Plan B Nabs ‘Wiggle’ Exotics; 48 % In-The-Money Average On Week

All of our features were active on Friday, Aug. 14, featuring some of the sport’s stars going to the Midwest to take on some big purse battles.

Projection B of the “Milstein” at Northfield came through with as much money as could be squeezed from such a race. Wiggle It Jiggleit ($2.20, $2.10) won and our possible upset colt, Lost For Words ($3.20) was second for an Exacta worth $5.60. Though there was no show betting, our third choice, Wakizashi Hanover, took third for a triple worth $14.60. A note for exotic players: We post the results of exotics without calculating if the payoff is from a specific minimal wager. Please check the official track menus for exotic base bet amounts. 

The Dan Patch Invitational at Hoosier offered public-choice prices for the winner, Jk Endofanera, which we predicted. He won and our hopeful, Captive Audience, finished fourth at 16-1 for all the Superfecta bettors. We also suggested Foiled Again, who turned out to be the first choice over “Jk,” but he finished sixth.

Also at Hoosier on the “Patch” program, we were in step with the favorites in the Indiana Sires Stakes (INSS) finals but could not beat them. The giant state-bred soph-colt-pacing choice Freaky Feet Pete won (see News below) with our suggestion, The Big Year ($3.80) completing the $5.00 Exacta. Soph-filly choice Nora Rockwell ($3.60, $3.00, $2.10) was first but our exotic companion finished seventh.

For INSS soph trotters, also won by the obvious choices, we were third in the colt final with Rockn Stien ($3.60) and our filly finished sixth.

Saturday at Hoosier, the freshmen INSS finals also featured strong public choices. With one of them, the colt trotter, we completed the $35.20 Exacta with Jinah Bluegrass ($11.00, $5.00). We were off the board in the rest of them.

Next week, we supplement our main blog with our annual Breeders Crown Countdown. The exclusive blog will coordinate with our harness blog at TwinSpires.com and the Hambletonian Society to find great wagering opportunities for "Crown" eligibles as they race their ways to the Crown finals. This year the Crown finals take place at Woodbine on Saturday, Oct. 24, with elims the week before.

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 the 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 50 active horses (a 16-percent win hit rate and a 48 percent in-the-money hit rate). One note: the list included three horses at Batavia that at the time we thought would be betting races; they turned out to be non-betting races.

Please note that some H2W results reflect win, place and/or show results occurring after press time and that it is up to you to follow those horses that have not performed before this weekly review is posted.

Winners

Sandys Candy, $7.20, $4.20, $3.20, Red Mile
Atlas Peak, $7.00, $4.60, $3.60, Scioto
Dame Edna, $6.00, $3.20, $3.70 ok, Vernon
Too Ideal, $5.70, $3.40, $2.80, Century
Momas Got A Gun, $4.20, $2.40, $2.10, Pocono
Helaines Firebird, $3.20, $2.10, $2.10 ok, Ocean
Hey Buddy Mac, $3.20, $3.00, $2.40, Plainridge
Radar Contact, $2.40, $2.10, $2.10, Pocono

Seconds

Body Talk, $7.00, $3.40, Hoosier
Bandolito, $6.60, $4.00, Pocono
Don’t Dali Around, $6.60, $2.80 (Exacta $41.40)
Proud Yankee, $4.00, $3.40, Scioto
Fashion Creditor, $3.40, $3.00, Pocono
All Day Ray, $3.00, $2.10 (Exacta $7.00)
Lady Winona, $2.50, $2.30, Yonkers
Dizzy Broad, $2.10, $2.10 ok

Thirds

Sugar Scootin Babe, $3.80, Scioto
Shesasmokinlady, $3.60, Pocono
JC Kingdom, $3.30, Yonkers
Promisemethis, $3.00, Meadows
Niyama, $2.80, Ocean
Talkin Foolish, $2.70, Monticello
Gals Romeo, $2.20, Scarborough
Apostles Creed, n/s, Yonkers

News & Notes

Last week, Bob McIntosh, Al McIntosh and New Destiny Stables announced the passing of Camluck. The 28-year-old stallion stood at Seelster Farms for 23 years before being retired from stud duty in 2014. The son of Cam Fella became one of the fastest horses of his generation with his 1:48.4 time trial in 1992 at The Red Mile. Over the course of his racing career he earned more than $1 million. In the breeding shed, though, Camluck made his greatest impact as one of the greatest pacing stallions in harness racing history. He retired with offspring earnings of $221,303,634, more than any other stallion in North America. Camluck’s offspring have averaged over $118,092 per starter and he produced 28 millionaires.

Last week we reported on the wagering of an Indiana Sires Stakes elimination in which colt-pacing champ Freaky Feet Pete was the favorite and every other horse in the contest was 100-1 or over. On Aug. 14, “Pete” won the final, going off at 1-9. The odds of his foes, in order of public preference, were 15-1, 26-1, 44-1, 56-1, 58-1, 65-1, 66-1, 78-1 and 82-1. You have to wonder what the public was thinking by making any horse going against Pete less than 100-1.

The top two finishers in last week’s  Hambletonian—Pinkman and Mission Brief—are both eligible for Grand Circuit action at the Delaware County Fairgrounds’ hosting of Little Brown Jug week. Pinkman is eligible for the $150,000 (est.) Old Oaken Bucket and is looking to be the first Hambo champion to capture the Old Oaken Bucket since Chip Chip Hooray in 2002. Ron Burke’s filly, Mission Brief, is eligible for the Buckette. The Hambletonian Oaks champion, Wild Honey, is eligible for the Buckette, also. She is trained by Takter. The Old Oaken Bucket will be held on the Little Brown Jug under card, Thursday (Sept. 24) and the Buckette will be raced on Jugette day (Sept. 23).

Under the Watch and Wager LLC banner, harness racing returns to California when Cal Expo opens Saturday (Oct. 24). The meet continues through Sunday (May 8). Opening day is perfect for many California-based horsemen to return west from Minnesota, where most of them will have been racing through Sept. 12, when Running Aces closes. Veteran harness horsemen from California have made Running Aces part of their “circuit” since Cal-Expo is the only harness track in the Golden State. So, expect to see productive trainers and drivers Tim Maier, Luke Plano, Steve Wiseman, Lemoyne Svendsen, Bob Johnson and perhaps even Gerald Longo heading to the Pacific.
 
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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