Pocono Double-Digit Winner Leads Week’s Payoff Successes

Pennsylvania harness at Pocono produced the top winner for us this weekend, coming, along with two other double-digit winners, from the horses-to-watch list (H2W, complete across-the-board and exacta results below).

It was the first Saturday at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs (March 28) and one of two winners from the H2W on the program. Starlite Kid ($25.00) became the week’s top price. From Dover and Northville came a pair of other double-digit winners among the list of 11 victors over the weekend.

Always check out the H2W list for prospects and, as below, for across-the-board and exacta results. 

In the features department, we surrendered to favorites and when we had one we could only finish second. That one was Dancin Yankee ($2.10, $2.10 ok) in a “Levy” second-leg division. As we continue to search for upsets in the series, which lasts another three weeks before the final at Yonkers, we are being beaten by public choices with the best price thus far at 5-1.

Our prospects were fifth—Big N Bad (40-1)—and fourth—Machs Beach Boy (16-1). That was Saturday, March 28. The night before, in two Matchmaker series divisions from leg two, we were sixth with Coffee Addict (27-1) and suffered a scratch with Somwherovrarainbow.

Also on Saturday, we had a horse finish fourth at the Meadowlands in the final of the Shiaway St Pat but although he raced, he could be wagered upon. The trainer has made an unreported equipment change before the race and New Jersey racing rules dictated that the horse could be in the race but must be barred from betting. So, Sheer Flex was fourth to the overwhelming favorite.

Again a favorite took front stage in the final of the Clyde Hirt series. We were second with Caviart Luca ($3.20, n/s), which partnered for a meager $6.20 Exacta.
 
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H2W RESULTS

The H2W results list across-the-board prices. Also, exactas are included when a H2W horse finishing second completes the result 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). If a horse appears twice in any category it is because it won after press time from the previous week’s list. This week, there were 47 active horses.

Winners

Starlite Kid, $25.00, $13.00, $5.60, Pocono
El Puncho, $14.20, $5.00, $3.60, Northville
Jebswesternshake, $13.40, $6.60, $4.60, Dover
Hello Im Johnny, $8.80, $3.90, $3.00, Saratoga
Pantsuit Hilary, $7.80, $4.00, $2.8-, Northfield
Hall Of Muscles, $6.20, $3.20, $2.80, Scarborough
Royal Hawaii, $4.80, $2.80, $2.10, Scarborough
Lady Hot Shot, $4.40, $3.00, $2.80, Flamboro
Dws Austin, $3.00, $2.40, $2.10, Saratoga
I Love New York, $2.80, $2.20, $2.20, Cal Expo
Ideal Matters, $2.80, $2.40, $2.10, Pocono

Seconds

Woodmere Trakeater, $6.00, $3.00, Scarborough
Montana Pablo N, $5.40, $3.00 (Exacta $15.20), Freehold
One Chaser, $5.20, $3.70, Buffalo
Fashion Fluzzy, $5.00, $2.60, Northfield
Good Luck, $3.60, $2.20 (Exacta $11.60), Dover
Grandpa Don, $3.50, 2.40 (Exacta $13.60), Yonkers
Brandon Iron, $2.70, $2.80 ok, Flamboro
Vance Bayama, $2.60, $2.60, $2.10 (Exacta $4.40), Pocono
Talk It Up, $2.10, $2.40 ok, Scarborough

Thirds

Stonebridge Saga, $5.60, Buffalo
Alexis Hope, $5.50, Flamboro
Orlandos Express, $5.20, Cal Expo
Geevil, $4.80, Cal Expo
Miss Fineline, $3.60, Northfield
Dance Life Well, $2.20, Meadows

News & Notes

Hoosier Park harness launched its 22nd season on March 27 with a 28-percent favorite rate, promising news for bettors at the Indiana plant. Featuring a daily post time of 5:15 p.m., Hoosier has once again partnered with Twinspires.com for specials throughout the season. Racing’s schedule presents Thursday, Friday, and Saturday programs the second week and then resumes a Tuesday-through-Saturday schedule through the end of the meet on Nov. 14

Kawartha Downs’ 2015 harness racing season is settled after some controversy. It will begin Saturday, May 30. The five-eighths mile track will host the same small number of race dates as last season, 18. Kawartha will be in action every Saturday night, with a 7:00 p.m. post time until Oct. 3. The track now is applying for additional race dates. There will be no racing on Saturday, Sept. 19 due to a NASCAR event. There will be three signature nights with increased purses featured as well as an Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots event for three-year-old colt trotters on July 18. A full schedule and details on when the track will be open for training will be released in the coming days.

Congratulations to our long-time friend, Anthony Morgan, who recently became the third driver in the history of harness racing in North American to win 15,000 races. Morgan, 56, who has also been successfully active in harness horsemen politics when his home base was Illinois, was racing at Philadelphia when he attained the status. Morgan moved his tack to Delaware some years back and became so popular at Dover and Harrington that he was a flat-bet loss to players. Morgan, son of horseman Eddie Morgan, Jr., who won close to 5,000 races, is now third on the list of 15,000 winners, with Dave Palone first and Herve Filion second.

Jeff Gural’s New York harness tracks are poised to open their seasons as spring tames this year’s hideous winter weather. The 2015 racing season at Vernon Downs kicks off Friday, April 17, while Tioga raises the curtain on Saturday, May 2. Tioga’s late-closers will be featured again this season, those being the Morrisville College Sale Serie, the Williams Auto Group Trotting Series, the Nichols True Value and M&J Oil & Lube Pacing Series ($40,000, estimated, with finals for all). Vernon returns with late-closing events, including the Anthony Farina Pacing Series and Catherine Burton Trotting Series ($10,000, added, final for both).

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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