Public Pounces On Feature Winners With Cavalcade Of Chalk; H2W Hits 47-Percent ATB Average

Three nights of assorted features at three different tracks took the spotlights for the weekend after the Breeders Crown championships. Public choices ruled the results and some awful trips and breaks doused our contenders (and some raced terribly).

Saturday, Nov. 5, the Kindergarten finals at The Meadowlands were also dominated by the obvious crowd choices, save for one 16-1 shot that defeated our choice, Sunshine Delight (3-1), who finished fifth.

The powerful Walner ($2.10, $2.10 n/s ok) won, as we thought, straight off of his Breeders Crown victory last week. We suggested an exotic partner, Limerence (69-1) but he was off the board, as was New Jersey Viking.

Mac’s Jackpot (4-1) couldn’t catch the big choice in his Kindergarten. Then, Girl Band K (12-1) gave into the two top choices in her event, the second Caviart Ally ($2.60, $2.40).
 
Friday, Nov. 4 at Hoosier Park, the big features on the card were all won by prohibitive public choices. The only one we warned about was Bar Hopping ($2.60, $2.10, $2.10 ok). Mulligan’s School, our proposed exacta partner, finished fifth at 146-1. Favorites defeated our three other outsiders, including Gin And Lindy (who broke at 19-1), Wine Snob (66-1) and Mr Wiggle Pants (66-1), all finishing off the board.

The week began at recently opened Dover Downs on Thursday, Nov. 3, with four frosh Matron Stakes, each a lucrative one-race event (no elims were necessary). We came back with two of our selections from last week’s Breeders Crown finals and got as close as second with Rockette ($11.00, $8.40), who complemented the exacta with the favorite winning for an exacta worth $67.80. Also in that race, Big City Betty (6-1), finished fifth.

The other return choice, which was in a Matron, was 69-1 Pointomygranson. He broke for the second straight week, so we will never know how he would have done. Oddly enough, a 32-1 son of sire Roll With Joe won that race. All season we have suggested (and won many races) sensationalizing on Roll With Joe’s crop of freshmen; sadly we missed this huge hit, which is unforgivable.

We also took a third with Winter Sweet Frost ($3.80), beaten by the race favorite and the fourth contender we posted, Long Tom (4-1), finished sixth-placed-fifth, breaking from interference.

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 34 active horses (a 6-percent win hit rate and a 47-percent ATB [across-the-board] 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

Art Genta, $5.40, $2.80, $2.40, Cal-Expo
Sir Royson, $3.40, $2.60, $2.20, Philadelphia

Seconds

Rockin Lisa, $13.80, $8.80, Dayton
Socoteur Bluegrass, $7.40, $3.60, Dover
Big Puff Doggie, $5.00, $3.20 (Exacta $24.20), Freehold
Hollywood Jess, $3.30, $3.10, Vernon
Keene Olivia, $2.60, $2.20, Saratoga

Thirds

JJ Shark, $15.60, Meadowlands
FF Bigshow, $10.40, Cal-Expo
Speed Trap, $9.60, Hoosier
Cherry Crown Jewel, $4.80, Plainridge
Cowboy Mathis, $3.20, Cal-Expo
Bags To Riches, $2.40, Dover
Hawken, $2.40, Plainridge
Shippin Out, $2.40, Pocono
GD Airliner, $2.10, Batavia

News & Notes

Trainer Casie Coleman announced late last week that the connections of Betting Line, the disputed leader of the glamour-boy pacing division this season, have retired the colt. Coleman although the connections “wanted to end on a winning note, wasn’t meant to be.” Betting Line scratched from the Breeders Crown due to a spider bite but was expected to race in the Matron Stakes and the Hap Hansen Progress Pace at Dover. Still, Betting Line retires on a 14-race winning streak. He earned over $2.2 million in 20 wins from 27 starts. He will stand stud in Pennsylvania at Hanover Shoe Farms.

Also retiring is glamour-boy trotter Southwind Frank, who won last year’s Breeders Crown and this year’s Colonial Trot. The colt has confronted a chronic lameness issue and was advised by a team of veterinarians to end his racing career. Southwind Frank was trained by Ron Burke. The colt won 11 of 12 starts at two, including the Peter Haughton Memorial and the William Wellwood. All in all he finished in the top three in 24 of 26 starts.

The Michigan Gaming Control Board released race dates for the 2017 season, assuring the sport that harness racing will continued in the troubled pari-mutuels state. The schedule includes Northville Downs and Hazel Park Raceway. Northville will host a total of 54 live race dates, its programs on Fridays and Saturdays from March 3 to June 10, and from Sept. 8 to Nov. 25. Hazel Park will host 36 cards of thoroughbred racing on Fridays and Saturdays from May 5 to Sept. 2. Michigan once housed as many as six harness racetracks, including Hazel, which was solely harness for many years.

Breeder Bob Boni, a good friend to this journalist and the sport has always had a special eye for a great harness horse. In December, the Monticello-Goshen chapter of the United States Harness Writers Association will award Mr. Boni a lifetime achievement award. His unique understanding of pedigree and conformation resulted in his selection of world champion Nihilator as a yearling at the colt’s birthplace in Indiana. These last few years he had been associated with another world champion from Indiana, Always B Miki, who recently became the fastest standardbred in history with a 1:46 mile time. Mr. Boni developed Northwood Bloodstock into one of North America’s leading harness horse sales agencies. Congratulations, Bob Boni.

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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