Cotolo’s Harness Review, News And Notes

Small pickings again this weekend and left over from last Monday but winners nonetheless and perhaps low-priced overlays considering how easily they all won.

 

First, we return to Monday, Sept. 9, where at Harrington Raceway we handed you the two elim winners for the Bobby Quillen Memorial. Foiled Again took one, paying $2.80, and Clear Vision took the other, paying $3.60. 

 

Another dual-dollar special took place at Mohawk on Sept. 14.

 

No one could expect a larger price from Father Patrick in the William Wellwood Final. As we wrote, this is one special frosh-colt trotter and he trounced his division foes in the lucrative stake to win and pay $2.30.

 

In the Peaceful Way, our choice, Riviting Rosie, won handily and paid $4.60.

 

We had one winner in the Sept. 13 Pennsylvania Sires Stakes finals at the Meadows. That was Creatine, paying $3. Somwherovrarainbow finished second, Bluto broke but managed to finish third at 28-1 and Aunt Caroline failed as a top choice, finishing third. The two others were off the board. 

 

For Delaware, Ohio fair picks on the opening card, Sept. 15, click here.   

 

The Breeders Crown Countdown blog, the Hambletonian Society and TwinSpires’ bettors’ aid for handicapping top contenders’ events heading toward the October classics, is live. Check it out each week in league with our Thursday TwinSpires blog.

 

H2W RESULTS

 

$2.90 Touch Of The Past, Vernon   

 

The following are the horses that finished second or third along with their post-time odds. Special notes on those finishes follow.    

 

Seconds:
Newsam (4-5), Freehold   

 

Thirds:
Bohemian Spell (3-1), Meadows; Saywhatuneedtosay (8-5), Freehold; Allstar Blues (6-1), Freehold 

 

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News And Notes

 

French trotter Ready Cash (pictured) is now the richest horse in harness racing history, with $5.71 million in purses. Eight-year-old Ready Cash won the final of the European Trotting Masters at Vincennes last weekend to increase his lifetime earnings past retired trotters Varenne and Moni Maker on the all-time earners’ list. Varenne earned $5.63 million in his career while Moni Maker banked $5.58 million.

 

Ready Cash has won 40 of 63 races, including four of six this season. He won the Prix D’Amerique in 2011 and 2012 and finished second this year. He also is a two-time winner of the Group I Prix De France. Ready Cash has never raced in North America.

 

Sunshine Beach, the only horse this season to defeat Captaintreacherous, will not race in the Little Brown Jug. His connections have decided to rest the colt for Grand Circuit stakes at The Red Mile, which is the overture for the Breeders Crown at Pocono. Meanwhile, Captaintreacherous will race at Hoosier Park on Sept. 21 in a three-year-old open pace worth only $50,000. It may very well be a workout for the champ as he heads for The Red Mile with the main target the Tattersalls Pace on week two of the meet. It is likely he will face Sunshine Beach in that affair.

 

The Little Brown Jug does not have an early choice. The three heats look quite competitive. However, the Jugette appears to be one more replay of the soph-filly pacer division, starring I Luv The Nitelife. The only two differences are that “Nitelife” will have to win two heats on the same day, both on a half-mile track (all of her wins come on a larger oval). Being the dominant filly of her division’s season, these two hurdles appear no problems. This format for heats features the same field of fillies in each heat (unless any scratch from the second mile). Whichever filly wins both heats is the champion.

 

Zeke Parker, not exactly a well-known harness driver, has accomplished something bigger than all other well-known drivers. At Monticello Raceway on Sept. 12, Parker passed Walter Case Jr. in driving victories and became the sixth winningest driver in the history of the sport. Parker now driven 11,039 wins in his career, one better than Case.

 

“I’m proud of what I have accomplished so far and hope to continue driving for many years,” said the 59-year-old Zeke. “Being sixth all-time is a great, but I feel bad for [Walter]. Except for a few a starts at Plainridge … he [hasn’t] driven a horse in nearly ten years. Imagine how many races he would have won if he was still driving?”

 

Colonial Downs opens Wednesday, Sept. 18 and will continue on a four-day-a-week schedule through Oct. 27. The sport’s only one-turn mile offers 10 races every Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday beginning at 1 p.m.

 

Many new faces will be around this season. Trainers competing in Virginia for the first time include Tom Dawson, Robert Dining, Dean Eckley, Mike Jarvis, Erik Jaeck, Todd Johnston, Steve Nason, Tricia Sheppard, Rex Watson, Lawrence Cooper, Russell Early III, Kevin Johnson and Glen Bratcher among others with smaller stables.

 

Returning conditioners from last fall’s top 15 include Jane Dunavant, Rick Mapes, George Anthrop, Stacy McLenaghan, Evan Coblentz, Morgan Hagerman, Mark Gray, Cheryl Whitsell and Amanda Jackson.

 

Extraordinary Extras

 

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

 

Connect to Twitter and follow Frank and Ray Cotolo for up-to-the-minute suggestions on wagers at many harness raceways. Then, wager from your TwinSpires accounts.  

 

Ray Cotolo contributed to this blog. 

 

 

 

 

 

Cartoons by Thom Pye