Three Of Four Features Blossom, $29 Tops Winners Before Launching 2017 Campaign

This blog reflects the end of the 2016 season, as the results reviewed took place on or before Dec. 31. There are some additions to the lists posted in our annual review, so the archives have been adjusted. That being documented, let’s review what turned out to be a great closing week for our TwinSpires harness-betting campaign in 2016.

Thursday, Dec. 28, we began our run of four personal features. The first of the quartet was a winner at the Meadowlands. We delivered Hill I Am ($6.80, $3.80, $2.20), while second choice Bossy Volo (20-1) finished seventh.

Two personal features were presented Friday, Dec. 29, both at Northfield. The first of the duo was a great strike with a great price: Nashville Nasty ($29.00, $13.40, $7.80) was the superior price of the week, performing exactly as forecast in our analysis. The second Ohio feature we chose resulted in a third with Maramaria ($3.80) on that same program.

Finally, on New Year’s Eve at Pompano, we won with Brynn Beautiful ($13.00, $5.60, $3.40). It’s rewarding to end an entire season of features with two double-digit winners. It is a trend we work to continue, as we have done each year at TwinSpires’ harness blog, for serious and casual bettors on our superior wagering platform.

All horses that did not win in our personal features (if not scratched) appear in the following week’s H2W list as second-time (noted: +) entries.

For the first time in a few weeks we offered our mid-week tweets on Dec. 28. These took place at Northfield and resulted in one second and two thirds with a trio of strong contenders that had strong odds. We were second with 11-1 Aberarder Max ($8.40, $5.20); third with 11-1 Shadow Me Themoney ($5.80); and third with 6-1 Really Really Sweet ($2.80). These races were won by the second favorite, another second favorite and the public choice, respectively.

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 32 active horses (a 12-percent win hit rate and a 40-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

Ideal Lifestyle, $13.40, $6.70, $2.30, Charolottetown
Gypsy Bellevue, $13.00, $5.60, $4.20, Meadowlands
Shock The Monkey, $6.20, $3.00, $2.60, Northlands
Simon Said, $5.90, $3.20, $2.40, Charolottetown
 
Seconds

Lodi Machette Man, $16.40, $5.60, Cal-Expo
Fleurje, $9.00, $3.50, Charlottetown
Brody, $7.40, $4.60, Dover
Archie Bunker, $4.80, $3.00, Northlands
Sammies Delight, $4.30, $2.70, Monticello
Tie Your Shoe Ed, $3.20, $3.20 ok, Monticello

Thirds

Directing Traffic, $7.20, Cal-Expo
Gold Star Sonata, $4.60, Pompano
Match Point, $3.20, Pompano

News & Notes

Happy birthday to racehorses everywhere—excent Australasia. For new bettors, we offer this explanation: In the Northern hemisphere, a racehorse’s age is celebrated on the first day of the year. All horses become a year older on Jan. 1. Down Under, a racehorse’s birthday is on Aug. 1, which is winter in the Southern hemisphere. This was a simple way of dealing with age, which is an essential element to make horses eligible for various races. Standardbred divisions for 2017 change their casts of characters entirely, obviously, no matter what date of the previous year they were foaled.

Kentuckiana Farms announced that the productive racehorse and recent trotter Manofmanymissions was purchased by a group of European investors. It is expected that he will go straight to stud so his progeny is available to sell as yearlings, be trained and race on the lucrative circuit. Although this son of Yankee Glide had some gait problems, he was extraordinary when flat. His sons and daughters have earned over $2.3 million and have been overlooked by handicappers, bringing in healthy prices. He is a sire with progeny to watch on both sides of the Atlantic.

Another notable sale recently was $345,000 for 2015 Breeders Crown-winner D’One. Now six, the Swedish mare was sold as a broodmare at a public auction to a pair of breeders from each side of the Atlantic.They will breed D’One in Europe in 2017 to French stallion Ready Cash and register the foal in Sweden. In 2018 she will come to the U.S. to be bred to Muscle Hill. D’One was foaled and raised in the U.S., her sire being Donato Hanover. She is a winner of $1.26 million.

Northfield Park offers harness racing four nights a week in the 2017  racing year. From January through September, racing is on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday.  There is an addition of three Sundays, Jan. 1, May 28 and Sept. 3. Live racing is dark on Memorial Day and Labor Day, both Mondays. Beginning in October, Northfield adds Sunday evenings races five nights a week until the end of the year. Friday (Dec. 22) will replace Christmas Eve Sunday, while Friday (Dec. 29) will replace racing on Christmas Monday.

The Meadows Racetrack offers 195 live racing programs in 2017, which is a 5.4-percent increase from last year. Most weeks, the Meadows presents four harness programs—Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday, with 1 p.m. posts. The season kicks off Jan. 2. Adios Week, featuring the sophomore-pacing classic, begins Saturday (July 22), with Adios Pace eliminations (post 1 p.m.). The final of the Adios highlights a stakes-packed program that gets underway at noon.

Extraordinary Extras

Indulge in many standardbred topics at my Hoof Beats blog titled Vast Performances.

For Thom Pye cartoons, informative harness history and more, click here ~