Pair Of $18 Winners Top 15 Total Scores; Strong 47 Percent Across-The-Board Contenders Pay Off

This past week, on Feb. 24, a day before TwinSpires harness blog’s weekend edition appeared, @FrankCotolo on Twitter posted selections at Buffalo Raceway for the second-straight Wednesday. All but one of the selections hit the board. The single winner was Dancin Thea ($18.20, $5.20, $7.30 ok). That horse was also on the week’s horses-to-watch list (H2W) as a repeat performer, since she was one of last week’s Twitter choices.

In order, the other horses to hit the board that Wednesday were two seconds, Momara ($4.50, $2.50, Exacta $8.70) and Drinkin N Dancin ($2.90, $3.50 ok, Exacta $17.20); and two thirds, Bugatti Beauty ($2.90); and Caddy Jeff ($6.90).

Losers of any and all Twitter choices appear in the H2W list the following week. Now and then, watch for updated blog contenders @twinspires through @FrankCotolo.

Thursday, Feb. 25 took us to afternoon racing again at Freehold Raceway, where we took on of three legs of the Pick 3 with Catalyst ($12.40, $6.20, $4.60) in Race 7 (also appears below on the H2W). The other contender, Touch Of Charm (3-1) broke at the start and finished seventh. A race before that we lost with Palms Beach (4-1), finishing fourth to a 5-1 winner. In Race 8 (leg three of the Pick 3) we wound up with the favorite, M A Bay (6-5), who broke and finished off the board. In race 9 we were second with Travers Hall ($3.20, $2.10).

Friday was full of feature races. The chalk beat us in three of our personal features at Yonkers. We finished fifth with Local Art (8-1) and seventh with Depth More Depth (38-1) in the second leg of the Daily Double; as well as fourth with Firstclassflight (30-1) in Race 3 and fourth with Warrawee Qually (15-1) in Race 4.

Friday also presented the quartet of races in Miami Valley’s Pick 4 (Races 9 through 12). We came as close as anyone in the consolation-payoff wager (no one had four of four) as we hit with leg one’s winner, Paige Moon Dancer ($9.20, $4.00, $3.00)—the other suggested contender, Velocity Lana (11-1) finished fifth. In leg two we were third with E R Taylor ($3.40) and fifth with Love Of Liberty (7-1). We were made the favorite in leg three and won with Mama Made Me Blue ($5.80, $3.20, $3.00), while our other choice, Hard To Rock This ($3.60) finished third. The last leg saw us on the board again with a favorite, Cast No Shadow ($5.00, $3.20), this time the place horse, while our other player in that race, Addys Way (4-1) finished eighth.

Saturday’s two features at Northfield both went down, starting with Addie Pie (20-1), who finished seventh as a 6-1 shot won Race 3. Then we were made the favorite with Hopeful Trust (3-2) in Race 9 and were beaten by the second choice. We finished fifth.


 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 57 active horses (a 23-percent win hit rate and a 47-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

Boom Shazam, $18.20, $5.20, $3.00, Fraser
Dancin Thea, $18.20, $5.20, $7.30 ok, Buffalo
Freeneasy Hanover, $14.60, $6.40, $3.40, Pompano
Copper Coast A, $13.80, $7.80, $5.00, Freehold
Catalyst, $12.40, $6.20, $4.60, Freehold
King Otra, $12.60, $4.80, $4.00, Miami
Catch The Wave, $11.40, $5.90, $3.10, Buffalo
New York Terror, $5.80, $3.40, $2.60, Freehold
Culinary Delight, $4.00, $2.60, $2.20, Pompano
Saulsbrook Astado, $3.80, $3.00, $3.00 ok, Miami
Texas Terror N, $2.90, $2.60, $2.40, Yonkers
Flying Instructor, $2.30, $2.10, $2.10 ok, Buffalo
Stonebridge Damsel, $2.20, $2.20, $2.10 ok, Northfield

Seconds

Sookie, $9.00, $16.00 ok, Freehold
RT Lange, $7.90, $7.60 (Exacta $37.80), Buffalo
Cadillac Jake, $5.40, $5.50 ok, Monticello
Mojo Terror, $5.40, $3.10 (Exacta $23.20), Yonkers
ER Rudy, $4.60, $3.20, Miami
South Jersey Honey, $4.20, $3.20 (Exacta $17.80), Meadows
Perfect Vista, $3.70, $2.80, Flamboro
Babe In The City, $3.30, $3.60 ok (Exacta $14.10), Buffalo
Majorley, $2.80, $2.40, Cal Expo

Thirds

Bloomfieldcantifly, $5.50, Yonkers
H-andharleythejet, $5.40, Freehold
Capitol Hill, $3.10, Cal Expo
Rubber Soul, $3.00, Flamboro
Hickory Big Red, $2.80, Meadows
 
News & Notes

Hawthorne’s standardbred racing is scheduled to begin on Kentucky Derby weekend, Friday, May 6, and will be conducted through Sept. 25. Racing Secretary Peter Hanley announced a late closing series that should give trotters and pacers at all classes a chance to race for added money with his Have Em Ready To Roll Late Closing Series. The series are scheduled to kick off in the second week of action. Hawthorne, the only remaining harness meet in Illinois, will be orchestrating qualifiers in April at the State Fair Grounds in Springfield, so that horses will be sharp and ready to go for the opening weekend of Hawthorne.

Mack Lobell, one of the greatest trotters of this generation, passed away at age 32. He shattered nearly every trotting speed record during his two- and three-year-old seasons in North America. In 94 international starts, Mack Lobell won 71 races and finished top three an astounding 87 times. He established more than 11 world records at two, three and four while winning U.S. Horse of the Year honors in 1987 and 1988. At the conclusion of his sophomore season he was harness racing’s fastest trotter, regardless of age, on a mile track (1:52.1), five-eighths mile track (1:54.1) and half-mile track (1:57.2). At the time no horse had turned that trick since pacer French Chef in 1980. One of Mack Lobell's greatest accomplishments came at four when he won the 1988 Elitlopp in Sweden.

Harrington Raceway’s 70th season of harness racing begins on April 25 with a 5 p.m. first-race post time. Live racing will be conducted on a Monday-through-Thursday schedule until June 30 before the customary break during the Delaware State Fair. The annual Governor’s Night of racing is on July 28 (special 7 p.m. first post). Live racing resumes on Aug. 15 on a Monday-through-Wednesday schedule for the balance of the month before resuming the normal four-day week (Monday-Thursday) in September through Oct. 20. The track’s marquee event, the Bobby Quillen Memorial, which routinely showcases many of the sport’s top pacers, will take place Sept. 19.

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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