Top ‘Crown’ Elim Winners At $15 And $10; H2W Average Rises To 49-Percent Across The Board

Our features focused on the Breeders Crown elims, Friday, Oct. 21 and Saturday, Oct. 22 at The Meadowlands. Friday’s four events were handled by our other blog:

BREEDERS CROWN COUNTDOWN

The Breeders Crown Countdown (BCC) blog covered a few of Friday’s eliminations at The Meadowlands. In the first frosh-filly trot we had the winner, Chezatter ($10.60, $3.00, $2.10), who won over the 1-5 favorite for an exacta worth $28.40. In the second frosh-filly trot elim, we were third with Hillarmbro ($2.40).

The Mares Pace elims gave us a lucky place with Divine Caroline ($9.60, $5.60) who finished fourth-placed-third-placed second due to a DQ of winner Solar Sister for interference. We finished sixth to the huge favorite in the second elim with Devil Child (6-1).

On Saturday there were 14 elims, all for two- and three-year-olds of both sexes on both gaits.

On the plus side we beat a favorite with our best and first of only two winners on the night. It came in one of the soph-colt trotting elims with Sutton ($15.40, $4.40, $2.40), with our other choice, Southwind Frank ($2.10), third. In the other elim for this division we were seventh with Dominion Beach (66-1), losing to the favorite.

Our other winner wound up a favorite. In a soph-filly pace elim we had Newborn Sassy ($5.20, $2.60, $2.20). In the other elim for this division we were third with Call Me Queen B ($5.00).

Betting Line, the top soph-colt pacer, scratched because a spider bit him. Also scratching from that elim was Stolen Glimpse. We had Manhattan Beach, published before the scratches. He finished third but there was no show betting. We were wrong in the other elim for this division, as Lindy Beach (12-1) made a three-wide brush that wore him down enough to finish last.

Another dull choice was Gin And Lindy (22-1) in a soph-filly trot elim. She barely took a step from post 9 and without galloping, finished ninth. We lost in the other elim for this division to the huge favorite. Earn Your Wings (41-1) earned a berth in the final finishing fourth and Double Exposure (16-1) was sixth.

Favorites, horses taking bad steps or longer-priced horses beat us in other divisions’ elims, including Long Tom (59-1); Bill’s Man (3-1); McThriller (12-1); That’s The Ticket (33-1); V String (10-1);and Pointomygranson (35-1).

We will cover the finals in our Thursday blog and we will report on the Saturday, Oct. 29 program live from The Meadowlands. Next week’s review will be posted Sunday night, Oct. 30.

The three spot plays at Northfield Park we tweeted on Oct. 19 failed with misfortunate miles. Bosco’s Angel (13-1) broke at the gate due to interference and began to make up ground too late to fully compete. Cold Hearted Shark (3-1) strangely faded from the lead at three-quarters and finished seventh. Too Tall Tamarac (21-1) was blind-switched while making a three-quarters move and finished fifth.
 
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 47 active horses (a 19-percent win hit rate and a 49-percent 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

Desperate Crowds, $11.40, $9.20, $5.20, Northfield
Williams Wish, $10.00, $4.60, $2.80, Vernon
Sinful Vito, $9.80, $4.40, $3.60, Scarborough
Come On Eileen, $7.30, $2.70, $2.40, Rideau-Carleton
Charlie By Far, $5.80, $3.20, $3.00, Bangor
Wikedwitchothewest, $4.20, $2.80, $2.60, Freehold
Breadcrumb Income, $3.60, $3.00, $2.20, Rosecroft
Dontmesswiththebest, $3.20, $2.20, $2.20 ok, Plainridge
Endeavor’s King, $3.00, $2.60, $2.20, Cal Expo
 
Seconds

Polish Jola, $14.20, $5.20 (Exacta $13.10), Cal Expo
Whole Lotta Evil, $8.00, $6.00, Northfield
Rockrockwhosthere, $6.80, $3.80 (Exacta $20.80), Freehold
Hopeful Artist, $5.60, $3.80, Plainridge
Beau Seelster, $5.20, $2.80, Charlottetown
Lady’s Art, $3.40, $3.00, Cal Expo
Massive Attack A, $3.30, $2.90 (Exacta $16.20), Yonkers
Melady’s Monet, $2.60, $2.40, Yonkers
Well Shaded, $2.30, $2.10, Saratoga
 
Thirds

Silver Spir, $5.60, Pompano
Brick Bazooka, $5.20, Freehold
Angel Speak, $3.20, Harrington
Let Her Go, $3.00, Hoosier
Cmon Buzz Off, $2.80, Freehold

News & Notes

The Breeders Crown weekend that launched the Meadowlands’ autum-winter meet marks the track’s 40th anniversary. There was a special autograph session featuring past and present stars of the Meadowlands. Bob “Hollywood” Heyden interviewed historic Meadowlands figures throughout Friday evening’s program. Gallo Blue Chip, a pacer that earned more than $4.2 million during his racing career and won the 2000 Meadowlands Pace, lead the post parades during the evening. I was at the Meadowlands (the original structure that sits across from the current track facility) before opening night, interviewing many drivers and trainers for a series published in the newspaper “Brooklyn Today.” Some of those horsemen included Ben Webster, Buddy Gilmour, Ken McNutt and the late Mike Gagliardi.

The only harness racing presented in California is back, racing in the Golden State’s capital, Sacramento at Cal Expo. There’s racing on Saturdays for the first three weeks of the meet, with Friday and Saturday programs beginning on Nov. 11. The first post for nights is 6:10 p.m. Pacific time. Many of the regular west-coast harness horsemen are expected to return to Sacramento with their stock, some from the meet at Running Aces in Minnesota. That group includes Luke Plano, Bob Johnson, Steve Wiseman, Nick Roland, Gerald Longo and Lemoyne Svendsen. Diehard regulars from the area are also back in action, including Gene Vallandingham, James Lackey and James Kennedy.

Fraser Downs has begun its 40th season of harness racing on Oct. 6 at the Cloverdale, British Columbia oval. Harness Racing British Columbia kicked off the anniversary with former Fraser Downs general manager Chuck Keeling on hand. Keeling’s grandfather, Jim, was the man responsible for the building, opening and running of Cloverdale Raceway on Jan. 1, 1976. That half-mile track became a five-eighths mile when refurbished and renamed Fraser Downs.

Extraordinary Extras

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

Ray Cotolo contributed to this blog

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