Showing posts with label Bee A Magician. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bee A Magician. Show all posts

  • Cotolo’s Harness Review, News And Notes

    POSTED Aug 3, 2014 By Frank Cotolo
    The new Meadowlands is a compact, convenient, clean and carefully measured facility for fans. The house that Jeff Gural built used the same racetrack as its out-dated predecessor, which is still standing. The old building sits like a giant, aging tombstone over what is now the backstretch.

    Those of us visiting the new plant for the first time were impressed with it and the many places to view the show, including the roof, which hosts more than the media and in-house racing staff—there is room for wagering, watching the races from the farthest point north without a helicopter and comfortable space for guests.

    This was the first Hambletonian day in the compact theater, which will also host this year’s Breeders Crown over two programs this fall. On Aug. 2, most of the greatest horses of the current season were flying, with the main features at the end of  The Hambletonian Trail. Our annual essay on the main event is currently available for your inspection. Archives of the races that paved the trail are available at the Hambletonian Society site.

    The Hambletonian was not a winning race for us, nor was it for the majority of the wagering public as super favorite Father Patrick broke at the gate and was unable to regroup his gait and get back into the fray.

    The Hambletonian Oaks was also a loss for us, since Shake It Cerry was passed in the stretch and finished fourth. The filly the crowd adored, Designed To Be, did not beat her; another Jimmy Takter filly, Lifetime Pursuit, beat her. “Cerry” (also trained by Takter) has beaten that one all season. Takter told us that Cerry’s driver, Ron Pierce, was extremely upset at how he handled the race and blamed himself for Cerry’s loss. Takter said that Pierce felt he “misjudged the [fractions]” and moved too quickly and too soon, causing Cerry to tire while giving Lifetime Pursuit cover.

    Pierce could do no wrong with our choice and everyone else’s choice, Sweet Lou ($2.80, $2.20, $2.10) in the US Pacing Championship. He was awesome and never asked while winning. Captaintreacherous, wide for the first turn and into the backstretch leaving from post 8, finished fifth in front of our other triple-element Bettor’s Edge.

    Next year’s Hambletonian favorite as of Aug. 2, was our choice Centurion Atm ($4.20, $2.80, $2.40). He gets the title for winning the Peter Haughton Memorial for frosh-colt trotters.

    Sebastian K ($2.60, $2.20, $2.10) beat our first choice for an upset, Uncle Peter, in the John Cashman Memorial. Another favorite we tried to beat was our second choice in the Miss New Jersey,  Gettingreadyto roll ($3.20, $2.20, $2.20 ok). We finished fourth with Cut A Deal (63-1).

    In the Merrie Annabelle we were second with Jolene Jolene ($8.80, $4.40) in league with our other choices, Mission Brief and Lock Down Lindy. That triple paid $76.40.

    Another triple we nabbed by using an outsider was the Ima Lula. Though favorite Classic Martine beat Bee A Magician, our outside contender Nf Happenstance was third ($5) at 81-1 for a $36.60 triple.

    We hope to be back at the New Jersey racing arena for the Breeders Crown finals. All of the top horses in each division will be covered starting next week in races that will decide their “Crown” status and which will be great betting affairs en route to the championships in the Breeders Crown Countdown blog, in cooperation with the Hambletonian Society, which organizes the events, and our headquarters at TwinSpires.

    TwinSpires and Hoosier continue a three-pronged power-packed program for harness players. Tuesdays, wager all you want and earn 10 TSC Elite Points per dollar bet. Click here for details. Every Thursday night, there is a 20-percent bonus on hitting the Pick 4 starting at Race 3. Click here for details. And the ongoing 10-percent Pick-4 bonus every racing night on Pick-4 hits continues through the meet. Click here for details.

    In between published harness blogs, follow @FrankCotolo and @TwinSpires on Twitter to get tips on Hoosier contenders you can use in your tickets. Other possibilities appear in exclusive H2W list.

    H2W RESULTS

    The H2W results list across-the-board prices. Also, exactas are included when a H2W horse finishing first or second completes the result with a race favorite or another H2W horse listed in the same race (an asterisk appears when both horses were listed to complete the exacta). This week, there were 29 on the H2W list.

    Winners

    Deadhead Royalty, $9.60, $4.60, $4.30, Vernon
    Putnams Attack, $7.50, $3.50, $2.50, Yonkers
    Luck Be Withyou, $5.20, $3.40, $2.20, Pocono
    Josie’s Joy, $4.60, $4.20, $5 ok, Meadowlands

    Seconds

    Guilty Man, $8.50, $5.10
    King William, $5.20, $4.50, Batavia
    Sweet Thing, $3.40, $2.40 (Exacta $8.60), Meadowlands
    Baximum, $2.60, $2.40, Philadelphia
    Bullseye, $2.40, $2.20 (Exacta $6), Scarborough

    Thirds

    Oaklea Winfrey, $6, Georgian
    Amigo Ranger, $5.20, Saratoga

    News And Notes

    Bad weather in the East did not affect New Jersey’s afternoon of classy racing but in upstate New York the rain caused flooding and traffic problems. Batavia Downs could not finish its evening program on Aug. 2. Rain caused cancellation of the card after Race 2. The next day Batavia delivered a 15-race program on a very sloppy track. Also on Sunday, the two top glamour-boy colt pacers, Jk Endofanera and He’s Watching, battled at Tioga in the soup. He’s Watching won the Empire Breeders Championship elimination by a nose over Jk Endofanera. The triple, with an 18-1 shot coming in third, paid $3.45, which was 55-cents less than the exacta of $4.

    Another Meadowlands Pace character (along with the two glamour-boy colt pacers mentioned above), second-place Always B Miki, won at Hoosier on Aug. 2 in an Indiana Sires Stakes elimination. Always B Miki is a son of Always A Virgin, who is having a profitable stud career in the Midwest. “Miki” trounced the field in 1:49.

    Sweet Rock, the 92-1 New Jersey Classic winner, was Brett Miller’s first win on the first Hambletonian day program where he competed as a driver. The shockingly priced winner is not on the eligible list for this year’s Little Brown Jug. He defeated four others that are “Jug” hopefuls—Dancin Hill, Doo Wop Hanover, Beat The Drum and Western Village—all New Jersey-breds.

    The 140th season of live racing action kicked off on Sunday, Aug 3 at The Red Mile. Sunday nights feature a $5,000-guaranteed Pick-4 pool in Races 6–9, in partnership with the USTA Strategic Wagering Program. The $1.4-million Kentucky Sires Stakes Super Night comes up on Sunday, Aug. 31, and will feature a $15,000-guaranteed Pick 4-pool. The popular 10-cent superfectas have returned and will be available on every race with the exception of the start of the Pick-4 and the final race of the evening. A 20-cent Super Hi Five will be part of the wagering menu on the last race of each card, where 100-percent of the net pool will carry over if no one selects the top five finishers. Live racing continues on Sunday and Thursday evenings with a first post of 7 p.m. Grand Circuit racing begins on Thursday, Sept. 25, with live racing Thursday–Sunday for the two week meet.

    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 ~ For more Thom Pye cartoons and products, click here

  • Cotolo’s Harness Review, News And Notes

    POSTED Jul 13, 2014 By Frank Cotolo
    Let’s begin this week’s review with something quite amazing. It comes from the Hambletonian Trail blog, where we covered and won both of the soph trots offered at the Meadowlands on July 12. Shake It Cerry, the filly we have been applauding at two and now at three, was our choice in the Del Miller Memorial. We assumed she would be the choice of most bettors and perhaps a prohibitive favorite. Wrong! Shake It Cerry went off and won at an astounding 7-2 ($9.60, $4.60, $2.60). Our second choice followed her over the wire at 5-2—Heaven’s Door ($4, $2.40) completed an exacta worth $30.80, also a terrific gift.

    Everyone was on board for the soph-colt trot winner, Father Patrick ($2.80, $2.20, $2.10), in the Stanley Dancer. No exotics here, as both of our possible exacta partners broke and were eliminated from competition.

    We share the results of our soph-trot analysis’ here with our weekly update. The Hambletonian Trail comes to you in cooperation with TwinSpires and the Hambletonian Society. You can read the recap race stories and data on the history of the August classics at the society’s archives. It is less than a month away until Hambletonian day. We hope to be at the Meadowlands for the spectacular program and the first Hambo at the new facility.

    Also in the winning column, we had a mild victory with the frosh stakes as Artspeck won a colt pace ($3.40, $2.80, $2.40).

    Stepping back a moment to July 11 at Mohawk, We gave you the chalk in a Maple Leaf Trot elim and it won—Sebastian K ($2.10 n/p n/s wagering). The exacta was playable, however, and our second choice, Creatine completed the $6.60 combo.

    Back to Saturday, we pick up the pieces in the stakes at the Meadowlands.

    We cannot report success with the big feature of the weekend because Hes Watching won the Meadowlands Pace, finally gaining respect from his doubters, of which we were some. Our third choice, Always Be Miki, came in second ($5.80, $4.60). The race went as we suggested it might, however, Hes Watching was in the spot where we suspected our choice, JK Endofanera would be in late stretch. The “Pace” did look a lot like the North America Cup, especially with another one of our choices, Lyonssomewhere, soaring to the lead as he did in the “Cup” and cutting breakneck fractions—:25.3, :53.2, 1:20.3. “JK” was first over into the speedy turn of the mid two panels, and it was Hes Watching that zoomed off the pace late to win (1:46.2). The top three finishers were fifth, ninth and sixth, respectively, in the first quarter. Hes Watching was the second choice at 2-1.

    In the ad hoc Pace consolation, we were third with Brioni ($6.20). In the “Haughton,” Captaintreacherous was third ($3), ruining our boxed exacta and the probable winner, Sweet Lou, won ($4, $3, $2.40). The only other pay horse was in the Miss Versatility, as Bee A Magician won as the public heroine and our choice, D’Orsay finished third ($10.20).

    Speaking of huge place and show prices, peruse the horses-to-watch (H2W) list below, where our live contenders rolled out some big numbers across the board. There are no typos in the prices!

    TwinSpires and Hoosier continue a three-pronged power-packed program for harness players. Tuesdays, wager all you want and earn 10 TSC Elite Points per dollar bet. Click here for details. Every Thursday night, there is a 20-percent bonus on hitting the Pick 4 starting at Race 3. Click here for details. And the ongoing 10-percent Pick-4 bonus every racing night on Pick-4 hits continues through the meet. Click here for details.

    In between published harness blogs, follow @FrankCotolo and @TwinSpires on Twitter to get tips on Hoosier contenders you can use in your tickets. Other possibilities appear in exclusive H2W list.

    H2W RESULTS

    The H2W results list across-the-board prices. Also, exactas are included when a H2W horse finishing first or second completes the result with a race favorite or another H2W horse listed in the same race (an asterisk appears when both horses were listed to complete the exacta).

    Winners

    Too Shy, $25.10, $7.80, $4.80 (Exacta $54.70), Mohawk
    FB Seelster, $23.60, $12.60, $5.90, Buffalo
    Nifty Prescott, $21.20, $9.70, $6.50, Buffalo
    I Do Hanover, $14.20, $5.60, $3.20 (Exacta $30), Vernon
    Emmasphere, $6.20, $3.60, $3), Running Aces
    Morwyn Hanover, $4.80, $3.80, $3), Running Aces
    Cheryl Leigh, $2.80, $2.20, $2.60 ok, Scarborough

    Seconds

    Chrome Cruiser, $53.80, $43.20, Pocono
    Captain John Henry, $6, $5.80, Hoosier
    Kaliska, $4.50, $3.40, Tioga
    Zinthruthehall, $4.10, $2.80, Buffalo

    Thirds

    Northern Obsession, $11, Tioga
    Sky Deperado, $5, Pocono
    The Wizard Of Odz, $3.20, Running Aces
    OK Amelia, $2.60, Ocean
    Summertime Lea, $2.50, Yonkers
    Bullseye, $2.20, Scarborough

    News And Notes

    Sportswriter was never a huge favorite of this department at two and did not impress us as he was promoted to be a division leader at three, even though he went zooming to win the North America Cup. But when he lost the Meadowlands Pace in a terrible performance we were convinced he would never be as sharp as Rock N Roll Heaven, who we rightfully made king of the division in 2010 and covered as he scourged the group all the way through the Breeders Crown finals.

    Giving the devil his due, though, Sportswriter’s first crop (he stands in Canada) has hit the track with speed and success. Sportswriter was best at two, so it remains to be seen if his progeny can maintain their frosh shines as sophomores. On July 11, Sportswriter’s frosh fillies won all three divisions of the Ontario Sires Stakes (ONSS) Gold Series at Mohawk. Southwind Mischief (1:54), trained by Casie Coleman, who was also Sportswriter’s conditioner, won the first $70,000 split; Blake MacIntosh’s Sports Chic took the second (1:54.2); and Pop Writer (1:54.3) won the third for trainer Tony Alagna. We’ll be keeping an eye on the stallion’s average earnings and his colts in ONSS action and how they fare among all North American babies.

    Foiled Again will try for his third win in the Battle of Lake Erie when the event is presented on July 19 at Northfield Park. The sport’s highest earner, now 10, should face familiar foes, also nominated—Bolt The Duer, Clear Vision, Heston Blue Chip and Michaels Power to name four. Foiled Again won the event in 2009 and 2011. He is trained by Ron Burke and won over $6.3 million. We’ll analyze the race in our July 17 blog.

    Kawartha Downs will celebrates its 42nd anniversary on July 19, featuring the $12,500 Billyjojimbob Memorial Trot. The program will include 12 races with 25 percent higher purses than on a regular race card. The Billyjojimbob Memorial Trot celebrates a great trotter who began his career at Kawartha and went on to become the only Canadian horse to win the prestigious Elitlopp in Sweden in addition to the Breeders Crown.

    Contemporary mare pacing great and World Champion Miss Easy is dead at 26. Miss Easy was a $30,000 a yearling broken and trained by Bruce Nickells. In 1990 she was voted frosh pacing filly of the year. She won 15 of 17 starts and earned more than $1 million. In 1991, she was voted soph pacing filly of the year. She won 10 of 15 starts, earned $648,700 and concluded her racing career with earnings of more than $1.7 million. Unfortunately her racing success did not translate in the breeding shed. As a broodmare she did not produce quality racehorses. Her lack of production found her being offered for sale in 2002 as a barren broodmare. Jim Simpson, Dr. Bridgette Jablonsky and Murray Brown of Hanover Shoe Farms decided Hanover would purchase her and she would be guaranteed a home as a retired mare.

    As fate would have it, when booking season came along Dr. Jablonsky suggested that Miss Easy be booked along with the rest of Hanover’s active mares and she subsequently produced eight foals for Hanover, bringing a total of $220,500. She never became a great producer but she spent her remaining years enjoying the good life that she had earned and deserved. Miss Easy was laid to rest in the farm's cemetery opposite its main entrance.

    John Gilmour, 76, a Monticello Raceway mainstay horseman for more than 47 years, is dead. Mr. Gilmour’s record speaks for itself. It spanned six decades, in which he earned 4,492 winners as a driver in years when the racing seasons were short and driving at two tracks in one day wasn’t an option. John was one of the famous Gilmour brothers, William (Buddy), George and Lloyd, who together accounted for more than 14,250 driving victories. For John, Monticello had been home since the early 1960s although he began his career at Buffalo Raceway and Batavia Downs, two tracks near his hometown of Lucan, Ontario.

    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 ~ For more Thom Pye cartoons and products, visit  PYESITE

  • Cotolo’s Harness Review, News And Notes

    POSTED Jul 6, 2014 By Frank Cotolo
    The crowd was sharper than us over the weekend, for the most part, but our skim horses-to-watch list (H2W) broke through with a decent percentage of winners and a monstrous place list. Check out the seconds in the review below; many of those place prices are more generous than a lot of win tickets offered in features and overnights.

    Friday’s frosh events at the Meadowlands for New Jersey state-breds were no bargain for our choices. One colt scratched and the other two finished fifth (38-1) and seventh (16-1), respectively. Saturday, July 5, we stayed put at the Meadowlands for the highlighted events, looking over at Pocono in Pennsylvania for a few soph-colt trotters on the Hambletonian Trail.

    The industry focused upon the Hambletonian Maturity’s debut on Saturday at the Meadowlands for reasons obvious to any harness followers. The 1 1/8-mile event featuring only four-year-old trotters pitted Bee A Magician against male foes—a dozen of them—in a field of 14. The unusual double-tiered field featured a few well-known names, including last year’s Hambo winner, Royalty For Life and the Kentucky Futurity winner Creatine, our choice.

    All of the handicappers we know faced the same problem we faced with a field that large and extra real estate. Traffic was expected and could not be predicted. To truly appreciate the French-harness-like configuration of the race before we write about it here, we offer you a look at the replay by clicking here.

    Bee A Magician was the favorite, Royalty For Life was 4-1 and our choice was 9-1. The first two quarters were deciding points for some losers, as “Royalty” went to the top in :25.4 and Creatine was parked three wide for that call and the :55 second call. Creatine took the first-over spot in that whirlwind while Spider Blue Chip took over. Then, “Spider” broke, ending chances for Royalty beside him. Before a blistering 1:23.2 third call, Your So Vain flew three wide to pass them all and take command. Creatine found a second spot inside but was a victim of the fiery fractions to three-quarters and was passed past the 1:51.3 mile point established by “Vain,” who stayed easily to the finish in 2:05.3. “Bee” was all out to finish second, having saved a ton of ground during the speedy quarters and ultimately she passed tired horses to complete the exacta.

    Ake Svanstedt is the driver and trainer of Vain. He adds this win to his ever-growing stable of hot horses, including Sebastian K. The Swedish horseman is all the rage this season. Oddly enough, we liked Creatine for class reasons and his trip demoted all chances to win the “Maturity,” but it was Vain that was beaten by Creatine in their battle at three on The Red Mile in the “Futurity.” Creatine finished fifth in the Maturity.

    In the Meadowlands Pace elims we gave you two of three in the first split, with JK Endofanera, at 1-5 this week, won ($2.80, $2.20, $2.10) and Lyonssomewhere third ($3). Doo Wop Hanover (7-1) finished fourth but made the final field. In round two, we were fourth with Jet Airway (12-1) as He’s Watching won off of a pocket trip.

    We won the Mistletoe Shalee elim mile with Sandbetweenurtoes ($5, $3.20, $2.60), with our second choice, Gallie Bythe Beach third ($3.20).

    The week’s results from the Hambletonian Trail blog come from Pocono Downs, where the soph-colt trotters in the Pennsylvania All Stars splits produced Jett Star second ($5.40, $3.40), who with the favorite delivered an exacta worth $18.60.

    We share the results of our soph-trot analysis’ here with our weekly update. The Hambletonian Trail comes to you in cooperation with TwinSpires and the Hambletonian Society. You can read the recap race stories and data on the history of the August classics at the society’s archives.

    TwinSpires and Hoosier continue a three-pronged power-packed program for harness players. Tuesdays, wager all you want and earn 10 TSC Elite Points per dollar bet. Click here for details. Every Thursday night, there is a 20-percent bonus on hitting the Pick 4 starting at Race 3. Click here for details. And the ongoing 10-percent Pick-4 bonus every racing night on Pick-4 hits continues through the meet. Click here for details.

    In between published harness blogs, follow @FrankCotolo and @TwinSpires on Twitter to get tips on Hoosier contenders you can use in your tickets. Other possibilities appear in exclusive H2W list.

    H2W RESULTS

    The H2W results list across-the-board prices. Also, exactas are included when a H2W horse finishing first or second completes the result with a race favorite or another H2W horse listed in the same race (an asterisk appears when both horses were listed to complete the exacta).

    Winners

    Rush Rules, $14.40, $8.90, $3, Buffalo
    Blissful Escape, $7.10, $4.40, $2.50, Buffalo

    Seconds

    Captain John Henry, $17.20, $8.60, Hoosier
    Best Risque, $13.40, $7.80
    Summertime Lea, $7.40, $3, Yonkers
    Rub N Tug, $6.80, $3.70, Mohawk
    Mary Rose Of Topaz, $5, $3.40, Scarborough
    Light N Shadow, $3.40, $2.80, Meadows
    Im A Lucky Man, $2.60, $2.20 (Exacta $4.60), Scarborough

    Thirds

    Nothinbutanallstar, $8.60, Hoosier
    Insane In Spane, $7.80, Yonkers

    News And Notes

    The $5 million Breeders Crown championships will return to Canada in 2015 after a two-year hiatus. Woodbine Entertainment Group (WEG) has signed a letter of intent to host all 12 events in the fall of next year, announced WEG Executive Vice-President of Racing Jamie Martin and Tom Charters, president of the Hambletonian Society, which owns and administrates the series. Woodbine hosted all 12 races in 2011 and 2012, handling more than $8.5 million and luring international stars Rapide Lebel and Commander Crowe.

    Champion racehorse and stallion Matts Scooter, 29, was euthanized in New Jersey last week. He had been residing at Perretti Farms, where he had stood at stud virtually his entire career. During his three-year campaign as a racehorse for trainer Harry Poulton, Matts Scooter won 37 times in 61 trips behind the gate, with earnings of $2,944,591. He was voted Horse of the Year in the United States in 1989 and was Canada’s Horse of the Year in ‘88 and ‘89.

    Lightly raced at two and ineligible for the Little Brown Jug and Cane Pace at three, Matts Scooter still managed to earn $1.78 million in 1988, winning 11 races and finishing out of the money only twice in 22 starts. He became the fastest pacer in the history of the sport that fall when he time-trialed in 1:48.2 at The Red Mile. Coming back to the races at four, Matts Scooter earned $1.14 million. His career stakes wins included the Meadowlands Pace, Messenger, Breeders Crown Open Pace, American-National, New Jersey Classic, Prix d’Ete, Nat Christie Memorial, Confederation Cup, Driscoll, Mohawk Gold Cup, Stewart Fraser Memorial, Cornell Memorial and U.S. Pacing Championship.

    During his 20 year career at stud Matts Scooter sons and daughters include numerous divisional and world champions. Mach Three ($2.17 million) was his richest performer and Royal Mattjesty (1:48.4) his fastest. His offspring earned $74.39 million and 210 were $100,000 winners. He also sired 358 1:55 performers and 792 with 2:00 marks. Matts Scooter was inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame in 1992 and the Living Horse Hall of Fame in Goshen in 2006.

    Sid Alpert, a master innovator of raceway video and sound systems at a number of racetracks and a holder of a number of patents during the last half of the 20th century passed away at age 87. Alpert was a photographer at The Washington Times Herald with Jacqueline Bouvier (later wife of President Kennedy) as one of his protégés. Mr. Alpert became interested in harness racing and seeing a need for improved filming of races, formed his company, Electronic Race Patrol (ERP). Mr. Alpert began his career in racing by filming races in the 1950s at Maryland tracks. He teamed with the DuPont Chemical Company to develop a special film for use at night and was the first to film nighttime races.

    Alpert was the first to introduce live closed circuit race monitors at the tracks he serviced. He was first to show live races and replays on a split-screen. Next, he introduced color to showcase races on television. In the 1960s he was the first to bring live video broadcasting to racetracks in the Midwest. His company also made noted television broadcast advancements at the ill-fated Garden State Park. In 1977, with the track ablaze, Alpert was high atop the facility video-taping the disaster.

    Alpert fostered a remarkable project in 1989 that was ahead of its time. He visualized making full-card racing a staple on cable TV. His concept was to race entire programs at a track in Pennsylvania without anyone in attendance. The races would be shown on an all-racing channel offering wagering. Alpert envisioned having a daily early evening harness racing TV program in the fashion of the popular late night shows. Alpert’s concept included transmitting wagering information to fans at home via fax machine. Unfortunately, due to many reasons, he abandoned the project and then retired.

    The babies were at it again at the Meadowlands on July5. The star of the show wasn’t a two-year-old but a Hambletonain candidate at the very peak of his powers, Jimmy Takter’s Trixton. In a qualifier, Trixton waltzed around the oval in 1:53.3. He meets his stablemate Father Patrick in the Stanley Dancer Memorial on July 12. Perfect Alliance also got some work, touring the oval in 1:53.3 in preparation for the Miss Versatility leg next week.

    Baby trotters led off the card and a couple of fillies. Credit Winner-filly Crazy Beautiful and Lilu Hanover impressed with identical 1:58.1 miles. Takter drove the Cantab Hanover colt Walter White to a 1:59.4 win. Takter pacing pupil Bet You won his third straight non-betting race, this one in 1:57. He’s by Bettors Delight. Trond Smedshammer won a couple, taking the second race with Finish Line, a Yankee Glide gelding in 2:00. Trond also won with Crazshana in 2:01.4. This one is a Crazed gelding. Jonas Czernyson sent out a pair of winners, Alderbaran Eagle in 2:00.3 and a Muscle Hill filly Jolene Jolene in 2:01.

    Baby pacers started off with the speedy Sportswriter filly Yellow Mustang in 1:57. Joe Holloway trains. The cleverly named She’s A Hot Mess redeemed herself after last week’s miscue by beating a field of colts in 1:58. She’s an American Ideal homebred. The next group also contained some impressive colts. The winner was Major War, by American Ideal, in a 1:55.4 mile.

    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 ~ Find more fun Pye art at PYESITE

  • ‘Bee’ Vs. Boys In Hambletonian Maturity; Meadowlands Pace Elims Skirmishes

    POSTED Jul 2, 2014 By Frank Cotolo
    It is not rare in standardbred racing that girls take on the boys in overnight races, meeting the conditions set and many times beating the boys with no particular hoorah. But only once in a blue moon, so to speak, do we find a situation when female stars meet male celebrities in major stakes events.

    The July 4th holiday weekend for harness fans presents a battle of the sexes that many have yearned to see, no less wager upon. Bee A Magician, 2013 Horse of the Year, will meet Royalty For Life, 2013’s Hambletonian winner, and four-year-old other males in the debut of the Hambletonian Maturity. Adding to the thrills of those two stars in the same field is the fact that the race is 1 1/8 miles. That’s July 5, on a program that also features two elims that decide the field of next week’s Meadowlands Pace and one elim for the Mistletoe Shalee.

    There are also Friday and Saturday New Jersey Sires Stakes (NJSS) at the Meadowlands for freshmen of both gaits and sexes.

    Pennsylvania All Stars at Pocono on July 5 feature soph miles for August classic campaiginers. See the analysis on our sister blog, the Hambletonian Trail. Don’t miss our exclusive coverage; click the link after you read this.

    Weekdays are harness plentiful, too, check out the TwinSpires-Hoosier perks for players. Tuesdays, wager all you want and earn 10 TSC Elite Points per dollar bet. Click here for details. Every Thursday night, there is a 20-percent bonus on hitting the Pick 4 starting at Race 3. Click here for details. And the ongoing 10-percent Pick-4 bonus every racing night on Pick-4 hits continues through the meet. Click here for details.

    Follow @FrankCotolo and @TwinSpires on Twitter to get any and all late-breaking information on racing events and betting challenges that transpire between the publications of the two TwinSpires harness racing blogs.

    Hambletonian Maturity Debuts

    We have been justly critical of Bee A Magician in these blogs after supporting her at two and early at three when she paid decently. But she won all 17 of her starts at three against the same group of fillies and her connections declined a shot at the boys in the Hambletonian.

    At four, we predicted she would have some problems facing older mares and we were right, cashing in on D’orsay at more than 50-1 against her in an Armbro Flight elim. Then, in the final, she finished ninth. It was her first off-the-board finish since going off stride in her second start at two in July 2012. Trainer Nifty Norman said “Bee” scoped sick following that race. Now she has won a qualifier and she will face the boys, including the colt she would have battled when he won the 2013 Hambletonian, Royalty For Life. In the $484,850 Hambletonian Maturity at the Meadowlands on July 5, “Royalty” makes his four-year-old debut. The event will be raced at 1 1/8-miles.

    “She’s acting fine,” said Norman. “I was really happy with her qualifier and [regular driver] Brian thought she was back to her old self, so hopefully we’re good.”

    Conditions for the Hambletonian Maturity allowed for up to 16 starters rather than the traditional 10; 14 in two tiers will start. Considering the size of the field, the extra distance and the vulnerability of the two big stars, this will be a difficult race to assign accurate chances, however, that just makes it more appealing to wager upon. Let’s check out the rest of the field:

    Your So Vain returns to race at four and was last alive during a heat of the Kentucky Futurity at three, so his current shape is in question. Sweet Justice doesn’t not belong in this group. Bambino Glide needs a lucky trip, having too much speed to win as he has over cheaper stock. Fico was improving last year en route to the Hambo but never quite lived up to the class of his division. Wheeling N Dealin, of course, was the disappointment of the division, as he came into his soph season the early choice to win the Hambo and could barely work up enough talent to get into it. If he is to do better at four, this is the spot to make his mark; he certainly has the style for the extra distance involved.

    Flanagan Memory was impressive at Mohawk and also has a style for this distance and can be considered a threat if he is coming into his top shape and last week was not a fluke. Spider Blue Chip has not returned with the spark he had last summer and you have to wonder why he qualified so much before breaking on June 27; a problem is at hand. High Bridge didn’t live up to his soph promises and still looks like a dud. Master Of Law is impossible to assess. Major Athens seems out-classed. Possessed Fashion needs a gift trip. And then there is Creatine …

    Creatine is a classy sort and may be the key to an upset. He developed into quite a colt in the last half of the season (our TwinSpires Players Pool hit him at 5-1 in a Hambo elim) and, of course, he won the Futurity. This year he cannot be faulted for his races against Sebastian K and the crowd will offer him as a huge overlay considering his class and the fact that no one wants to wager on his driver, Mike Lachance, any longer. We will be happy to support him here as our outside contender.

    Pacing Pals

    Two $50,000 Meadowlands Pace elims adorn the July 5 program and even though the first $1-million harness race has lost some of its financial punch, this is a major event and the major glamour boys are here to get a berth in the final.

    In the first elim we all know the damage that JK Endofanera can do since surprising many (not us, we supported him as a major overlay) in the North America Cup, so don’t expect 12-1 this time around. His prime contenders, however, may squeeze some valuable odds out of this affair.

    Doo Wop Hanover didn’t make the “Hempt” final but, as we documented here, he would be all over the consolation field at Pocono and he trounced them at 5-2, well worth the backing). He looms dangerous to “JK” here and may wind up the overlay.

    Lyonssomewhere was burned out early in the “Cup” and primed since then after a brief rest and a good qualifier. He may still be a top contender in this division for Jimmy Takter and he may offer better odds than he did in the Cup, as well as he may ration his wicked speed to work better for him in New Jersey.

    In the second split there should be no dominating factor in the wagering, since a few of these pace on equal terms thus far this season. There seem to be groups of fans for He’s Watching, Tellitlikeitis, Luck Be Withyou and Let’s Drink On It and no doubt each will make themselves heard in the win pool. But the outside contender Jet Airway doesn’t have a fan club and that will send him off with huge odds. Against this ilk in a Cup elim, he was 16-1 and flying, finishing fourth and missing the draw for the extra colt in the final. He has a JK style about him and in this field he could provide the late charge needed to cool down the speed burners of the popular colts mentioned. He is gunning for the final, where he may not be the best, but for this money he may show ‘em just who is boss.

    Sister Pace

    The filly-equivalent to the Meadowlands Pace, the Mistletoe Shalee for soph filly pacers, has one elimination, with the top seven advancing. Receiving byes were Uffizi Hanover, Weeper and Rock N Roll Xample. Drawing the rail in this tough race is Sandbetweenurtoes, who made her debut at the Meadowlands back in May, a 1:50.4 off-the-pace effort with a :26 kicker. She draws the rail and comes in off of a 1:51.1 qualifier behind Shebestingin and might be ready to tackle the better company.

    Gallie Bythe Beach is also a threat, coming off of a terrible trip in the James Lynch Final last week. There, she parked through fast fractions and faltered upon three-quarters. She has some maturing to do, but if she’s the right price, she’s also worth an investment.

    Freshman Fury

    The green brigade takes to the Meadowlands oval for the second time this season in New Jersey Sires Stakes (NJSS) beginning Friday, July 4, with a division each for the frosh colts and fillies.

    First, however, a simple $15,000 two-year-old frosh colt trot for the greenest of green guys opens the Friday card with three coupled entries and a mile’s worth of speculation about wagering. Although the cast has already raced, none of the events are official, though still calculatedly sound. As the public addresses those races in an ordinary manner, we will look for an outside contender that promises improvement by supporting Don’t Mind Me. Coming from a strong baby race win at Pocono and getting post 10 here, the Jim Rayner trainee is as blue-blooded as the rest here (Andover Hall) and is bound to be ignored by bettors. Driver Howard Parker is listed at press time and we like Howard as much as any driver here, though the Meadowlands public may not and that is a plus for us).

    Then the $40,500 NJSS leg for the colts gets rolling and we will take Muscle Blues right back after finishing fifth in a race totally dominated by French Laundry. That one was too much for all involved.

    Fillies are next for a $39,500 purse and again we support Southwind Cartier, who was a solid third at 50-1 last week. That proves all of our notions that ignoring connections, breeding and driver in the early frosh fights offers great value to those of us paying attention. This Chocolatier product, as we documented last week, has talent and will pay off when she is at her best (she paid $9.20 to show, folks). Stick with her.

    The opening NJSS colt division on Saturday features three colts making their debuts, with another five back from last week. Among the colts premiering is Badix Hanover, an Ake Svanstedt trainee. He qualified once, a 1:57.1 with a brush to command around three-eighths. With only one mile to his experience, Svanstedt appears confident in the colt’s ability to improve.

    The closing colt split features Dealt A Winner, who is the only one returning for round two that was victorious in round one. This episode also features colts debuting, one being Rock On The Hill. The Tony Alagna-trainee has two qualifiers under his belt, one a fourth-place effort in 1:57.2 and his latest a 1:56.3 effort on the lead. That effort was eye-catching, as his first outing was an off-the-pace performance. Consistently closing in :26 and change, he should be sharp enough to challenge Dealt A Winner.

    The lone race for the fillies is highlighted by Stacia Hanover, who effortlessly slingshot passed The Show Returns to win with a final quarter in :25.4. Since she drew the outside this week, now’s a good time to abuse the public’s interest. Finishing second to Cashaway in the other split last week, Ideal Nuggets might be the gal to defeat the likely favorite. In her debut, she made a move after the pacesetter approaching three-quarters and came a neck short of victory in 1:55. She responded well in her debut, which shows that her second start should be even better.

    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 on the also-eligible list. If a horse is listed twice, refer to the entries on the night of the race since a horse may enter in more than one race. 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

    Buffalo
    7/5/14, Rush Rules R5; Zipintheruthehall R7; Blissful Escape R12

    Hoosier
    7/3/14, Captain John Henry R13
    7/5/14, +Terracina As R1; +Nothinbutanallstar R10

    Maywood
    7/4/14, +Pownal Bay Magic R4; +Big Turn On R6

    Meadows
    7/3/14, Bootswiththefur R8; +Light N Shadow R4

    Mohawk
    7/4/14, Best Risque R7; Somethinincredible R10; Rub N Tug R11
    7/5/14, Marlee B R2

    Ocean
    7/3/14, Yacht Party R2

    Plainridge
    7/5/14, +Vanyar Hanover R6

    Pocono
    7/4/14, +Joltin Colt R7
    7/5/14, +R Caan R15
    7/6/14,  +So Reserved R4

    Saratoga
    7/5/14, All Powerful R2; Grab A Crab R7
     
    Scarborough
    7/4/14, +Im A Lucky Man R6
    7/5/14, +Mary Rose Of Topaz R9; +Heaven Touched R11

    Scioto
    7/3/14, +Nutmegs Gigalo R4

    Vernon
    7/5/14, Choke Hold R2

    Yonkers
    7/4/14, +Eagle Now R1; Wishing Stone R6; Summertime Lea R7; +Rossini R8

    Ray Cotolo contributes to each edition.      

  • Cotolo’s Harness Review, News And Notes

    POSTED Feb 23, 2014 By Frank Cotolo

    First there was too much snow and then there was too much water, which was the snow before it melted. Mother Nature is certainly more consistent than a lot of racehorses. So it was this week as higher temperatures dissolved mountains of snow and ice in many U.S. states, provoking bad conditions on the tracks that were, a week before, frozen.

    Cancellations before and during race programs nixed a few schedules. Buffalo Raceway’s TwinSpires bonus Pick 4 was cancelled on Feb. 19 when the surface became unsafe. Every Wednesday night, weather permitting of course, TwinSpires’ 10-percent-bonus Buffalo Raceway 50-cent Pick 4 wagers continue. We assist with suggestions for your ticket via Twitter -- @FrankCotolo, @TwinSpires and @BuffaloRaceway.

    Other schedules affected included the Meadows and Yonkers. All horses we are watching that were to participate in the various programs cancelled, will appear in next week’s watch (H2W) list. Check below for the wins, places and shows that did materialize last week.

    Our overnight features’ choices included two winners but not on top, as the huge favorite (our second betting choice) Keep The Dream ($3.10, $2.20, $2.10) won the Miss Valentine Final at Fraser over our upset choice, Yanotherhos. Our other Fraser choice, Red Star Tyson raced horribly, finishing ninth of nine at 11-1.

    Feb. 23 at Dover on Race 3 our second choice, Steady Pulse, won ($4, $2.40, $2.10), and our first choice, JR’s Midnight Cry, scratched, leaving us with the favorite. Our first choice in Race 2, Occasionally Bad, was never a threat, finishing eighth at 13-1. The second contender for us in that race finished second—RD Elegant Yankee ($3.60, $2.60).

    H2W RESULTS

    The H2W results list across-the-board prices. Also, exactas are included when a H2W horse finishing first or second completes the result with a race favorite or another H2W horse listed in the same race (an asterisk appears when both horses were listed to complete the exacta). Failed choices from our previous week’s overnight features appear for the second time in the H2W list. 

    Winners

    That’s My Girl, $24.60, $6.40, $4.40 (Exacta $56.20), Miami Valley
    Ringside Winner, $13.20, $6.20, $4.80, Freehold
    Ideal In Vegas, $6.90, $4, $3.10, Yonkers
    Dora Des Rivieres, $5.80, $3.20, $2.60, Miami Valley
    Rare Beauty, $5, $4.20, $3, Cal Expo
    Itsabouttonight, $3.40, $2.80, $2.40, Cal Expo
    All Star Dragon, $3, $2.40, $2.10, Yonkers

    Seconds

    Late For Work, $11.80, $9.40, Miami Valley
    Screen Saver, $11.10, $6.60, Meadows
    Eddie Sweat, $7.80, $4, Meadows
    Bad Angel, $7.40, $4.30, Miami Valley
    Cash Poor, $7, $3.90 (Exacta $26.20)
    Last Luck, $6.90, $7.80 (ok), Fraser
    All On My Own, $6.80, $5.40, Freehold
    Luna Hanover, $3.60, $2.40, Miami Valley

    Thirds

    Stiletosilverheels, $4.80, Cal Expo
    Sparticus Jim, $4.60, Flamboro
    Juntique, $4.40, Miami Valley
    B Good Lexi, $3.60, Miami Valley
    Mr Salming, $3.20, Freehold
    TT Tucker, $2.60, Meadows

    News And Notes

    As we go to press, the United States Harness Writers Association (USHWA) held its annual awards dinner at Dover Downs. Most of the divisional winners have already been announced and a few categories were held for the evening’s ceremony. These were not, however, surprises. We congratulate the connections to all of the winners, including Horse of the Year, Bee A Magician, and our choice for the top horse in 2013, Captaintreacherous, who won Pacer of the Year. Both of these horses have a history with this blog that goes deeper than public opinion. Bee A Magician is a filly trotter we supported before anyone in the business or sport gave her the respect she deserved, going back to her frosh year. Captaintreacherous was heralded here early this year when he began his soph campaign and we stuck with him as many journalists knocked him regardless of his stunning performances.

    World Champion trotter Guccio, a winner of $1,021,809, has been retired to stud in Indiana. Trained by Jimmy Takter, Guccio became one of the top contenders of his generation as a three-year-old and missed winning the $1.5 million Hambletonian by a neck. At 4 he trotted to his personal best of 1:51.1f, a World Record for four-year-old trotters.

    Takter said, “It was our plan to race in Europe in 2014 had this opportunity for him to enter the stud not developed. Indiana clearly has one of the most attractive regional programs and we do plan to breed to Guccio as I believe he has every quality to become an outstanding trotting sire.”

    Horse racing in British Columbia has been saved for at least five years now that a new deal has been negotiated. “The major component of this for us is the five-year deal. We’ve been told we have government backing for five years. We have race dates for five years,” said Jackson Whittup of Harness Racing BC. The new deal assures racing at the two tracks in the province, Fraser Downs (harness) and Hastings Park (runners). Both tracks are owned by Great Canadian Gaming Corporation, which also owns Flamboro and Georgian Downs in Ontario. The agreement will see 71 race dates at Fraser this year but that number will be reduced throughout the life of the deal. To read the full story in the Cloverdale Reporter, please click here.

    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

  • Cotolo’s Harness Review, News And Notes

    POSTED Nov 10, 2013 By Frank Cotolo

    Captaintreacherous’ latest adventure dismissed world-record holder Lucan Hanover. In a similar scenario, where Captaintreacherous is dueling in the stretch with one or two other late challengers, Lucan Hanover made steps that appeared he would catch his opponent by a nose or hair, and Captaintreacherous did what he always does—he looks at his foe from the side and takes the few extra steps needed for victory.

    The remarkable thing, then, about the American-National for soph-colt pacers at Balmoral on Nov. 9, was that Captaintreacherous paid $2.80 ($2.10, $2.10).

    Bee A Magician kept her win record spotless for the season, paying $2.10 ($2.10, no show wagering).

    But I Luv The Nitelife (the third of the Four Horses of the Apocalypse) went down in defeat after a long, grueling outside trip. Still, in harness racing’s longest stretch, “Luv” only allowed Charisma Hanover to beat her by the slightest of margins. She finished second and paid $2.40, $2.10.

    Our grand achievement of the Am-Nats turned out to be Lindy’s Tru Grit (photo left from Balmoral Park) beating his glamour-boy trotting mates and paying $25.00 ($6.80, $4.80).

    Trotting mare Maven was second ($3.80, $3.20) and Mister Herbie third ($3.20) in the Am-Nat older Open trot, won by favorite Market Share. Frosh-colt pacer Wicked Business finished third at 24-1 ($8.80), while Southwind Silence and Sweet Lou, our other two Am-Nat choices, finished fourth respectively.

    Three obvious winners at Dover on Sunday, Nov. 10, were led by Sunshine Beach, paying $3 ($2.60, $2.20). We gave you the exacta using Emeritus Maximus ($4.80, $3.40), which paid $13.60.

    Then, most of the favorites won their Matron events. We had Nuncio, who paid $2.10 ($2.10, no show wagering) and Shake It Cerry won and paid $2.10 ($2.10, no show wagering).

    Second for us were Ms Caila J Fra ($3, no show wagering) and third was Summertime Lea ($2.10). Two of our offerings, So Surreal and Lyonssomewhere, scratched.

    H2W RESULTS

    The H2W results list across-the-board prices. Odds off to win appear only for place and show finishers.

    Winners

    Lady Ashlyn, $9.20, $4.80, $3.40, Meadows
    Bo Knows Power, $5.40, $4.60, $3, Cal Expo
    Sad Story, $2.40, $2.10, $2.10, Freehold

    Seconds

    Baritone, $11.60, $5, Meadows
    Stand Guard, $2.60, $2.10, Freehold

    Thirds

    Magnum Kosmos, $10, Pocono
    Massasauga, $10, Lebanon
    The Awful Truth, $9, Batavia

    News And Notes

    The annual Standardbred Horse Sale in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was reported a huge success, with yearling sales averages up. The optimism for the sport was riding high; we witnessed this in person on the first day of sales. A filly pacer, Bodacious, for instance, sold for $355,000. On day one of the yearling roster, 18 percent of the stock sold went for $100,000 or over. That included Way Bay Hanover at $270,000. He is a son of Somebeachsomewhere, a pacing sire whose yearlings were in great demand, and Katnss, by productive trotting sire Winning Credit, who went for $260,000.

    Of the notable racehorses sold, trotting mare Beatgoeson Hanover was the overall sales-topper, demanding $410,000. She was going to begin broodmare duties before being sold but sources tell us her new connections will bring her back to the track next season.

    Trotting stallion Knows Nothing went to the same connections, this one for $240,000. A frosh-pacing colt, McWicked got enough interest to be purchased for $210,000. One thousand one hundred and sixty-two horses sold for an average of $28,889.

    Congratulations to driver Pat Berry for winning the race number 3,000     of his career. Berry is
    certainly a bettor’s friend, having delivered many a longshot while racing in the shadows of high-profile drivers. He is 37 and has driven the winners of more than $27 million.

    Plainridge Racecourse requested its current season end Thursday, Nov. 14. According to new legislation, a racetrack is allowed to reduce racing programs. Massachusetts is teetering on the brink of passing expanded gaming laws, which should have a positive affect on Plainridge, which has suffered greatly in business over the past few years and is the only harness track in the state.

    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


     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Cotolo’s Harness Review, News And Notes

    POSTED Oct 20, 2013 By Frank Cotolo

    Saturday night, Oct. 19 we gathered again in the press box at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs with the sport’s top journalists from all over the world, this time to cover the dozen Breeders Crown finals.

    It was a bit different from the week before when we covered the elimination races. On both nights when the racetrack offered elims on the program, the Pocono Mountains were aglow with bright nights and a sparkling sky. This week, the closer it came to post time the more gray the sky became and the air went from gently moist to pelting wet with rain. The five-eighths-mile oval went from conditions “fast” to “good” to “sloppy” more quickly than a world record mile was broken by either gait.

    Still, the show went on and the results were not so different than they might have been were the mountain breezes blowing in clear October skies. Armed with our on-site senses and our laptops, the Twitter accounts of @FrankCotolo and @HarnessRaycer rolled out tweets with tips, info and photos throughout the card.

    Again, we thanks the     Hambletonian Society –Tom Charters, Moira Fanning and the Board of Directors—for the accommodations and chance to work at the event representing TwinSpires.

    What follows are the results of our efforts to assist bettors in finding the most valuable wagers up to the minute of each post. A few of our last-minute alterations in the Thursday blogs’ choices were positive, though the entire program offered far more public choices winning than we enjoy backing. But many of our horses were alive and thoroughly involved in prices on the board and in exotics.

    Breeders Crown finals, 2013

    Two-year-old Colt & Gelding Trot
    One of the four “locks” we addressed won the first event. Father Patrick ($2.10, $2.10, $2.10) finalized his divisional crown with an easy win just before sunset and showers. We backed him up with two horses, Nuncio ($3.40, $2.20) and Don Dorado. The latter broke and was eliminated. The exacta, which last week paid us $26.80, paid $4.20.

    Two-year-old Filly Pace
    One of only two winners on the program that paid double digits was our choice, Uffizi Hanover ($10.20, $5.20, $4.20). Our second-and-third choices were off the board.

    Two-year-old Filly Trot
    This was our worst effort in the result category but in our own defense we never had a shot with any of the three we offered because they all broke stride and chopped their ways over the finish line at the back of the field. Lifetime Pursuit finished ninth, Demanding Sam finished seventh and Cooler Schooner—the race favorite—finished eighth.

    Open Trot
    We did not mention the winner, Market Share, but he shared the trifecta with two of our choices. Our top choice, Arch Madness was third ($6.20) and our third choice, Mister Herbie was secon ($5.80, $4). The winner was tweeted by @HarnessRaycer. Market Share ($6, $3.20, $3.20) led the $1.96.40 trifecta.

    Three-year-old Filly Pace
    The second lock of the program, according to many punters, was I Luv The Nitelife ($4, $2.80, $2.10) and shockingly enough, she was second choice. Her even-money win was “a gift” according to more than one pro handicapper. Our other choices were off the board. From @HarnessRaycer came the place horse, Authorize ($10,60, $7.80) and an exacta worth $43.80).

    Two-year-old Colt & Gelding Pace
    Paying close attention to tweets and blogs may have rewarded followers in this event. One of our third-place choices and our choice that won last week’s elim, Luck Be Withyou ($5.80, $4, $3.20), won. The tweets offered extra warning about a 34-1horse not mentioned in our blog. Losing by only a head, Sometimes Said ($20.40, $7.80) took the second spot. The exacta paid $120. Our other third choice, Somestarsomewhere ($2.80) was third. That trifecta paid $3.80.80. Our first choice, So Surreal, broke making a big move at three-quarters, and was eliminated.

    Mare Trot
    Our third choice and the super favorite, Maven ($2.60, $2.20, $2.10) won easily as the rain continued in sheets through the area. Again, our choice broke as Check Me Out jumped at the beginning of the race and as he came back on gait and made a move late, he broke again at the top of the stretch. Our second choice was off the board while @HarnessRaycer tweeted the winner.

    Open Mares Pace
    Our main choice was off the board while our second and third choices finished in that order. Rocklamation ($5, $3.40) and Anndrovette ($2.80) competed the trifecta.

    Three-year-old Filly Trot
    The third lock won in a flash with a flash. Bee A Magician ($2.10, $2.10, $2.10) was never challenged once on the lead early. One of our third choices, Frau Blucher ($3.60, $2.80) completed the meager $6.60 exacta. Our two other listed horses were off the board, one of them due to a break.

    Three-year-old Colt Pace
    Once again we encouraged the adventures of Captaintreacherous ($2.10, $2.10, $2.10) and he provided the thrills necessary to make harness racing history (photo above). Multiple moves in the gritty going and a stubborn lead-capturing stride won it again for the pacer that deserves Horse of the Year honors. Our other choices were off the board.

    Three-year-old Colt Trot
    Our original choices, Royalty For Life, was scratched “due to injury” and that left us with two outsiders that were off the board.

    Horse Pace
    Passing the probable favorite, we were nosed by him at the wire when Pet Rock ($4.60, $3.20) finished second and our first choice, Modern Legend ($5.20) got up for third.

    It has already been determined that the 2014 championship series will be presented at The New Meadowlands. We hope to be there to cover it for TwinSpires bettors.

    The final two months of the harness season still offer some stakes events and we are going to return over the next few months and into 2014 with a more extensive horses-to-watch (H2W) list. So stay tuned, the action is far from over in 2013 and will continue abundantly into the winter of 2014.






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

    Ray Cotolo contributed to this blog.

    Cartoons by Thom Pye

     

     

     

     

  • Breeders Crown Finals Are Wager-Worthy

    POSTED Oct 16, 2013 By Frank Cotolo



    The Breeders Crown for 2013 takes place on the single program at Pocono Downs this Saturday, Oct. 19. We will once again be on site for the events, offering tweets @FrankCotolo , @HarnessRaycer with extended coverage. Follow us for some major late-breaking wagering opportunities, as well as exclusive insider comments.

    This week’s blog, like last week’s blog, splits into two volumes. We cover, below, the two- and three-year-old events. At the Breeders CrownCountdown blog, we cover the finals for the older divisions. Our horses-to-watch list (H2W) returns next week.

    The finals’ fields include the top finishers from the elims and the byes, making for competitive races, though four of them include arguable locks.
     
    Two-year-old Colt Trot

    One of this year’s three best horses has been Father Patrick. We have sung his praises through the season and he has not let us down. In the elim we nabbed him with Nuncio for an exacta, having faith in the latter’s return after a rest. Father Patrick made up a lot of ground to win but it’s the kind of horse he has been all season in this division. Don Dorado, here with rest, comes in on a bye and should be wailing. Nuncio could be in the mix again.

    Two-year-old Filly Pace
    Gallie Bythe Beach won an elim but her connections scratched her, disliking how she came out of the mile. So, Precocious Beauty, beaten a neck last week and getting post 8, may be a decent price, especially with She’s Da Bomb, though also an elim loser, and Allstar Rating, the other elim winner, drawing inside of her. If those three cancel each another out with duels and shuffling, which is a good possibility, Uffizi Hanover could be the upset performer.

    Two-year-old Filly Trot
    Cooler Schooner appears to be a step or two better than her main rival, Shake It Cerry, but that is impossible to prove. Ultimately, the filly that can topple them both, especially if they speed it up midway to get control, is Lifetime Pursuit. A spoiler for the exacta may be Demanding Sam, who was strong late against “Cooler” in a deceiving close (because “Cooler” won by over 10 lengths). “Cerry” could be off the board.

    Three-year-old Filly Pace
    This division went sans elims but what does that matter when I Luv The Nitelife shows up to race? She is the second of four outstanding division leaders and should cap her soph season tonight with a blaze of glory. There will be action on Shebestingin and Somwherovrarainbow but it is most difficult to see them beating “Nitelife.” In fact, while you are keying Nitelife in exotics, don’t leave out Parlee Beach, who could pull another great second as she did in Delaware, at a big price.

    Two-year-old Colt Pace
    This is a tough field with a lot of cases for many to win. So Surreal closed very well in his elim and may be a big overlay compared to Somestarsomewhere and Luck Be Withyou, last week’s steamers. Also a probable outsider with a decent chance of being in the mix is Three Of Clubs. He will be under-rated, especially from post 8, but is coming around to a strong peak at the right time.

    Three-year-old Filly Trot

    The next standout, unbeaten in her division and the filly many thought could have beaten the boys in the Hambo, is Bee A Magician. Readers of this blog heard the name first here, last year, when we forecast the daughter of Kadabra to be a giant. She has exceeded our expectations and could be the best around since CR Kay Suzie. Royal Assets scratched, bringing Southwind Cocoa into the field but that is a small asterisk. Chances are Coffeecake Hanover or Ma Chere Hall sit behind “Bee” and there is the exacta.


    Three-year-old Colt Pace

    Rarely at this time in the season can a harness writer be at a loss for superlatives when it comes to any horse but the well of accolades has been emptied when it comes to Captaintreacherous. It’s amazing that the track handicapper’s morning line makes him a 5-2 favorite. Those odds are madness; they represents a 29-percent chance to win for one of the greatest pacers to set foot on a racetrack in modern times. We should only be so lucky to get such a wager. For an exacta price look at Apprentice Hanover, who can sneak in there while the other public choices try again to thwart Captaintreacherous’ trip. Beach Memories could hoist the price of a trifecta. Horses in exotics with “Captain” have tended to be outsiders, the ones standing after the better ones lose their breaths.

    Three-year-old Colt Trot

    We think Royalty For Life will race far better than he did in the elim, where he finished fourth while maintaining a tiresome outside trip. No doubt he will be sent strongly this time and when he is able to take command he will do what he has done to these same horses almost repeatedly through the season. He may be a better price than ever, though, because the crowd is fickle and because he has not totally dominated the division and because All Laid Out is the “now” horse. We like to think that means he loses now. Use Deadliest Catch in exotics, as well as EL Rocket to boost your prices.


    Ray Cotolo contributed to this edition.

     

  • Cotolo’s Harness Review, News And Notes

    POSTED Oct 13, 2013 By Frank Cotolo


    Friday night, Oct. 11 and Saturday night, Oct. 12, we huddled in the press box at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs, shuttling from the intimate area to the winner’s circle during two programs laden with Breeders Crown activity, the eliminations for the Oct. 19 finals.

    This was the first of our two weeks in the gloriously beautiful Pocono Mountains, at the five-eighths-mile oval with the fast, deeply rich-reddened surface and smooth turns, sharing with a global audience the talents of the sport’s human and equine stars and finest journalists. We return next weekend to cover the program at Pocono that hosts the dozen finals on Oct. 19. Our Thursday blog and the spin-off blog, our Breeders Crown Countdown will preview the races. As well, @FrankCotolo and @HarnessRaycer on Twitter will be presenting tips, info and photos through the card.

    Our thanks, of course, to the Hambletonian Society –Tom Charters, Moira Fanning and the Board of Directors—for the accommodations and the opportunity to rejoin our cohorts and the sport’s insiders to further the great wagering benefits of harness racing through TwinSpires and assist the industry with racing reports. Along with Moira Fanning, Jay Bergman, Ken Winegartner and Ray Cotolo, complete recaps of all the elims were produced and are accessible by clicking the races’ appropriate links in our wagering recap below.

    We are going to recap our betting activity thoroughly, including the blogs’ suggested contenders and the on-site tweets through the Twitter accounts above (as well, many tweets are retweeted through accounts such as Pocono Downs, @MSPDRacing, so check your Twitter coverage so you don’t miss one instant update or change from the source of the action. 
    Friday Frosh Elims

    In the first of two frosh-filly trot elims , we were third with Goddess. Off at 45-1, she paid $11.20 to show, beaten by two favorites, Shake It Cerry and Lifetime Pursuit.

    Elim two for the filly trotters found our choice, Demanding Sam finishing third, paying $4 to show. She went off at 14-1 and was beaten by two of the three top choices.

    The first of two elims for frosh-filly pacers was won by a second choice, while our blog’s contender, Ali Blue, finished fourth at 6-1. The @HarnessRaycer tweet supported Southwind Silence (12-1), who finished second and paid $6.40 to place and $15.60 to show.

    The second division for the filly pacers featured a mild upset from Allstar Rating. We backed the top choice, Precocious Beauty, who finished second and paid $2.10 and $2.10.

    We backed Father Patrick, the stunning frosh-colt trotter, in the frosh-colt trot elim (a single mile where the top seven qualified for the final) and we offered a sharp second-place choice in Nuncio (15-1). Father Patrick won, paying $2.80, $2.80 and $2.10. Nuncio finished second, paying $8.20 and $8.40. The exacta came back $26.80.

    Saturday’s Stakes Storm

    We must lead with another great tale of Captaintreacherous (photo above) because once again he defied all odds of winning with a trip that any other pacer would surely call treacherous. For this champion pacer, though, being hanged and dueling are not problems, even when they come in tandem. Read the story of his victory in the second soph-colt-pace elim. His victory, which we supported, was worth $2.60, $2.20 and $2.10.

    You could get only $2.10 across the board on our other obvious choice, Bee A Magician, in the second division for soph-filly trotters. But you cannot get the definition of a “lock” any closer than this gorgeous gal.Luck Be With You was our winner in the third division of frosh-colt pacers. He paid $6.80. $3.40 and $2.80.

    Though we blogged liking Bluto in the first division of soph-colt trotters, @HarnessRaycer tweeted on site about All Laid Out and he won, paying $7.80, $3.40 and $2.60.

    We liked Apprentice Hanover (11-1) in the first soph-colt pace but we also mentioned the winner, Lucan Hanover ($7.80, $3.60 and $2.80). “Apprentice” finished fourth.

    When Coffeecake Hanover won the first soph-filly-trot elim, following the on-site tweets paid off again. Our blog choice, Bouncing Bax (5-1) finished fifth to the @HarnessRaycer tweeted choice, Coffeecake Hanover, paying $23, $4.80 and $3.

    The third choice for @HarnessRaycer, Doo Wop Hanover, lighted up the toteboard in the second split for frosh-colt pacers. When three top choices broke early in the race and were eliminated, “Doo Wop” went on to race smoothly to a win, paying $64 to win, ahead of a 10-1 shot and a 35-1 shot. Our choice, Beat The Drum (45-1), finished sixth.

    The first division of three frosh-colt pacers was a loss with Let’s Drink On It (13-1), who finished sixth. We had D’orsay (2-1) in round one for mare trotters; she paid $3.80 and $3.20, beaten by the public choice. We lost with Swinging Beauty (15-1) in the single elim for mare pacers; we were fourth with Royalty For Life in round two of the soph-colt trot battle; Win Missy B (16-1) tried to take the older mare trotters wire to wire with three fiery panels but tanked in the second round for mare trotters, won by top choice Maven.

    In the older pace, just about everyone was shocked at the lackluster performance of A Rocknroll Dance. Foiled Again won the race with verve and muscle but the favorite, our choice, too, “Dance,” never got into the race, finishing last in the field of nine. We will report anything we hear about the condition of the fine pacer.

    H2W RESULTS

    $4.50 Romeo Star, Batavia

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

    Seconds:
    Twin B Shasta (6-5), Northfield; Broadwood (5-2), Vernon

    Thirds:
    There were no third-place finishers from the list.

    The entire H2W list from Thursday provided only seven horses. Upcoming lists, especially after the Breeders Crown events, guarantee more possible plays.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    News And Notes

    Draws for the sophomore colt pace and the sophomore colt trot will be pulled at a special press conference at Pocono on Wednesday, Oct. 16.

    Wagering on the 2013 Breeders Crown finals at Pocono Downs on Oct. 19 will include the following exotics in conjunction with the U.S. Trotting Association. There will be three Pick-4 wagers, starting with the first Breeders Crown race on the card, which will be Race 3. The three Pick-4 wagers will be offered up to the final Breeders Crown race, which is Race 14. There will be a guaranteed pool for each Pick 4 of $25,000 and all will have a takeout rate of 15 per cent. In addition, there will be an Early Daily Double for Races 1 and 2, which will be $75,000 Pocono Invitational races, and a Late Daily Double for the last two races on the card. The     Pick 3 will be offered for Races 1, 2, and 3, and the takeout will be 15 per cent. Post time for the 2013 Breeders Crown is 5 p.m.

    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.

    Thirteen Breeders Crown events kept our staff busy every minute of the program at Pocono on Oct. 12. This card’s recap is not in the order of the races’ presented.

    You could get only $2.10 across the board on our other obvious choice, Bee A Magician, in
     


    Ray Cotolo contributed to this blog.  

    Cartoons by Thom Pye

  • Cotolo’s Harness Review, News And Notes

    POSTED Aug 4, 2013 By Frank Cotolo

    The big weekend is over and we are happy to say it was a terrific theater for racing and wagering as we covered the sport’s huge features on site at the Meadowlands. 
     
    In league with Hambletonian Society’s press and public relations corps, my son Ray and I were embedded in the press box at the historic track for Friday and Saturday’s programs. In our usual spots the first weekend of August (this was Ray’s fourth visit as the youngest working journalist in harness; he came first at 11-years-old) we worked alongside some veteran harness writers and publicists, many whom I connected with during the ‘90s as an editor of an industry magazine. But for the last decade I have been reporting on the big weekend for the bettors, through YouBet and then TwinSpires. This year we enjoyed our most munificent string of race successes, some which rattled the traditional writers on the scene, and all of which were well appreciated by our harness bettors at TwinSpires. 
     
    The TwinSpires Players Pool was developed only 24 hours before it was sold out, capping at $10,000. We set out to hammer some big bets and get some big prices on Saturday. But first, we covered Aug. 2, mostly through last week’s blog, and we had a decent evening of profits based on the pre-Hambletonian features. 
     
    We struck first with Exemplar, a trotter we thought would offer a larger price than what developed. He turned out to be the even-money choice, won and paid $4. However, we offered two contestants as exacta partners and one of them, Deadliest Catch, took second at 39-1, igniting a payoff of $88.20. 
     
    Of the three contenders we offered in a filly trot, Cupcake won and paid $9.80, followed by another suggested exacta partner, Silver Credit, and that combo came back with a price of $30.80. 
     
    Saturday’s program began before noon and the Players Pool (PLP) was launched from the starting race. We urged everyone to follow our tweets at TwinSpires for any alterations in the blog text on the Hambletonian-day card. The blog hit the first winner, I Luv The Nitelife ($2.80) with Ms Caila J Fra second (exacta $7.20), while the PLP went for Jerseylicious, who finished fourth. 
     
    The second race was a disappointment for PLP and blog-followers as Heaven’s Door made two costly breaks at 9-2 and was eliminated. The blog’s second choice, Lifetime Pursuit (2-1) finished second to the huge favorite. 
     
    Then, the PLP exploded with its and the blog’s choice winning Race 3 at 17-1. D’orsay (photo on right by Ray Cotolo), predicted to put in a big winning mile, broke the World Record for sex, age and gait, smashing the powerful mare-trotter field in a stunning 1:51.4 victory that left her foes shuddering. She paid $36.60 to win ($13.40 to place and $7 to show, wagers included in PLP). PLP investors were also treated to the trifecta, which paid $181.20 (which we had multiple times [mx]).
     
    Rocklamation was third in the next event (PLP picked up the $32.80 mx). The next race got PLP a $14.60 favorite-full trifecta (mx) with Southwind Spirit, the blog choice, third. Take My Picture, as our choice, lost in the next race, souring our exotics. 
     
    The Hambletonian elim heats followed and Smilin Eli was second, with PLP cashing on place and show. Tweeting the next elim, we went with Creatine for the PLP and he won, paying $13.80 and $5.80 for our place wager. We nailed that exacta for PLP with Wheeling N Dealin second, paying $44 mx. We were out of all bets in the last Hambo elim. 
     
    Twitter followers then got the word that the horse to go with in the John Cashman, Jr. stakes for older male trotters was Sevruga. Our blog choices contributed to the exotics as Sevruga won, paying $21.60. The exacta paid $152.80 mx and the trifecta came in $479 mx. 
     
    We nailed the Hambletonian Oaks Final with Bee A Magician and 15-1 shot Classic Martine, adding to the PLP profits. 
     
    We did not win the Hambletonian Final. The dead-on favorite, Royalty For Life, which we admittedly played down as a major contender in the Hambo fields, won the conclusive heat easily at 4-5.
     
    Finally, place and show on our PLP choice, Malak Uswaad N, in the season’s finale race, completed a highly successful run of winning tickets for the PLP participants. We thank everyone that put their confidence in our PLP selections through the afternoon and hope to take part again in another harness Players Pool. 
     
    Remember that the Hambletonian Society web site has archives of all stories from the Hambletonian Trail and coming in the next few weeks we will begin the Breeders Crown Countdown into the elims and finals this October, where we will be on site at Pocono Downs for harness bettors through TwinSpires. 
     
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
     
    News And Notes

    Our stay in the Meadowlands press box was poignant as well as productive, since the main structure of the facility will meet its doom in early 2014. The press corps peered at the new grandstand building from the large glass windows of the press box, knowing it was our final visit to the original building. The new grandstand, being constructed on the backstretch, is nearly completed.

    Turning the composition of the Meadowlands facility around also eliminated the stable area, so when the track opens in November with its new face, competing horses will be ship-ins.

    On Friday morning, Aug. 2, the last of the qualifiers for the 2013 season and the final to be held in front of the old grandstand, featured a mile by the sport’s current well-deserved superstar Captaintreacherous. The monstrous pacing machine put on a display by presenting an easy but dazzling 1:50.1 mile, closed by a 25.4 final quarter. 

    The pride of Captaintreacherous Racing, trained by Tony Alagna and managed by Myron Bell, is reportedly going back to Pocono for his next stakes appearance. It should be as a part of the track’s Super Stakes Saturday on Aug. 17, in the Battle of Brandywine. 

    In Ontario, friends and workers at Flamboro Downs are more concerned than ever, as the facility remains empty and the slots continue to operate. An insider said, “The only people who have been hurt is the horse people.” This is the first summer in many years that Flamboro has not held harness racing and Brian Tropea, president of the Ontario Harness Horse Association says that has greatly affected horse people.

    An Ontario news report indicates that former Agriculture Minister Ted McMeekin, who established a horse racing transition panel many months ago, is still attempting to finalize a plan to help keep the horse racing industry in the province from being completely decimated. To read the full story, please click here.  

    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