracker Coffee (19-1) ended up sixth.

Our betting weekend began on Thursday, Feb. 11 with our top winner of the week coming in our first call, the beginning of the Late Daily Double at Freehold, Quiet 
In leg two we had the winner, Sunday Poker ($3.40, $2.80, $2.60). Poison Oak (10-1) finished seventh.
 
 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 59 active horses (a 14-percent win hit rate and a 37-percent in-the-money 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

Montalbano Bi, $40.60, $18.20, $8.80, Meadowlands
Picard, $33.40, $7.00, $4.40, Dover
Honi Maker, $22.50, $7.70, $4.10, Flamboro
Mc Tinys Hope, $11.20, $6.40, $4.00, Meadowlands
King Trut, $10.80, $6.80, $3.70, Western Fair
Moon Is On Fire, $8.40, $4.20, $4.40 ok, Cal Expo
Starface, $7.10, $3.60, $2.70, Fraser
Pictonian Sareta, $5.00, $2.60, $2.30, Flamboro
 
Seconds

Ella Rose, $7.80, $4.60, Northfield
Missy Future Luck, $6.70, $3.10, Flamboro
Show Some Leg, $4.60, $3.50 (Exacta $24.30), Woodbine
Mojarra Hanover, $4.40, $3.60, Meadowlands
St Lads Penny, $4.40, $4.50 ok, Woodbine
Kona Kid, $3.40, $3.60 ok, Meadows
Rocknroll Power, $3.20, $2.80 (Exacta $15.00), Dover
Stoneridge Damsel, $2.20, $2.10, Northfield

Thirds

Rocky DeVie, $4.40, Woodbine
Whosurpal, $4.20, Buffalo
Drinksonthehouse, $3.20, Meadows
War Fily, $3.00, Woodbine
Hellsapoppin, $2.50, Flamboro
Capitol Hill, $2.40, Cal Expo
 
News & Notes

Minnesota’s only harness track, Running Aces, is preparing for its ninth season, which will get underway on May 17 “Running Aces 2016 harness racing season “builds upon a strong foundation established last year,” according to track president Taro Ito, “with our restructured racing team, an enhanced calendar of racing days and exciting new wagering opportunities … for the horsemen and fans.” Running Aces will race May 17 – Sept. 3 with first-race post times on Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays at 6:00 p.m. (Central), adding Wednesdays to complete the four-day schedule beginning July 27 at 7:00 p.m.

Northlands Park in Alberta announced a redevelopment of the facility into a multi-purpose public park able to host tens of thousands of people for large-scale events, not including pari-mutuel racing. Track CEO Tim Reid said, “it is with mixed emotions that [2016] will be [Northlands’] last year” of racing.” But Reid said there is a possibility that Northlands could host live racing in the future. The 52-acre site owners are willing to work with the horse-racing industry for racing in the future but say first they “need to build on a future sustainability of Northlands.”

Trainer Bjorn Noren is leaving the United States  to return to his Scandinavian roots. A native of Sweden, Bjorn worked for trainer Jimmy Takter for several years then started his own U.S. stable from 2009 to 2013. He also became assistant trainer to Ake Svanstedt, who had moved his operations from Sweden to the U.S. Noren worked in the Svanstedt Stable for more than two years. Bjorn said his wife and children are unhappy living in the U.S. and want to be closer to their families in Sweden and Finland. Bjorn said he does not have a job there yet but, “I hope that something interesting will pop up.”

Officials at Yonkers Raceway announced the first-race post time for the track’s Sunday, Feb. 28 matinee program of live racing will kick off with a first-race post time of 11:55 a.m. The first seven races on the program are to be simulcast to the French betting audience. The first seven races will be contested at 30-minute intervals. The track is estimating that post time for the 12th race on the program (which will be the final race) will be 4:30 p.m. Officials also announced that first-race post times for Yonkers’ two March Sundays (the 13th and 20th) are pending.

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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