Cotolo’s Harness Review, News And Notes

One more amazing thing about super horses is when they lose, that loss becomes the story over the horse that beats them. Such is the case from Friday, Nov. 1, when Captaintreacherous lost by a slim margin at Hooser Park to Dedi’s Dragon  in the Monument Circle Final.

Captaintreacherous was out-gunned late by a wide-charging Dedi’s Dragon, the margin no more than that of the colt’s first loss this season to Sunfire Blue Chip. In our opinion, Dedi’s Dragon was actually an underlay, paying $88.80 for a win that should have paid in excess of $200.

That night at Hoosier, in the other three stakes, we mentioned all of the winners but each were choices or co-choices, while our choices all finished fourth in their respective contests (at 9-1, 20-1 and 38-1).

Also on Friday, at Vernon, we nabbed one winner from the five Simpson Stakes on the program. All of the Simpsons results are below in the H2W review.

We lost the Messenger Stakes, though we were correct in predicting an upset as the top two choices failed. Our choice, Lonewolf Currier finished sixth at 18-1. And our Lady Maud choice was fifth at 40-1 as the big favorite won that one.

H2W RESULTS
Due to popular demand, we are changing the format to the reviewing of our horses-to-watch (H2W) list. Because our across-the-board prices have not been documented before and players wager place and show as well as win, we are adding all of the prices offered by all of our on-the-board H2W finishers. Odds off to win appear only for place and show finishers.

Winners

Makena Cat, $36.80, $19.20, $6.80, Maywood
She’s Automatic, $22.60, $7.00, $5.40, Maywood
Heavenly Way, $13.20, $5.60, $3.60, Pocono
Winlightn’strikes, $8.50, $3.70, $3.20, Batavia
Steuben Jumpinjack, $7.20, $2.60, $2.40, Cal Expo
Jk Molly, $6.00, $2.30, $2.10, Vernon
Fifty Shades, $4.60, $2.40, $2.20, Freehold
Flying Topless,$4.60, $3.20, $2.80, Pocono
Mcliberty, $4.00, $2.60, $2.10, Meadows
Explosive Shark, $3.80, $2.60, $2.20, Freehold
My Last Tris, $3.60, $2.20, $2.10, Meadows
Gator Express, $3.20, $2.20, $2.20, Maywood

Seconds

Dipietrantonio (20-1), $20.20, $8.90, Vernon
Treasure Hunter (7-1), $7.80, $6.60, Pompano
Painite (11-1), $6.20, $3.70, Vernon
Nf Independence (3-1), $4.40, $2.60, Freehold
Smart As Fanny (2-1), $4.00, $3.00, Lebanon
Hollywood Rusty (5-2), $3.20, $2.40, Pocono
Atarsaboveallerage (4-5), $2.90, $2.10, Vernon
Listowel (7-5), $2.40, $2.40, Freehold
Beat The Drum (4-5), $2.10, $2.10, Vernon

Thirds

Lasting Endeavor (21-1), $8.40, Lebanon
Air Current (5-1), $5.30, Batavia
Stonebridge Damsel (5-2), $4.80, Freehold
Last Chance Hanover (9-2), $3.20, Meadows
Annies List (4-5), $3.00, Vernon
A Fool For Mark (2-1), $2.80, Pompano
Carlena Hanover (7-1), $2.20, Pocono
Dazzling Diana (6-1), No show betting

News And Notes
Stallions are in the news for a few reasons. First, more than one top performer is retiring to begin a career at stud in 2014, as well as some stallions will be changing homes to breed in more lucrative states. Also, the famed Harrisburg Sale beings Nov. 4 and the big-dollars will be flowing at the state farm building. Due to our close proximity to Harrisburg and our history with the sale (we were the first to cover the sale real time on the Internet), we hope to be gathering exclusive material from owners and horsemen about next season’s outlook.

Check Me Out, who we supported to win her Breeders Crown final but broke in a late charge, has been retired. She finished her sophomore campaign in 2012 as the richest trotting filly in history and she retires with lifetime earnings of just over $1.9 million. She is co-owned by trainer Ray Schnittker and will be bred to Credit Winner in 2014.

My MVP, winner of the 2012 Kentucky Futurity, has been retired and will stand stud in Delaware, Ohio at the completion of his four-year-old racing season. He is trained by Tony Alagna.

Armbro Operative, who enjoyed great success on and off the racetrack and was our choice when he won an elim heat and the final of the Little Brown Jug, was put down recently after breaking a leg. Standing this season again Down Under, Armbro Operative earned over a million dollars during his racing career. Asied from the “Jug” he won Breeders Crown Final at three, becoming the only horse to win the Jug and two Breeders Crown Finals. In 1997 he went to stud and sired over 1,100 winners and 100 $100,000 winners, all in the Southern Hemisphere, he was twice Australia’s leading stallion and twice Australia’s leading juvenile stallion.

Panther Hanover, Glidemaster, Betterthancheddar and Rockincam are the newest studs to a growing list of stallions in New York. Panther Hanover became one of the fastest soph colts ever when he registered a 1:47.2 victory. The 2006 trotting Triple Crown champion Glidemaster has sired winners of $6.25 million. Betterthancheddar owns world records on a half and five-eighths mile track. He won the Cane Pace, the elimination and final of the Breeders Crown and more Open pacer Rockincam will launch his stud career with of a lifetime mark of 1:48.1.

Extraordinary Extras

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

Ray Cotolo contributed to this blog.

Cartoons by Thom Pye