Our Old Kentucky Home

 

The harness scene changes this month’s end to the prosaic, pastoral Kentucky, adorned with golden plumes of wildflowers and deep with equine history. Some of the year’s best pacers and trotters ship to Lexington for the traditional Grand Circuit meeting at The Red Mile. It’s the last stop before the Breeders Crown and the stars are coming south for the big cash events on the two-turn mile with the clay-colored surface. 

 

We pick up the action for week one on Friday, Sept. 27 and guide you through Sunday, Sept. 29 as week one presents Bluegrass Stakes for two- and three-year-olds and Allerage Stakes for the older set. The Sunday, Sept. 29 contenders’ list appears in the H2W list under The Red Mile below.

 

Don’t forget to check out the horses-to-watch (H2W) list below for live contenders in overnights all over North America. The exclusive list is hot with possibilities for win, place, show and exotics—however you use them, use them. The H2W produces some mighty prices and excellent exotic elements that boost combo prices.

 

TwinSpires offers special bonuses for Hoosier Park throughout the harness meet. Check out the Hoosier details here. 

 

Our featured Breeders Crown Countdown event this week is coverage of eligibles from the Sept. 28 New York Sires Stakes Champion races at Yonkers Raceway. For that analysis to help you with your wagering decisions, Go to Breeders Crown Countdown.

Friday’s Bluegrass

Three divisions each of the Bluegrass Stakes for frosh-colt trotters and filly pacers adorn the Sept. 27 program. The top stars of the divisions are on hand to compete for total purses over a half-million dollar. 

The colt trotters’ trio of stakes each has a seven-colt field for a purse of $90,100. 

In the first split, Father Patrick, one of the season’s top division-dominating steeds, comes off of two spectacular races, both wins (William Wellwood Memorial elim and final at Mohawk). He has lost only one of eight starts in his career and that was a photo-for-win second in an overnight at The Meadowlands. He is simply the best of the young trottin’ boys and impossible to bet on or against. Look for exotics. 

In round two for the colts, six foes try to beat the obvious public choice, Exodus Hanover. He is worth aiming at with an upset, preferably Odds On Amethyst. He has speed and does not have to face “Patrick” here and may go wire to wire at a decent price.

In the colts’ finale, we have to look for Outburst to overcome Southwind Spirit. The latter may offer no odds to whet a bet while Outburst is improving and could take the winner’s photo for trainer Noel Daley.

The pacing fillies will race for just shy of $260,000 in their triptych. Precocious Beauty is the star of the first split and she will leave from post 8 to continue a recent ruling of this division. Her 1:50.2 speed badge is almost creepy for this division. However, due to post 9, Somethinincredible may be the overlooked contender and therefore the best bet in a strong field that will test Precocious Beauty to her limit. 

In the second filly pacing round, Caviat Shelly is a budding daughter of Somebeachsomewhere, whose frosh product in both sex categories are doing far better than most are being wagered to do. Take her here, her post only increases the value.

Finally, split three leads us again to an outside post as we give Bahama Blue another chance to join the Somebeachsomewhere-winning-frosh club and, again, with a near-guaranteed double-digit price for the support.

Saturday In The Bluegrass 

Somewhere Fancy won’t take as much money as he should but this frosh-colt pacer is ready for prime-time action. His recent Mohawk mile is monstrous, though he lost, but it shows that trainer Linda Toscano has high hopes for this good colt.

Next on the frosh-colt pacing agenda, we have to go with Let’s Drink On It. Coming off two brutal trips, he may race back to his Metro elim win, which is a race that beats them all here. He might not fool many bettors for all his class, so you may wish to key him on top in exotics if you don’t like the win price, especially since chaos rules in all that follow him home if he is first.

Again for $77,000-plus, the third frosh-colt pace offers a possible outsider with the Tony Alagna-trained Gold Rocks. He is in great form but may not be given the respect he deserves for winning the Lou Babic elim and final, no less his big race at Freehold before coming here, where he was third as the dead-on choice after a horrid trip around four turns. He has the breeding, for sure, and should offer the price we like.

Speaking of prices, next for this division comes Carracci Hanover. Bound to be a longshot, he has not proven unworthy of his second place finish two back at 36-1. His Champlain Stakes fifth was not a bad race and the bettors knew it, reducing him to 13-1. Watch out for him here, he could surprise and leave maiden status.

Soph-filly pacers are also in flight with with a single $122,000 event. There are no easy pickings in round one for these gals. A case can be made for many of the 11 involved. That being written, judge the value of Aunt Caroline for yourself. She is in fine fettle for this and shows signs of being a good earner.

Soph-colt pacers, those glamour boys, also go at it again, this time in two $95,500 Bluegrass Stakes this Saturday. What we have here, of course, in the first split for them is another arena for the fabulous Captaintreacherous. It’s a far better field to conquer than last week’s timid group at Hoosier but this year’s soph colt pacer has added glitter to the glamour division and should be able to handle them with little effort. Can you scrape up a worth exacta or triple from his highness? That’s your business; we are going to watch and revel in the magnificence of this guy.

Split two is another shot for one of our “Jug” choices, Wake Up Peter. Still looking for his first win this season he has been batting with the big boys as trainer Tony Alagna’s other colt, pacing in the shadow of Captaintreacherous. Toss out his Jug from post 8 and give this guy another chance to pace his Cane Pace mile, which here would win it over these and pay off well.

H2W Legend

Review our choices and follow the wagering at the prescribed track. These are possible contenders we have judged from reviewing races.

The horses’ names are listed beneath the name of the track after the date they will be racing. The race in which they are entered (R and race number) follows. If a + is in front of a horse’s name it means it is appearing on the list for the second (and last time) because it failed to win the first time it appeared. An “ae” signals the horse is entered but on the also-eligible list. Types of wagering on any of the H2W listed horses are based on your judgment. If you have any questions, email us at TwinSpires.

H2W

Batavia
9/27/13, Armbro Barnes R1; +Mythical Hall R4; +Haste R4
9/28/13, Blackwalls R5

Freehold
9/28/13, +Useful Hanover R5; +Saywhatuneedtosay ae R8; +Newsam R9

Lebanon
9/27/13, Moira’s Bliss R13
9/28/13, +Livelikeurdying R9; +Surf La R12

Maywood
9/26/13, Greg And Flex R3; Skyway Titan R7
9/27/13, Zeller’s Island R8

Meadows
9/27/13, +Bohemian Spell R12

Northfield
9/27/13, Flying Lucia R1; +Bench’s Beauty R2; Iemma Machine Baby R3; Twinky R4; +Masked Lover R8; +Blissfull Jessie R9; Felicia Hall R10; Twin B Shasta R13

Red Mile
9/29/13, Shared Past R5; Mister Herbie R7; Clear Vision R9; Mistery Woman R10; Deadliest Catch R11; Lindy's Tru Grit R12; Lauderdale R13

Rosecroft
9/28/13, +Hit The Hill R4; Techno Paysan R4; Crown Time Yooray R7; +Littlebitofthunder R12
 
Vernon

9/28/13, +St Lads Speedy ae R3

Ray Cotolo contributed to this edition. 

Top photo by Thom Pye