Overnight Prices Rule With $30 and $22 Scores; ‘Marauder’ And “Hill’ Star; H2W With 51-Percent In-The-Money Average

Top dollar winners were present in the horses-to-watch (H2W) list this week (with a 51-percent in-the-money average) as the features surrendered mostly to public choices, many of which we supported in very lopsided fields.

At Mohawk on Sept. 2 in the Simcoes, we were second with Dream Child ($5.30, n/s) to the obvious Caprice Hill for an exactor worth $18.20. In the second Simcoe we were fifth with Flowers N Songs (5-1).

In the Champlains that night, we were third with Mountain Of Love ($4.40) and seventh with Cant U Spell (64-1).

Saturday’s two big stakes features for glamour-boys at Yonkers were undeniable and we had what everyone had as the Yonkers Trot went to Marions Marauder ($2.40, $2.10, n/s) and the Messenger Pace was won by Racing Hill ($2.10, $2.10, n/s/ ok).

The big Metro Pace program at Mohawk on Sept. 3 was no parade of prices. We had Agent Q ($3.00, $2.30) trying to beat Idyllic Beach in the Shes A Great Lady but the latter, the favorite, won for an exactor of $6.20.

In the Metro Pace Consolation we were third with Southwind General ($2.50) and in the main event, the Metro Pace, we finished fourth with Classic Pro (15-1) as a 6-1 third choice beat the two favorites.

In a Simcoe for soph-filly pacers, Darlinonthebeach ($2.50, $2.20) was second as the top choice of the public, with LA Delight (7-2) finishing fourth.

The soph-filly trotting Simcoes found three of our horses galloping and being eliminated, including Manofmanyimages (95-1), Sutton (1-1) in round one. Milligans School (5-2) broke in the stretch while charging for what looked like it could be a win and also in that race, Jimmy William (4-1) was off the board.

BREEDERS CROWN COUNTDOWN

The Breeders Crown Countdown (BCC) handled the Canadian Pacing Derby at Mohawk on Sept. 3, featuring the usual top older pacers and the usual results were produced. We liked Always B Miki ($3.20, $2.50) over Wiggle It Jiggleit, who we admitted had the edge from post 1 and did win. That easy exactor paid $13.30.

In Sept. 1’s Champlain stakes for frosh filly trotters at Mohawk, That’s All Moni ($3.70, $2.80) was second to the favorite for an exactor worth $5.40. In the other split, Glitzey Goal (7-1) broke and finished seventh while Myammie Drama was off the board.

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 45 active horses (a 22-percent win hit rate and a 51-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

Black Water Road, $30.40, $10.00, $4.40, Northville
Explosive Muscles, $22.80, $8.40, $3.40, Running Aces
JJs Flynn, $17.60, $8.00, $3.40, Yonkers
Shades Of Bay, $16.00, $6.80, $4.80, Pocono
Extreme Justice, $9.20, $3.60, $3.20, Plainridge
Carlos Mittanna, $8.70, $5.10, $3.30, Tioga
Evelyn, $5.20, $4.00, $3.10, Tioga
Brooklyn Hill, $3.40, $3.20, $2.40, Pocono
Lyons Snyder, $3.00, $2.40, $2.10, Mohawk
Devious Man, $2.60, $2.10, n/s, Yonkers

Seconds

Winter Harbor, $33.20, $14.10, Mohawk
Captain Primeau, $10.60, $6.80, Freehold
More Better, $7.70, $3.90 (Exacta $26.00), Monticello
Spicedboubongirl, $7.40, $4.00, Pocono
Noras Tanolt, $5.20, $5.00, Freehold
Dominion Beach, $4.40, $3.80, Pocono
Takeyourbreathaway, $4.00, $2.40, Monticello
Docs Suzie, $3.20, $2.60 (Exacta $12.00), Red Mile

Thirds

Katies Beach, $9.30, Mohawk
Muscolo, $9.20, Pocono
Kesons Silhouette, $3.50, Vernon
Rules Of The Road, $2.10, Vernon
Transit Hanover, $2.10, Plainridge
 
News & Notes

Here is our weekly update for The Little Brown Jug. We will be updating it until the week before the event, which takes place at the Delaware, Ohio Fairgrounds on Sept. 22, the final day of the Grand Circuit’s meet at the busy half-mile track.

1-Control The Moment
2-Betting Line
3-Check Six
3-Racing Hill
4-JJ Flynn
5-Lyons Snyder
6-Manhattan Beach
7-Katies Rocker
8-Pure Country
9-Nocturnal Bluechip
10- Western Fame

The Meadowlands is back for a few programs on Sept.  9-10 and Sept. 16-17. The freshman Kindergarten Series features preps for two-year-old stakes remaining on the 2016 schedule Valuable points toward the $150,000 Nov. 5 finals are at stake. Race Secretary Pete Koch is offering a variety of races. The popular G-Note short series’ races will be offered for pacing mares and horses in the non-winners of $3,500 L/5 class and claimers that have raced for a price of $10,000 or less since July 1. All of them offer a chance to return the second week for a purse of $17,500. The fifth and last leg of the Miss Versatility series for trotting mares is set to go on Friday, Sept. 9 with the $120,000 (est.) final raced in Ohio on Little Brown Jug Day, Sept. 22.

Reports from Alberta say that Northlands Park in Edmonton, Canada may not be closing as planned. It could still host live horse racing through the end of 2016. In February, Northlands announced a proposal that would have the raceway redeveloped into a multi-purpose public park that would have the ability to host tens of thousands of people for large-scale festivals and outdoor concerts. Last week, Edmonton city councilors proposed Northlands to continue operation until a new racetrack can be completed in at least two more years from now. Mayor Don Iveson supports horse racing continuing at Northlands.

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 ~