Northfield’s Courageous Lady Looks Pricey; ‘Wiggle’ One More Time At Dover

Northfield Park and Dover Downs provide the sole features for this weekend, as we move into the final month of the year and the 2015 racing season. At Northfield, the Courageous Lady gathers soph-filly pacers for a. six-figure prize around the “Flying Turns” of the Ohio oval. At Dover, Wiggle It Jiggleit looks for one more hefty deposit into his ban account before ending his campaign as a sophomore.

Though some winter series will offer high purses between now and 2016’s season launch, we will be offering specific races weekly that we feel may offer valuable opportunities in all of the pools. We will also be aiming at helping TwinSpires account-holders with some suggested contenders for guaranteed Pick 4s and Pick 5s on the North American circuit.

All of this aside from our popular, exclusive H2W (horses to watch) list, which presents horses worth your attention in the win, place, show and exotic pools—most of which are not mentioned by public handicappers elsewhere, usually giving you a great edge in price.

Buckeye Beauties

The $120,000 Courageous Lady at Northfield Park on Friday, Nov. 27 brings together a field with only a few recognizable names. The morning-line (ML) favorite is Sassa Hanover, who our readers know has not been as productive as we expected since a strong Hoosier-stakes failure as the choice (she finished second) on Oct. 30 as she came off of an impressive Breeders Crown attempt while being dismissed by the crowd. She won the Jugette in Ohio last September and has been unable to turn that into another top victory.

Next in the public line are Triple V Hanover (favorite winner of the Center City at Hoosier) and Southwind Roulette (who has not won a single race in 17 starts). It’s a poor trio of top choices.

There is a pair of femmes not expected to thrive on the four turns catching our attention. Both of them come out of last week’s Tarport Hap at the Meadowlands. Bettor N Better was third in the tight finish of that 1 1/8 miles race, going a lot of the distance on the outside from post 9.

To her right in the Courageous Lady is Band Of Angels, probably the longer shot of the two but hardly dismissible (ML is 12-1). Also coming off of two good qualifiers, she left in the Tarport Hap from post 12 (second tier) and was buried in the large field for most of the way. She had a strong “Crown” elim with a disappointing finish unless you give her a lot of credit for the first half—which we suggest. She has raced very well going into the Crown and matches well against the poor top choices. She will be a great price and a terrific exotic partner, first or second, with Bettor N Better.

Courageous Pick 4

The Courageous Lady is the last leg of Northfield’s $10,000-guaranteed Pick 4 (Races 8 through 11), so we are going to hand you some good contenders (not the obvious) for tickets if you care to try to take this number down looking for a big price.

Race 8
Jakardez is sandwiched between the two ML choices and certainly may improve upon her first two in this class, though we hope she stays up there in the odds. Carlota Blue Chip may try to steal this at a price, beware.

Race 9
Donna Party has been sharp since shipping from Dayton. She won’t be the favorite but she won’t be ignored, especially since bettors will put stock in her driver change to Yannick Gingras.

Race 10
Sand Sonya gets a post change after leaving from the 7 hole four times in a row. That may only mean a step or two more in her favor but those four races are not bad and she fits better into this class than the ML suggests. Sea Bug may set sail early and with the right pace can glide home at a price.

The ‘Wiggle’ Factor

On Monday, Nov. 30, eight glamour-boy pacers face their last stakes mile before their birthdays. It’s not the division’s sterling characters, except for one colt, Wiggle It Jiggleit. He just beat them all in the one-heat elim that formed this field at Dover Downs for the Hap Hansen Progress Pace, worth $300,000.

Dover’s top affair is usually uneven, with many colts already on hiatus until the next year but this year’s group is conspicuously imbalanced. “Wiggle” is practically better than all of them put together—even Dealt A Winner, who beat him in the Cane Pace after Wiggle was dueled out of the money from wicked three-quarters fractions. Then there’s Dudes The Man, who has been highly over rated when battling the division’s best. In the elim, Remember Me VK at 54-1 beat both of those supposed next bests, still only resulting in an exacta price only $5 larger than his $14.60 place price.

The best scenario for an upset has the worst possible chances, since a speed duel burning out Wiggle is as unlikely as it is that he breaks stride and continues to gallop. Therefore, for an exacta with Wiggle, take Badix Hanover, whose second-over trip last week was admirable under the circumstances, having left from post 9 at a mere 29-1. Allow him to share second and third place in the trifecta with Roland N Rock, who has disappointed us over the past few weeks by not even getting on the board but who may shave a path into one of the trifecta spots amid pure chaos and bring the tri price up considerably.

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
11/27/15, Tailgate Blues R3; Aroma R11
11/28/15, Bahama Bay R4; +Most Happy Rider R5; Before I Die R11

Cal Expo
11/28/15, Heartland Slushie R6; Bettormeboy R8; Whendreamscometrue R10
11/29/15,  +Marion Miss Jule R3; Placer R3; Laissez Moi Passer R10

Charlottetown
11/28/15, +Thisgirlcanhunt R1; Wynnfrith R7; Stayoutofmyaffair R8

Dayton
11/27/15, Say It Again Sam ae R1
11/28/15, Saulsbrook Astrobo R8; Stand Tall R14

Dover
11/30/15, Pacific Western R3; Csardas ae R5

Flamboro
11/26/15, +Jeannes Faith R5; +PH Sunshine R6; +Blissfullannmarie R8

Fraser
11/27/15, Drawing Dead R2; Jet To The Beach R3; +Ninetymile Hanover R6
11/29/15, Lisplaced R4; +Red Star Johnny R7; Classic Ambition R7; Four Diamonds R9; +Art The Third R10

Freehold
11/27/15, +She Escapes Me R1; +Black Wind R2; Tymal Breezee R3; SS Derby Girl R10; Wine Market ae R10

Meadows
11/30/15, Spuds Begonia R2

Meadowlands
11/27/15, Kiwi Press R3; +Skyway Cruiser R5
11/28/15, UF Fast Feelin R3; Orilla Joe R6; Bakin On The Beach R8

Monticello
11/25/15, +Fools Run Around R11
11/30/15, Western Judy R11

Northfield
11/27/15, Saratogas Best R2; Im Shamless R3; Power And Purpose R6; Puff Mommy R7; +Stone Of Magic R13

Northlands
11/27/15, Rodeo Joe R4
11/28/15, Phenatical Maniac R6; Yellow Mustang R9

Meadowlands
11/27/15, Kiwi Press R3; +Skyway Cruiser R5
11/28/15, UF Fast Feelin R3; Orilla Joe R6; Bakin On The Beach R8

Philadelphia
11/27/15, Not Before Eight ae R3; Highlandmusclehall R5; Mach To The Max R7

Plainridge
11/30/15, +Extreme Justice R2; +Pop A Top Pop R10

Pompano
11/29/15, +Thebestofjoel R12

Saratoga
11/27/15, Unique Rock N Roll R1; Breewood Brier R2; Buff R3

Scarborough
11/27/15, Luigi R3; Camityourinmyway R9

Woodbine
11/26/15, +Boy Meets Grill
11/27/15, Invest In Art R4; Brescia Seelster R7; Cold Certified R9
11/28/15, Topcornerterror R9; +Jake Loewen R10; Machal Jordan R11

Ray Cotolo contributes to each edition