The Breeders Crown-eligibles, meanwhile, continue to appear in stakes that are covered here and in our exclusive blog, Breeders Crown Countdown. Be sure to check the Countdown blog after you peruse this one for further important race information. The results, as well, about eligible contenders, will be available regularly at the Hambletonian Society website’s area for the “Crown.”  

This Saturday, Sept. 17, TwinSpires offers bonus points on the Mohawk program. This promotion is open to all TwinSpires players only. There are 10X points awarded for wagers made on these three races: William Wellwood, Peaceful Way and Canadian Trotting Classic. See our analysis’s below.  

At the Meadows on Friday, Sept. 16, a soph-filly trot named after one of the great femme trotters of the sport, Moni Maker, offers $233,400. Nine classy ladies will contest the five-eighths mile for the lioness’s share of that pot.  

At press time Dave Palone is the listed driver on the duo that will attract the bulk of the bets, with the one he chooses probably getting favoritism. The “Palone” factor at the Pittsburgh track could leave some room for value with Beatgoeson Hanover. The only win-less gal here is Lady Rainbow, who has earned the most money regardless of not getting to the winner’s circle. Watch for those two to take the Palone ponies down.

Two $50,000 consolations for finals at Mohawk go Friday, both for frosh trotters. The boys and girls are seven deep each for the “Wellwood” and Peaceful Way consolations.  

The colt situation seems easy enough, though how these horses will be bet is unknown. Melt In Your Mouth almost made the final. His elimination was a superior mile compared to his foes in this event. “Melt” broke at the start, which was common behavior for the bulk of this field. However, Melt regained full stride and went on to finish fourth by 3 lengths. He was 29-1. The favorite for one elim, Guccio, is here but having busted twice in the same race while carrying all those bets makes him unworthy of a chance tonight.  

The filly mile will somehow come up with a favorite. But we like the trips in last week’s elims from Bavade and Talbotcreek Jewelry. The former was clean-gaited through the race and gained a bit in the stretch, finishing fourth by 8 lengths at 57-1. “Talbot” was 37-1 and made two distinctive moves, no small feat for a green trotting filly.  

A bundle, $447,000, awaits the frosh-filly trotters in the Peaceful Way Final.   

After her first loss, Check Me Out winds up with post 10 in this lucrative mile. We don’t know how that loss spooked the gal but we have to look elsewhere for value, anyway, since even with post 10 we won’t be getting any bargains on her.  

We have been partial to Miss Paris since she began with bravo at the Meadowlands. This blue-blooded gal is in a good spot here to win (a reasonable price?). If you have the gall to toss “Check” out and you like the price on “Paris,” consider exotics with Aunt Mel, Win Missy B and Xquisite Chocolate.  

The William Wellwood is worth $469,000. Ten young frosh colts will battle, three of them tutored by Jimmy Takter. The best of the three elims last week was the trips by American Gangster and The Game Plan. They both came first over and were strong late. Still, The Game Plan could be the overlay of the group. His trainer, John Kopas, is a veteran and a local (as driver Jack Moiseyev is, these days, too) but the Takter tots may attract all the money. “Game” won at 5-2 and could be more here. In exotics, we could use Prestidigitator, the other Kadabra-sired boy, for a promising payoff.   

Open mare pacers are battling again, this time at Mohawk in elims for the Milton Final. We have one we like in each elim, judge for yourself if they are worthy of win bets. In elim one, On The Glass should be coming around now and this is the perfect place for her to strike up one last streak before the season ends. In the second elim we like, again, Anndrovette. You might not get the kind of money she paid for us a few weeks back but you may be surprised what she offers against Dreamfair Eternal.  

For the Canadian Trotting Classic rundown, check the Breeders Crown Countdown blog.

On Saturday, Balmoral Park hosts Super Night, the annual gathering of the best Illinois-breds in high stakes action. Also on Sept. 17, there is classy frosh action at Indiana Downs with The Elevation (frosh-colt pace in two divisions) and Kentuckiana Stallion Management stakes (frosh-filly pace).  

American Jewel will rule the wagering in the “Kentuckiana,” so looking for an upset could be moot. We keep trying to beat her with Podges Lady but it looks as if that would not be such a good price, anyway. The two colt stakes divisions are loaded. Sweet Lou is the dead-on favorite in the first and A Rocknroll Dance is the choice to take down field two.  

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