Cotolo’s Harness Review, News And Notes

Another weekend takes us closer to the end of these early season features and we continue to follow them with aplomb. Going to mid-April we engage in spot plays as well as series play. 

Last weekend from Frank and Ray Cotolo at Twitter brought a few juicy winners from the overnights at Canadian outposts, from the best to the lowest prices, we offered followers:  

April 1

Fraser Downs
Oil Town Amelia, $40.90
Fivethirtysomewhere, $22.80
Rich As Promise, $13.90
Tax Relief, $11.80

Flamboro Downs
Blue Suede Shoes, $22.20
Random Mission, $5.70

April 1

Fraser Downs
Red Star Tyson, $11.30

Promise To Lynette, $9.10  

Connect with our Twitter team for late suggestions you can use for win, place or show and in all exotic. Follow and and wager from TwinSpires. Get onto our mailing list to learn how to get upcoming horses to watch by clicking here. 

We were again pushing for good prices in a half-dozen George Morton Levy splits at Yonkers. Remember that throughout the series free for all Brisnet F.A.S.T. sheets are available. Our winners were Fitz’s Z Tam at $10.60 and Art Z at $5.60. Code Word finished second (at 7-1) to the 1-5 Sea Venture for a $10.80 exacta. Three others we chose were off the board. 

On April 6 our Matchmaker choices at Yonkers all finished third, with the exception of the See You At Peelers edition, where she won and our choices completed the triple, though it was only worth $24.     

At Woodbine we were right to try to defeat San Pail in the Glorys Comet Final but our choice to do so was not the foil. Frenchfrysnvinegar was fourth as Mister Herbie won by a hair.  In the Spring Championship Final, Aracache Hanover was hung out to dry early and finished off the board; the even-money choice won the race.  

At Cal Expo, we had only one winner in the Pick 4—Serious Art ($4.80). In that race our other ticket member, Coal Younger, finished second for a $9 exacta. There were no huge surprises as the Pick 4 paid a mere $158.50.

News And Notes

Raceway Park is the next harness venue opening for the big spring season. The meet begins on April 28 and rolls through Sept. 16 on Saturdays and Sundays. 

The 2012 season at Plainridge Racecourse begins April 21 with a 1 p.m. post. Racing is then presented on April 24 and April 26 at 4 p.m., with the traditional Monday-Tuesday-Thursday schedule beginning on April 30.   

The first bits of news are flowing from the Hambletonian Trail, 2012. 

Possess The Will, frosh-colt trotting champ of 2011, from the first crop of 2007 Hambletonian-winner Donato Hanover, tops a list of 108 trotting colts eligible to the 87th Hambletonian, the richest and most prestigious event in harness racing.

The $1.7 million Hambletonian and the filly companion stakes, the $850,000 Hambletonian Oaks, will be raced on Saturday afternoon, Aug. 4, at the New Meadowlands Racetrack. Eliminations, if necessary, will be raced Saturday, July 28.

Uncle Peter, the two-year-old Breeders Crown winner over Possess The Will, is also among the eligibles. The Hambletonian Society, which has owned and serviced the race since its inception in 1926, received 213 total payments for the 2012 Hambletonian and “Oaks” events, hosted by the Meadowlands Racetrack since 1981.

The Hambletonian trail commences Saturday, May 5, with the Dexter Cup at Freehold Raceway. As we have over the past few years, this department at TwinSpires, in association with the Hambletonian Society, will cover the races leading to the finals fields as well as cover the events live from the Meadowlands.

(Cartoon by Thom Pye)