Showing posts with label Yonkers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Yonkers. Show all posts

  • Steadfast Steeds Star In Stakes

    POSTED Sep 10, 2014 By Frank Cotolo
    September’s stay in Canada ensues as Mohawk stays the center of attraction with the sport’s top events of the week. Frosh trotters of both sexes, many stars of the season, including glamour-boy-and-girl trotters from the Hambletonian Trail, are the focus of the Saturday, Sept. 13 program.

    Freshman colt-and-filly-pacer battles will also be covered on our exclusive blog, this year’s Breeders Crown Countdown, including the Reynolds Stakes from Tioga Downs’ penultimate program of this meet. Also, the Milton Stakes elims at Mohawk add to the content. We link to the “Countdown” blog from this main blog for coverage of races through the rest of the season leading to the championship events in November, in cooperation with the Hambletonian Society and TwinSpires.

    Check out TwinSpires-Hoosier Park’s 10-percent bonus for hitting Pick 4s every night there is racing at the Indiana track. And, of course, our horses-to-watch list (H2W) offers live contenders for win, place, show and exotics from tracks across the continent.

    Of course, the H2W list rolls on through the ninth month with suggested contenders that may complement your win, place, show and exotic combos at many harness tracks across North America.

    And a special, added attraction to our weekly blogs goes into play with Little Brown Jug week and all the weekday action starting Monday, Sept. 15. Look here and watch the TwinSpires Facebook page and Twitter feed to be on top of some hot contenders during the week that ends after Thursday, Sept. 18, with America’s Pace, the Little Brown Jug.

    Classic Trotters In Canada

    The $682,000 Canadian Trotting Classic (CTC) headlines Saturday, Sept. 13, at Mohawk Racetrack. As has been the case all season with the glamour-boy trotters, a major stakes field is highlighted by the Jimmy Takter-trained duo of Father Patrick and Trixton.

    We all know that what happened to Father Patrick in the Hambletonian was a striking misfortune and that his stable mate, Trixton, took advantage of it to win. Then Father Patrick returned and was nipped by Datsyuk for his only two losses of the season. He regained dominance by winning the Zweig and Pennsylvania Sires Stakes Championship just like the Father Patrick that would have won the Hambletonian.

    It is important to pay attention to Takter, who wrote the following tweet recently: “Father Patrick, so special, just makes it look so easy, my best horse ever.” So go no further with your CTC handicapping—Father Patrick is still the best this division has seen in a long time. As well, he is undefeated in three starts at Mohawk.

    If Trixton is looking to defeat his stable mate once again in a rich stakes event he will have to pray that Father Patrick is a victim of circumstance again. Even though Trixton has had success at Mohawk this season and holds the Mohawk track record for a three-year-old trotter (1:51.3), he has to beat Father Patrick fair and square once to prove he is near as good.

    Local standout Harper Blue Chip has dominated the Ontario Sires Stakes circuit this season and finished third in the Hambletonian, though he was far back from Trixton and Nuncio. “Harper” is definitely an exotic wagering element. The other four are E L Titan, Muscle Matters, Il Sogno Dream and Damfoolrmillionair, minor to no threats.

    Elegant And Elite

    The $409,000 Elegantimage Stakes, which used to be contested in June, is also on the Sept. 13 program at Mohawk, featuring 11 of the best soph-trotting fillies. Takter sends out the favorite in this event, too. Certainly a standout for us during the season, Shake It Cerry trots a mile above this group. Takter also senda out Scream And Shout, yet to be proven worthy of this caliber.

    Completing the field are Demanding Sam, Tosca, Riveting Rosie, Vanity Matters, Chivaree Hanover, Sweetie Hearts, Muscle Babe, Designed To Be and Ake Svanstedt’s Heavens Door. Since “Designed” is bound to be a second choice, Ake’s “Door” may go off as a good exacta choice and if Designed happens to be beat for third, any of the others will key a great triactor.

    Well, Well, Wellwood

    Two eliminations were raced last Saturday as non-betting events (after being cancelled on Friday due to a lightning storm at Mohawk) deciding the 10 two-year-old colts making up the field of the $390,000 William Wellwood Memorial final.

    Uncle Lasse, a full brother to Shake It Cerry, won the first. Trained by Takter, Uncle Lasse has won three of six starts and has never been worse than third. The second went to Lookslikeachpndale, a son of Muscle Hill, trained by Luc Blais, in 1:56.2. It was the graduation of maiden to winner for Lookslikeachpndale. Completing the field are Gifted Way, Dont Rush, Aldebaran Eagle, Habitat, Jetpedia, Southwind Stryker, Wheels Ah Smokin and Big Rich.

    We had Jetpedia last week and he was second in one elim and we had Wheels Ah Smokin in the other where he finished sixth. However, they appear to be strong exacta partners this week for Habitat. Were there wagering, Habitat would have been a huge favorite, so it works out for bettors that there were two other elim winners; now Habitat may be a second or third choice and that is a good thing for a win bet and, as mentioned, to be keyed with the two we supported last week.

    Peaceful Ways

    The $385,000 Peaceful Way Stakes, for two-year-old filly trotters features another standout, a world champion in a group of 10, Mission Brief. The daughter of Muscle Hill won her elimination last week in a world record time of 1:52.1 and has been a sterling model for victory most of the second half of the season for trainer Ron Burke. Driver Yannick Gingras said she hasn’t even given her best yet. “She had plenty left [in last week’s elim], she is scary scary fast,” said Gingras.

    Jolene Jolene won the other elimination, a daughter of Muscle Hill trained by Jonas Czernyson, in 1:55.1. We supported her as she approached her current form and peaked recently. Jolene Jolene has won three consecutive starts and finished second to Mission Brief on Hambletonian day (we supported that exacta). These two represent the exacta, which will return very little, leaving your judgment as the to-play-or-not-play factor.

    Ruling The Empire

    The New York Sires Stakes (NYSS) Night of Champions at Yonkers is the Saturday, Sept. 13 highlight in the Empire State’s standardbred business and bettors beyond the borders can wager on eight events featuring the best two- and three-year-olds of the 2014 season. Each final is worth $225,000. Races two through nine on the 13-race card ($10,000 guaranteed pool Pick 5, 50-cent base wager races 5 through 9). For the sake of brevity, we will list the final and our two suggested contenders in the order the races appear on the program.

    Two-year-old filly trot: Concentration; Kaliska
    Three-year-old filly pace: Table Talk; Medusa
    Two-year-old filly pace: Mosquito Blue Chip; Band Of Angels
    Three-year-old filly trot: Market Rally; Avalicious
    Two-year-old colt trot: Royal Deceptor; Crazy Wow
    Three-year-old colt pace: All Bets Off; Stay Up Late
    Two-year-old colt pace: Cartoon Daddy; Americanprimetime
    Three-year-old colt trot: Gural Hanover; Zoey De Vie

    The Company ‘Smith’

    On Friday, , Sept. 12, Freehold presents the Charles Smith for $55,000. Once a stable in the Hambletonian Trail stream of races, glamour-boy trotters take to the half-mile in the new millennium with less initiative, as well as less to win from a purse reduced greatly. In any event, this seven-horse field is an opportunity for Well Built to dominate as was once thought he could do this season in the division. He is up against far less than he faced when his gait problem began in May, so it remains to be seen how the public approaches this crew. We would use him as a key if he turns out to the be top choice and use Skates N Plates and Hillustrious with him.

    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

    Batavia
    9/12/14, +Studio City R7
    9/13/14, +King William R6; Sbm Innocentoutlaw R8; Peter Pumpkineater R11

    Freehold
    9/12/14, +Fancy Pants Sandy R6; Big Sky Angelina R10
    9/13/14, +Mooshead Jack R5; +Card Shock R8 

    Hoosier
    9/13/14, Allthatgltrsisgold R3; +Matt The Bruiser R6; Ransomed R6; +Red Scooter R7; +Light Up The Sky R8; Jammin Joseph R12; +Battle Gun R14; +Star City Hero R14Z

    Maywood
    9/11/14, +Delightful Dot R7
    9/12/14, Brianna Official R1; +R Dunshine R4; +Donald Himself R8; +Online Learning R9

    Meadows
    9/12/14, Upfront Dean R5; Violet Eyes R8; Southern Allie R9; Iwanashowusomthin R10; +Incredible Dragon R11

    Plainridge
    9/13/14, +Painting The Town R8

    Philadelphia
    9/11/14, +Smilin Eli R6

    Rosecroft
    9/13/14, Speeditup Hanover R6; +South Dakota R12

    Saratoga
    9/11/14, +Dontmakemelaugh R4
    9/13/14, Big Bambu R1; Major Steve R3; Mr Rockford R3; Avogadro Hanover R11

    Scioto
    9/12/14, Shakin Friskie R10

    Tioga
    9/12/14, +Mcardles Lightning R4; Winbak Glory ae R9

    Vernon
    9/13/14, Avivas Winner R11; Skyway Poncho R12 
     
    Yonkers
    9/13/14, +Big Jer R12

    Ray Cotolo contributes to each edition.     


  • Cotolo’s Harness Review, News And Notes

    POSTED Aug 10, 2014 By Frank Cotolo
    A timid weekend in the price department resulted due to massive public choices winning. We had some of them since some of them, we felt, deserved the attention. So, we begin with the headlining Dan Patch Invitational Aug. 8 at Hoosier Park.

    We made a call that we did not feel was bold when we added to the fact that Sweet Lou would win the Dan Patch he would also put together Hoosier’s quickest mile in its harness racing history. There was a lot of hype about Dancin Yankee, a foe in the Dan Patch and the only horse this year to defeat “Lou,” but we dismissed it.

    Sweet Lou ($2.40, $2.20, $2.10) became the fastest horse in the history of Hoosier Park when he won the $258,000 Dan Patch Invitational in 1:47.2. To our dismay, Heston Blue Chip (33-1) put in a giant mile first over but could not sustain the place position, quashing our hopes for a strong exacta price.

    “I really didn’t think we were going that much,” Pierce said after the record mile. “I saw the splits and I was amazed.” He voiced some concern for second-place Bettor’s Edge. “He just kept coming and coming and coming and coming. This is a very long stretch but my horse raced great again.”

    Bettor’s Edge has, however, been second to Lou a number of times this season and always appears to be coming and coming and coming but never gets there, so Pierce may have been overly concerned.

    That night in frosh Indiana Sires Stakes (INSS) finals, we delivered one winner in four events, Airman Batten ($2.80, $2.20, $2.20 ok). In another INSS final we were second with Feetonthedashboard ($4, $3).

    At the Meadows on Friday we scored with the first of two Currier & Ives splits for soph-colt trotters. The winner was Wheelsandthelegman ($4.60, $2.20, $2.20 ok). In the second split we had the two trifecta participants, Skates N Plates ($3.20 n/s) and Southwind Sprit (n/s). With the favorite, Il Sogno Dream, on top, the trifecta paid $10.60, the exacta paid $5.40.

    The first Gold Cup & Saucer trial found us second, as Bigtown Hero ($2.10, $2.10 ok) raced strongly against the favorite (Exacta $8.10). The second trial is Aug. 11, after press time, and we are looking for Mach Wheel to win it.

    Saturday night at Hoosier we had one winner in the INSS finals for sophomores. It was no surprise to anyone that Always B Miki ($2.20, $2.10, $2.10 ok) won the colt pace. Our other three INSS final selections were off the board.

    Sunday at Tioga, Hes Watching defeated our choice Jk Endofanera again in the Empire Breeders Championship. We were second ($2.90 n/s) and the exacta paid $4.90. We had a soft choice in the filly split (5-2), finishing fourth.

    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 20 on the H2W list.

    Winners

    Ok Amelia, $12.80, $4.40, $4, Ocean

    Seconds

    Whipmeintoshape, $3.70, $5.30 ok, Batavia

    Thirds

    Tellitlikeitis, $2.10, Philadelphia

    News And Notes

    Rosecroft Raceway’s 27-date meet starts Saturday, Sept. 13 with live racing every Tuesday through Saturday through Dec.13. A purse increase of approximately 5 percent will be part of the fall purse structure, bringing the overnight purses to an average of approximately $65,000 per race date. Rosecroft will continue to provide additional incentives for Maryland racing participants including entry preferences and a 15-percent purse earnings bonus for “Maryland Preferred” horses and horsemen. “The racing program at Rosecroft continues to improve and Maryland horsemen and horses are the biggest beneficiary with over eighty percent of the starters and purse earnings going to Maryland owners, trainers or horses bred, sired or foaled in the state,” said Chris McErlean, VP of Racing for Penn National Gaming, parent company of Rosecroft.

    As a precursor to the return of Yonkers Raceway’s International Trot next season, the Raceway is planning to host an Invitational Trot this fall, according to track publicist Frank Drucker. The date is Saturday, Oct. 25, the evening featuring the finals of the Yonkers Trot and Messenger Stakes (along with their companion filly events). “The purse would be commensurate with the quality of the field,” Drucker said. “We are gauging the interest of bringing the best trotters on the continent here,” COO Bob Galterio said. “We feel the date is perfect, a few weeks after Lexington and a few weeks before the Breeders Crown.” Yonkers will be getting in touch with the connections of elite trotters in the United States and Canada. As for the International, first held at Roosevelt in 1959 and last contested at Yonkers in 1995, there is no date set for its presentation in 2015.

    Trainer Bob McIntosh’s Go Daddy Go won Grand River Raceway’s premier event, the $217,140 Battle of Waterloo, on Aug. 4. John Campbell, fresh off finishing second in the Hambletonian with Nuncio, drove the pacer. McIntosh hired Campbell to return to southern Ontario, where both the horsemen got their starts in the business, and Campbell averred, winning the final at a juicy 7-1.

    Sectionline Yankee, twice a winner in overnights for our H2W list this season, became much faster on Aug. 8. The five-year-old mare equaled the track record of 1:50.4 for older pacing mares in a $15,000 conditioned event at Scioto Downs. You may have noticed that some higher class horses are being added to the H2W list. These are pacers and trotters that have stepped down into conditioned and Open events for lack of more stakes races available to them. Keep an eye out for some names that have been popular in the stakes coverage of divisions this season as they hit the H2W list. Horses we have chosen to win bigger events but lost have gone on to win less classy affairs, including Monkey On My Wheel, Let’s Drink On It, The Lunch Pail, Stevensville and Rossini, to name a few.

    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

  • Frosh, Soph And Aged Battles Adorn Weekend Action

    POSTED Jul 16, 2014 By Frank Cotolo
    The Adios was traditionally a post-Hambletonian affair, refocusing upon the glamour-boy pacers after the severe concentration of glamour-boy trotters. In the new millennium, the Adios is part of August’s overture of harness highlights and unlike its old place on the stakes calendar, the Adios absentees are usually the best of the division.

    The 2014 Adios presents a strict, second-tier cast in the soph-colt pacing division, with the two giants, JK Endofanera and Hes Watching, passing. Also absent are Always B Miki, Doo Wop Hanover, Western Vintage, Lyonssomewhere, Tellitlikeitis and Sometimes Said, leaving the elims looking a lot like the ad hoc consolation for the Meadowlands Pace. It is no wonder that the morning-line favorite is McWicked.

    The good news is that all three Adios elims may be good betting races, maybe better than the July 26 final. So we will dig into them in this blog, looking for some generous returns on our plays.

    Older pacers and trotters will tangle in Ohio and Ontario with the Battle of Lake Erie at Northfield and the Maple Leaf Trot at Mohawk. Frosh class is displayed at Yonkers in the Lawrence Sheppard Final and the first leg of the Ima Lula features four-year-old mare trotters at the Meadowlands.

    Canadian Breeders Championships (CBC) for pacers at Mohawk are covered below, while those for trotters and the Reynolds is covered in our spin-off blog, the Hambletonian Trail. Check it out by clicking here.

    Overnight action culminates in our horses-to-watch list (H2W), where our suggested contenders have been mighty across-the-board plays, with many exorbitant place and show prices.

    Weekdays, 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.

    ‘Sheppard’ Flock

    Saturday night, July 19, the $125,000 Lawrence B. Sheppard Pace Final for two-year-old colt-and-gelding pacers highlights Yonkers’ program. Leading the field of eight are the elim winners In the Arsenal and Cartoon Daddy. They are joined by Byby Landon, Mystical Pacer, Rock N Roll World, Lone Survivor, Perfect Eagle and Parklane Eagle.

    Mystical Pacer draws our interest from a tough outside trip in his elim that still got him third. “Arsenal” beat Byby Landon on getting the wood in an early duel. “Mystical” has the goods to take this event where only two colts are not maidens (Arsenal and “Cartoon”). He should be a decent price, one you may pump up in exactas by using Byby Landon (how the fans hate the 8 hole) and Parklane Eagle (from the productive sire of froshes, Somebeachsomewhere).

    The K Factor

    The $603,000 Maple Leaf Trot Final defies nine older trotters to go faster than Sebastian K. That is the end of the conversation. This season, Ake Svanstedt’s monster trotter has devoured the division and won faster than any trotter in the history of the sport. He has beaten the likes of the “Maple” field, proving Mohawk was not a problem (the elim was his first race in Canada). So now what do handicappers do? Perhaps some thoughts from a trainer may help punters lean away from Ake’s stallion.

    Rod Hughes, whose horses have won the Maple three times, said he doesn’t think “K” has been “in deep enough” to be considered a lock in any race. Hughes told local journalists that K’s racing without shoes may hamper his winning two weeks in a row.
    Hughes likes Market Share and Mister Herbie better than K this week. “Herbie” won this race in 2012 in 1:50.4, faster than K went last week on this surface. Hughes said it is difficult to go faster than Herbie went winning unless it is a very warm night.
    Why not take Hughes’ analysis? After all, his trotter, San Pail, when he was at his best, beat big European trotters in Canada. Plus, we have been on the side of Herbie many times; he is a top trotter and he is on his home field. So let’s look for the upset, not with Market Share, with Herbie.

    Here is the field for the $603,000 Maple Leaf Trot in post position order: Sebastian K, Market Share, Intimidate, Archangel, Wishing Stone, Mister Herbie, Creatine, Undercover Strike, Flanagan Memory, Modern Family.

    Hello Adios Week

    The 48th edition of the $600,000 (est.) Delvin Miller Adios Pace for the Orchids is the focus of a great stakes program on July 26 and an end to a great Grand Circuit week of racing at the Meadows; great for bettors. We will be posting various wagering suggestions through the week on social media sites. Meanwhile, July 19, three Adios elimination divisions race to determine the field for the traditional classic.

    Each Adios elim is worth $50,000 and six colts start in each. In the first elim we are going to go with Bushwacker, who was fourth in the “Pace” consolation and who offers a price against the two Ron Burke probable public choices. In the second elim, Lets Drink On It finally has a shot to win now that he steps down into the second tier of the division’s stakes group. In the last elim, McWicked will be on a tear to take this wire to wire as a prohibitive favorite. If he has to duel with Stevensville or At Press Time, then Brioni, third in the Pace consolation last week, could take him down. He certainly should be included in any McWicked exotics you choose.

    Ohio Battleground

    This year, “Battle” night at Northfield carries total purses of $554,500. The 15-race program boasts an impressive undercard, featuring nine $40,000 divisions of Ohio Sires Stakes for two- and three-year-old colt pacers and trotters.

    Foiled Again has drawn post 7 in July 19’s $150,000 Battle of Lake Erie. Of course, he has been named the 3-1 morning-line favorite. Foiled Again makes his sixth appearance in the event and he is aiming to become the first horse in Northfield Park history to win this event three times. Ron Burke, who also sends out Clear Vision, trains Foiled Again. Also among the battlers are Night Pro, Beach Memories, Bolt The Duer, Fool Me Once, Twilight Bonfire and Apprentice Hanover.

    In thick but getting the rail and on a skein, is Night Pro. He is an Indiana Sires Stakes champ coming into the Battle, against the toughest foes he has ever faced, looking for his seventh-straight win. Apprentice Hanover will be more ignored than necessary because he leaves from post 8. His morning line is 10-1 compared to Night Pro’s 4-1. That’s too much just for being on the outside, especially with too much speed on top. Apprentice Hanover should offer a better chance than his price and these two could be the last two standing at the wire for the upset exacta.

    Ima Lula

    A lone division kicks off the Ima Lula series on Friday night at the Meadowlands, compiled of six four-year-old mares, two of which entering off of a showdown with Bee A Magician in the Miss Versatility. One of them is Perfect Alliance, who debuted off of a month layoff last week. She finished seventh and adds lasix for this outing. The other being Handover Belle, the more interesting of the two.

    CBC Pacers

    For six digits in each division, soph-colt-and-filly pacers bred in Ontario race for the CBC championships.

    The colts are the first to contest, with 2013 Metro winner Boomboom Ballykeel coming in off of a victory in the elimination. Yet, favored in that elim was Victor Bayama, who took an off-the-pace approach and finished third. When he debuted in late June, he won easily by 3 lengths in the Ontario Sires Stakes (ONSS) at 6-1. From post 10, he has the speed to be put into the mix, which seems to be the best approach in this race as an off-the-pace effort might include a barrage of traffic.

    Lady Shadow, who will be heavily bet off of a 1:49.1 victory in her elim, highlights the filly final. With a strong on-the-lead type in the field, the only way to beat her would be with a stalker. Another elimination winner, My Secret Belle, fits the condition perfectly. She seems to be driven similarly in stakes races, riding the cones to victory in an ONSS division and doing so in her elimination as the favorite. With Joe Hudon Jr. driving, that will likely inflate her value as we look for her to draft to victory. An outside contender, Nefertiti Bluechip may be able to topple thm all. “Nefertiti” was a sharp third in her elimination at 32-1 and post 9 should be a plus in the stretch since she could stay out of trouble and wallow by speed retarding in the stretch.

    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
    7/19/14, Larrys Dream R3; King William R3; +Sand Savage R5; Carson City Road R10; Outoftexas R10

    Hoosier
    7/19/14, +Astarisontheway R2

    Meadowlands
    7/19/14, My QP Doll R10

    Meadows
    7/18/14, Mattacardle R7
    7/19/14, +Bootswiththefur R13

    Ocean
    7/18/14, A Major Impulse R1; +Twentysix-fiftytwo R8
    7/19/14, +Talbot Redneck R6

    Philadelphia
    11/18/14, Donna Party R1; Swinging Beauty R6
    11/19/14, Malak Uswaad N R11

    Pocono
    7/19/14, Black Hat R1; +Milliondollartouch R1; Luck Be Withyou R4; Sky Desperado R7; Dancin Yankee R10

    Running Aces
    7/19/14, Bunkerhill Bill R1; +The Wizared of Odz R2; +Howdoidreamwithoutu R6; +Flukie Flight R9

    Saratoga
    7/19/14, +Grab A Crab R8

    Scarborough
    7/17/14, Fox Valley Shannon R1; Eat Your Enemy R5

    Scioto
    7/17/14, +Touch And Go R9

    Vernon
    7/17/14, +Chocouture R3; Midas Blue Chip R5

    Yonkers
    7/17/14, +Take The Edge Off R6; Stage It Right R11
    7/18/14, Amigo Ranger R8; Sir Lehigh Z Tam R10
    7/21/14, +Greystone Cash R3

     Ray Cotolo contributes to each edition.     



  • Cotolo’s Harness Review, News And Notes

    POSTED Jun 1, 2014 By Frank Cotolo
    A ton of action ensued over the weekend at harness tracks across North America and no shortage of stakes and features. Our review in this blog will cover our suggested contenders in the weekend’s high-profile features for pacers as well as horses from our Hambletonian Trail blog.

    In the features department it was a festival of chalk and where we did not have popular public choices, we lost.

    Friday’s events included Empire Breeders Classic soph trots at Vernon, analyzed on the “Trail” blog and three of four we supported were second to favorites, creating exactas. The favorite we backed, Lukas Hall, broke and was eliminated. But the other colt split found Wild And Crazy Guy second ($7.10, $4.80) for a $24.20 exacta.

    Then there were two filly trots and we were twice in the place spot. Annies List ($5.40, $2.90) helped produce a remarkably high exacta with the public choice, worth $48.20. Then we were second with Glowngold ($2.20, $2.10).

    The super Father Patrick won for everyone at the Meadows on Friday—seriously, for everyone and had only a win price, $2.10. There were no place or show or exotic wagers. The fabulous soph trotter won by nearly 20 lengths. The second choice in the race was over 80-1 and the horse we wanted to complete the exacta, Jett Star, was third at 356-1. His stablemate Nuncio won another split easily as a huge choice. Then we were second with Uva Hanover ($3.20, $2.20) in the third sires stakes split with the public choice for a meager exacta worth $7.80.

    Friday’s Molson Pace was also won by the crowd’s choice, with our contender, PH Supercam, going off at 15-1 and finishing seventh. Then it was Saturday and the clouds of chalk continued to hover over featured harness races.

    At the Meadowlands, the soph trotters’ sires-stakes finals began with the top colt Trixton ($2.40, $2.10, $2.10 ok) winning for all of us. Our biggest score of the weekend was next in the filly final, as Heaven’s Door took the mile ($10.40, $4.60, $3.60).

    On Sunday, Sweet Lou was featured opening the new month of stakes as he won the Roll With Joe at Tioga. Coming off of his big win at the Meadowlands last week, Ron Burke’s pacer, a champ at two, a disappointment at three and the come-back kid in the FFA division, was showing new signs of domination in the $160,000 event. He was also the dead-on favorite coupled with Clear Vision (finishing eighth), Our 10-1 contender, Dovuto Hanover, finished seventh.

    Along the Hambletonian Trail (blog active through July) in cooperation with TwinSpires, you can read the race stories and data on the history of the August classics at the Hambletonian Society archives.

    Also Saturday at the Meadowlands, second-choice Doo Wop Hanover, also our second choice, has a simpler trip than our choice, Western Vintage ($2.10) to report an exacta worth $11.80.

    Up north at the Meadows, the Somebeachsomewhere Stakes’ three miles began with our colt pacer, Luck Be Withyou, finishing second ($$3, $2.30) to the big choice for a paltry exacta worth $5.50. We won the second round with the obvious choice, Always B Miki ($3.40, $2.40, $2.40 ok). Then, the controversial He’s Watching came back to win easily after his embarrassing soph debut last week. He took the third split while our choice, Jet Airway, broke and was eliminated at 5-1. Fans of He’s Watching are calling last week an anomaly but by no means does this win lock up the division for him. He still has much to prove when facing tougher stock in the North America Cup elims next week. Stay tuned for that analysis in the June 5 TwinSpires harness blog.

    At Yonkers we lost the “Rooney” final to the favorite with Maxi Bon finishing third (no show wagering) and we lost the Lismore with Also Encouraging finishing third ($3.20)

    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.

    Our H2W was active again, with some bright winners and healthy prices in place and show, with some exacta hits (using public choices in tandem with our picks) as overnight action continues to be the focus of the list for TwinSpires harness players.

    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

    St Lads He Man, $18.20, $7.20, $4, Pocono
    Hilarious Hero, $11.60, $4.80, $3, Meadowlands
    Mugshot Jess, $11.60, $6.50, $3.50, Yonkers
    Cyclone Pass, $5.20, $3, $3.20 ok, Scarborough
    Best Of Curragh, $4.40, $2.60, $2.10, Plainridge
    Monkey On My Wheel, $4.10, $3.30, $2.60, Yonkers
    Freshman Phenonom, $3.60, $2.80, $2.40, Maywood
    Political Desire, $3.20, $2.70, $4 ok, Yonkers

    Seconds

    Upfrontsthegold, $14.60, $8.40, Meadowlands
    Jitterbug Hanover, $2.40, $2.40 ok (Exacta $10.40), Scarborough
    Shoot First, $2.40, $2.60 ok (Exacta $10.40), Scarborough

    Thirds

    Hep, $6, Meadows
    Irish Raider, $3.80, Maywood
    Baksidebar Nlounge, $3.20, Maywood

    News And Notes

    The first baby races of the 2014 season were on display on Saturday morning, May 31 at the Meadowlands. Trotting fillies opened the card and a Muscle Hill filly won the first mile in 2:01  for trainer Joe Holloway. The Muscles Yankee colt French Laundry won race two in 2:00.4. Jimmy Takter conditions the son of Hambo Oaks winner Creamy Mimi. Walter White won the third for Takter in 2:01.3. This one’s a Cantab Hall product.

    The Well Said filly Aria Hanover won the first pacing race in 2:01.1 for TeamTakter. Then, two more Takter pacers finished one two in the next race with the Somebeachsomewhere colt Blood Brother edging Azorean Art in 2:00.4. The very first of the Rocknroll Hanovers was a winner, also for Takter as Zip Code Envy led all the way in 1:59.4. This filly is from Neverhaveneverwill and brought a bid of $27,000 from Christina Takter, John & Jim Fielding and Brixton Medical AB at Lexington.

    Over at the Meadows, sires Rustler Hanover, Explosive Matter, Dream Away and Western Terror had winning baby products in qualifiers.

    Kawartha Downs will be offering live harness racing every Saturday evening from June 21 through Oct. 25 pending regulatory approval anticipated Monday. Post time will be 7 p.m. The lone dark night will be Sept. 20 due to a stock car event.

    Forty-seven three-year-old pacers remain eligible for the 35th edition of the Meadowlands Pace. The 2014 glamour-boy crop appears to be one of the widest open in many years. Due to the increase in horses eligible for the Meadowlands Pace, the purse of the race will grow, according to Director of Racing Operations Darin Zoccali. “This year just worked out perfectly for this race. The combination of a wide open three-year-old pacing division, tied into the changes we have made to the payment structure, have secured a stronger purse for the final of the Meadowlands Pace than the past two years, which was our hopes in implementing this plan,” said Zoccali. “While the purse for the final is always dependent on the number of eliminations, I estimate the purse for the final being in the vicinity of $750,000.” The Meadowlands Pace, created by the track’s first race secretary Joe DeFrank, was the first million-dollar harness race.

    The sport is mourning the passing of Doug Ackerman, who was 86. He was one of the most respected trainers in harness racing and widely admired for his “innate horsemanship, ironclad integrity, and memorable sense of humor,” according to horsemen, who held him in the highest esteem. Ackerman was a fixture on the Grand Circuit for decades and trained and drove many top horses, such as Albaquel, Crowning Point, Self Confident, Noble Hustle, Denali, Happy Chatter, Noble Traveler, Amer I Can, Cape Canaveral, Leopard, and the old warrior Bramble Hall. We remember him for his productive campaigns out west, when there was a munificent circuit for harness, including Hollywood Park, Los Alamitos, Bay Meadows, Cal Expo and Fairplex Park. In recent years, Ackerman turned the driving duties over to his son, D.R., and together they raced Chocolatier, a winner of $1.3 million and the top freshman trotter of 2005. He was second in the 2006 Hambletonian, racing a ton from post 10. Chocolatier has gone on to become a top sire of young trotters.

    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

  • The Harness Season Heats Up

    POSTED May 28, 2014 By Frank Cotolo
    May bows to an extraordinary menu of harness racing features that takes us across the borders of states and countries. The older pacing hombres duke it out in Canada. State-breds battle in divisions in New York and they finalize champs in New Jersey. The glamour-boy pacers hold sway at Yonkers in the race no one expected would not include He’s Watching. More colt pacers battle in a trio of divisional stakes at Mohawk and there are more aged pacers in the Empire State on Sunday at Tioga, trotters, too.

    Soph-colt-and-filly trotter’ events for the week are the contents of our seasonal blog, the Hambletonian Trail. Follow our analysis of the races featuring the eligibles to this year’s August trotting classics at The Meadowlands. For this weekend’s events, go to the “Trail” blog and peruse our analysis. Check weekdays where there are not TwinSpires blogs for other events not covered within the blog deadlines.

    Also on weekdays, check out the TwinSpires-Hoosier team’s perks 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.

    Follow @FrankCotolo and @TwinSpires on Twitter to get tips on Hoosier contenders you can use in your tickets during the promo program days. Other possibilities appear in exclusive horses-to-watch (H2W) list.

    Molson Lava

    The Molson Pace is a sizzling field of fiery and flashy pacers. A staple of the Western Fair season in Ontario is a visit from the continent’s top FFA male pacers for shares in the six-digit purse (this year it is $150,000 Canadian). This division, of course, allows for annual participation among the aged side-steppers. Defending champion State Treasurer is back, drawing the half-mile’s coveted rail position in this Friday, May 30 event.

    State Treasurer is amid a great start this season, winning his most recent three, including a 1:48.3 at Mohawk. Two-time event-winner Foiled Again drew post 7 in the eight-horse field. Dancin Yankee, who set a 1:47.2 world record recently at Pocono, drew post while Bettors Edge (post 2), Bandolito (post 3), Apprentice Hanover (post 4), P H Supercam (post 6) and Captive Audience (post 8) complete the cast.

    This race is all about position, speed and even endurance, since a strong early move to the outside could win it without a fierce duel. There is a case to be made for each of these, as the talent of the field goes deep, but you will have to pick a scenario for each to earn being first at the wire after four turns.

    The obvious plays include last year’s winner and the fan-favorite Foiled Again but there could be a decent price on P H Supercam. He is no stranger to the format or the four turns, having won the “Levy” final against some of these, including Foiled Again, who had dominated the legs of that long series. We don’t see speed as a main ingredient for a winner and we like post 6 for a strategic moving pacer like “PH.”

    On the wagering side for the evening at Western Fair, the Early Pick-4 will feature a $7,500 guaranteed pool with a $10,000 guarantee on the Late Pick-4. There’s a Super Hi-5 in Race 7, will also feature a $10,000 guaranteed pool.

    The ‘Art’ Of Pacing

    Standout state-bred All Bets Off drew post 4 in May 30’s $300,000 Art Rooney Pace Final at Yonkers Raceway. The absence of He’s Watching was not even predicted by this sharp blog, even though we had last week’s elim winner that soundly defeated him. He’s Watching was terrible and didn’t make the final. He is scheduled to go to Mohawk, as explained in the story on the Somebeachsomewhere elims (below). 

    All Bets Off, the other “Rooney” elim winner, is trained and co-owned by Ron Burke, and is a top choice in the final. Stevensville, our wire-to-wire winner against He’s Watching, goes for co-owner/trainer Ray Schnittker and should go off a lot less than he did when he won at 9-1.

    Thereisapaceforus was scratched after the draw (he got post 1). That moved Maxi Bon from the “also eligible” list into the race and inside his seven rivals. That also made Maxi Bon and Gold Rocks, both trained by Tony Alagna, a coupled entry. Alagna’s third horse, Bondi Hanover, is a separate wagering interest (having separate ownership than the other pair). The field in post order: 1-Maxi Bon, 2-Bondi Hanover, 3-Gold Rocks, 4-All Bets Off, 5-Some Playa, 6-Stevensville, 7-Unlocked and 8-Ideal Fashion. 

    There is truly no reason that Stevensville cannot repeat his performance last week but All Bets Off is not going to allow a pace-commanding performance. Last week we liked Maxi Bon in the second elim and he was off on a productive mile before breaking badly enough to finish fifth, which was last. He should have something important to say about the result of this race and would come as no surprise to us if he won at a decent price, even if he was the third choice. We like him in tandem with Stevensville to be at the wire ahead of All Bets Off.

    The $124,744 final of the Lismore, for glamour-gal fillies may offer value in the big beaten favorite that resulted in Rusty Bliss’s $62.50 place offering—we gave you that one as our second choice to Also Encouraging, the public choice that finished fourth after a wide trip trying to get the top cost her the final quarter).

    Also Encouraging and It Was Fascination should create the Lismore exacta at the wire, both making amends and creating a sound exotic by beating the obvious choice of the final, Southwind Silence.

    Canadian Glamour

    In major prep mode for the million-plus bucks in the North America Cup elims (June 7) at Mohawk, glamour-boy pacers battle in three divisions of the Somebeachsomewhere Stake. Each split has a price tag of $75,000.

    In round one, two top division colts, Jk Endofanera and Luck Be Withyou, leave from the outside posts and take with them the majority of win bets. All things being equal in their trips, we favor “Luck,” who seems to tower over the entire field. He may also be a huge favorite, so judge your own sense of value here because he could be value if “Jk” gets more than his share of the pool.

    Split two could wind up the better of the trio for the bettors, as local favorite Somewhere in L A could take much more money than deserved, leaving some chunky change for others, primarily Always B Miki. He was dynamic winning in New Jersey and trainer Joe Holloway always sends his top stock out prepared to give their all. If the win money is split between “L A” and Burke’s Somestarsomewhere, “Miki” could be a strong second or third choice.

    The last in the triptych is an essential test for He’s Watching. He has to produce here, else he loses more than the race; he will have to begin dismounting his pre-ordained throne as the divisions’ best. Certainly a trip to the “Cup” elims would seem moot if he races anywhere near how he did in the Rooney elim. Also missing here is National Debt, who has had his own troubles with miscues in his soph debut.

    This looks to us like a perfect field for Jet Airway to fool the bettors and the foes. He was very good as our 21-1 choice in a Simpson split at the Meadowlands where he finished second and is improving with every contest. The price will be right.

    Jersey Champs

    The New Jersey Sires Stakes championships for sophomores on both gaits is a feature on May 31 at the Meadowlands (see the trotting ranks at the Hambletonian Trail blog).

    The $100,000 affairs for colt pacers hosts a small field of five and offers a duel that may ensue through the season, with up-and-coming Doo Wop Hanover and posturing Western Vintage. The latter has been made an overwhelming favorite and that may be obvious now that He’s Watching had a less-than-brilliant debut as a sophomore. “Doo Wop” must prove, without “Vintage” making a gait mistake, that he is better going eye to eye. Either way, it is a race to watch for future performances of the other three, rather than bet against either of the top two.

    The fillies’ final brings up a possibility that has a few layers of support. Highland Rockstar is competitive, though not yet a winner among winners, that has had a number of excuses against the likes of this group. One huge and unfair negative that the bettors lay upon him is his driver, veteran Mike Lachance. Mike’s current win record at the Meadowlands is one for 81, so the bettors have put the classy veteran to pasture when they should be respecting his prowess based on his sterling experience, especially in high-pursed affairs. This makes for a terrific overlay in a field where no one filly has a distinct advantage, certainly not concerning a driver or breeding. It would be just like life to find Lachance in the winners’ circle with this enormously paying filly and a slew of so-called smart handicappers scratching their heads while you and I collect.

    Easy Rollin’

    The $160,000 Roll With Joe mile for FFA pacers is Sunday’s big event at Tioga. If they weren’t in the Molson Pace on Friday, chances are they are in New York for this 10-horse fiesta. Sweet Lou comes straight off of his Meadowlands jaunt last week in the Open; he has two wins in five starts this season and has only been off the board once. State-champ Heston Blue Chip is ready to challenge, himself two for five and in tune with this group that teeters on the 1:50 mile mark.

    With five wins in 14 starts this season, Dovuto Hanover may be potent here, certainly at a price. He had a lot of trouble at the Meadowlands, suffering major path problems, in an Open and then was battered from post 8 last week (at 55-1) against “Lou.” His pacing, however, is not a product of insipid speed; he is fast and in the right spot will fire. This could be the right spot.

    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. 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
    5/31/14, +Release The Terror R1; +Rafferty Hanover R5; +Wolf Angus R10

    Hoosier
    5/29/14, +Ponda Premier R12

    Maywood
    5/29/14, +Badlands Lady R9 
    5/30/14, Baksidebar Nlounge R2; +Irish Raider R3; Dunside Art R4; Freshman Phenonom R8; +Fox Valley George R9; +Sealark Hanover-ae-R11

    Meadowlands
    5/30/14, +Upfrontsthegold R10
    5/31/14, +Hilarious Halo R10

    Meadows
    5/30/14, Bootswiththefur-ae-R2; +Incredible Dragon R7; Hep R10; Ismrbellatou R12; Petty Hanover R12; Bessie R13; Martini Twist R14

    Plainridge
    5/31/14, Nanettes Nordic R6; +Best Of Curragh R7; +Fedigan’s Glory R8; Scarab Begonia R8

    Pocono
    5/31/14, +St Lad’s He Man R5

    Rosecroft
    5/31/14, +Diamond Gambler R4; New Girlfriend R4

    Saratoga
    5/30/14, Mcattee R3; Swift Slide R12

    Scarborough
    5/30/14, Cranmeadow Express R1
    5/31/14, Cyclone Pass R2; Shoot First R3; +Ladyofcastlebrook-ae- R5; Wandasbettorchoice R6; +Jitterbug Hanover R7; Electric Mayhem R7

    Scioto
    5/30/14, +Action-broadway R3

    Tioga
    5/31/14, Wannabearockstar R8

    Yonkers
    5/29/14, +Olive Oyle R6
    5/30/14, +Mugshot Jess R2; Dragon Ridge R4; +Monkey On My Wheel R6; +Political Desire R11


    Ray Cotolo contributes to each edition.      

  • Sophomore Serenades

    POSTED May 21, 2014 By Frank Cotolo
    The Grand Circuit is offering plenty of purse-filled action for sophomores on the Memorial Day weekend (in the U.S). Harrah’s Philadelphia presents two six-digit events on Sunday, May 26: the Maxie Lee Memorial for Open trotters and the Betsy Ross for mare pacers.

    The weekend starts with soph-colt-and-filly-pacer stakes at Yonkers with Art Rooney and Lismore elims. More sophomores rattle their sulkies with Historic events at Pocono and New Jersey Sires Stakes (NJSS) at the Meadowlands on Saturday.

    Soph-colt-and-filly trotters continued to be covered throughout the week on our spin-off blog, the Hambletonian Trail. Follow the divisional races and the eligibles to this year’s August trotting classics at The Meadowlands. For this weekend’s events, go to the “Trail” blog and peruse our analysis. Check weekdays where there are not TwinSpires blogs for other events not covered within the blog deadlines.

    Also on weekdays, check out the TwinSpires-Hoosier team’s perks 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.

    Follow @FrankCotolo and @TwinSpires on Twitter to get tips on Hoosier contenders you can use in your tickets during the promo program days. Other possibilities appear in exclusive horses-to-watch (H2W) list.

    Pacers Clamoring

    The sophomore debut of He’s Watching takes place on his home turf in New York at Yonkers Raceway as he leads a list of 11 three-year-old colts in the 23rd edition of Yonkers’ Art Rooney Pace. The total purse of this season’s “Rooney” is $380,000, with a pair of $40,000 elimination races Saturday, May 24. The first four finishers in each round qualify for the final, programmed for Saturday, May 31.

    The elims –races 9 and 11—present He’s Watching from post 2 in the opening round against (in post order) Unlocked, Forty Five Red, Gold Rocks and Stevensville. Ray Schnittker trains Stevensville, who has won one of two in his debut soph season and is a very fast hombre. The cards stack for He’s Watching but readers of the TwinSpires harness blog know that we are not as buzzed about him as industry members. This is why we are going with Stevensville to upset He’s Watching’s first soph outing. Even from post 7, Stevensville could prove a major problem for anyone in the field and if he is getting better then we better be with him before he proves he is a major match for He’s Watching.

    The second elim features Ideal Fashion, Some Playa, All Bets Off, Thereisapaceforus and Maxi Bon. This is a difficult race to predict betting activity. However, Maxi Bon should get action, being the top earner of the quintet for trainer Tony Alagna. Keep an eye out for Some Playa to be a second or third choice. If ignored, he could turn out to be the bet. The public may put too much money on Ron Burke’s entry, All Bets Off, and that could create fair odds for the other two mentioned if they are second-or lower choices.

    The $124,744 final of the Lismore for soph-filly pacers is also on May 31. This Saturday it also offers two elims, worth $20,000 each to decide the final’s field.

    The first elim features It Was Fascination, Bettor Business, A Little Starstruk, Southwind Silence and Palm Beach. It’s tight, for sure, with only five gals. But it may be best to hope for decent odds on the filly debut of It Was Fascination. Alegna may have her primed and from the Yonkers rail she could sail home easily.

    Five others make up the second elim and Casie Coleman’s Also Encouraging is bound to be the choice with two starts and two wins already in 2014. She faces Tyra, JK Molly, Gentlemen’s Delight and Rusty’s Bliss, none of which have won this season in two to four starts. There will be no encouraging price for Also Encouragement so as a key you may want to use Rusty’s Bliss to get a piece of the late action for a decent exacta.

    History Ensues

    The Grand Circuit’s Historic Series continues at Pocono with the Pocono Cup (formerly the Jersey Cup), featuring two $36,000-plus divisions for glamour-boy pacers.

    The first split should see Jk Endofanera take a slew of win bets. He won his debut and has been highly rated by prognosticators of the division this year. But we will take the oddly named The Lunch Pail, a Joe Holloway-trained youngster that is showing he wants to make some money this season. He has been off the board only once in six starts and may be every bit as good as “Jk.” Again, we would want to get him on the improve and this is a chance at a price.

    Fire In The Belly was set to go on the H2W list after some tough trips. Still, he has won six of nine for Jim King, Jr. The crowd will probably go for Takter’s duo, no doubt a classy pair, but uncoupled they could get too much attention and send some odds up on “Fire.” Holloway has another here—Stratos Hanover—and you can bet he will be gunning and have something to say about the top three at the finish.  

    Philadelphia Fights

    Harrah’s Philadelphia hosts two giant miles for aged trotters and aged mare pacers on Sunday, May 25. The men ramble in the Maxie Lee Invitational and the women wrestle in the Betsy Ross, both stakes with a purse of $250,000.

    The usual suspects are at hand for the man war, minus the so-far dominant Sebastian K. Market Share is here, off of his bad behavior in the “Cutler” and Sevruga gets the rail while Arch Madness has more to deal with from post 8 than his current form. Takter puts Not Afraid in, Opening Night returns, along with Daylon Magician (who just won at the Meadows), Undercover Strike and DW’s NY Yank.

    Market Share and Sevruga, on their best behaviors, have the edge here but the crowd will see that and hammer them. Beware, however, of Burke’s DW’s NY Yank. He might be as big here as we expected him to race in his Cutler elim. Certainly, he will be a good price against the proposed top two. This race could produce some traffic and that would be good if “Yank” can stay out of the dueling and shuffling.

    The Betsy Ross cast is also familiar by now from escapades at Yonkers’ Matchmaker Series. One of those, Casie Coleman’s Monkey On My Wheel, may find a perfect spot to beat the speed here. With Shebestingin flying on the outside to get position, Anndrovette in gear to try a steal from the top, Drop The Ball ready to duel that one and the back field of Jerseylicious and Rocklamation timing their closes, “Monkey” could be in a perfect spot at a perfect price to take advantage of those too speedy and those too late.

    Jersey Boys

    A $48,500 NJSS mile for soph-colt pacers is leg two for the division of Jersey-breds. One would imagine that Doo Wop Hanover will be at least as well supported here as he was last week, with Rock Out probably the second choice again (the two race uncoupled for trainer Steve Elliot). This leaves plenty of wagering space for lightly raced Dancin Hill to serve notice on the division. There is little else flashing about any of the others, most of which have few if more than a maiden victory to their freshman seasons.

    Jersey Girls

    The second NJSS leg for soph-filly pacers presente two splits worth $26,000 each.

    In the first round there are three Burke trainees, two coupled, in the seven-filly field. Last week we liked the debut of Ideal Helen but she did not care to participate as we hoped and lost at 37-1. Let’s toss that out and see if trainer Erv Miller sends her into the thick of it in this less-than-stellar group.

    Round two brings back Blixtra, who we liked two back but not in the first leg, where performed well enough to finish second at 30-1 but was placed eighth for bad behavior. Trainer-driver Ake Svanstedt may find that the filly’s odds are high again due to that incident and that is what we want in order to back her again. The other danger is Act Now, who was soaring late in the first leg and has plenty of frosh back class.

    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. 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
    5/23/14, Wolf Angus R11
    5/24/14, Adelia’s Prince R5; Release The Terror R7; Rafferty Hanover R11; Areyouinorout R13

    Harrington
    5/25/14, +Bagel Man R4

    Hoosier
    5/22/14, Bond’s Lassie R3

    Maywood
    5/23/14, Badlands Lady (ae) R1; Another Beauty R2; Sealark Hanover R5; Fox Valley George R11; +Zumba R12

    Meadowlands
    5/24/14, Sometimes Said R12

    Meadows
    5/23/14, Case Dismissed R1; Dew N Doughnuts R8; +Mateo M R11; +Incredible Dragon (as) R14; +Strother R14; +Here’s Ethel R15

    Plainridge
    5/24/14, Best Of Curragh R3; Fedigan’s Glory R6

    Pocono
    5/24/14, St Lad’s He Man R3

    Pompano
    5/24/14, Mcgreat R1; Ramblingamblinman R4; Racin For Gold R7

    Saratoga
    5/22/14, Its Bush Time R10
    5/23/14, Political Desire R9

    Scarborough
    5/23/14, +Grix Gadoo R8
    5/24/14. Ladyofcastlebrook R1; Jitterbug Hanover R2; +Bettor’s Night R3; Electric Mayhem R4; +A Fool For Mark R7

    Scioto
    5/23/14, +Upfront Miss Major R6

    Tioga
    5/23/14, Time Stood Still R1
    5/25/14, +Candid Man R3; +Jaipur R4

    Vernon
    5/23/14, +Quickway R3
    5/24/14, Glide Speed R7

    Yonkers
    5/22/14, Olive Oyle R3; +Mcnickles Mcdimes R4; Dropping Star R6
    5/23/14, Sign Of The Moment R1; Mugshot Jess R2; +Noble Warrawee R2

    Ray Cotolo contributes to each edition.      

  • Cotolo’s Harness Review, News And Notes

    POSTED Apr 27, 2014 By Frank Cotolo


    A quartet of major races at Yonkers on Saturday, April 26 included the finals of the ‘Levy’ and Matchmaker series and two generously funded consolations for participants of the events over the last six weeks.

    The biggest and best price was predicted in the TwinSpires harness blog last Thursday. Fashion Mystery won the Matchmaker Consolation, paying $43.80, $10.40 and $11.40 (ok).

    We engaged in the results of the other three features, though not with winners.

    In the Matchmaker Final, our choice—Yagonnakissmeornot—went off the favorite and finished second to the other horse we mentioned—Somewherovrarainbow—as a probable winner, though we thought that horse would be the choice. With no show wagering, our choice paid $2.30 and the Exacta with our other choice paid $10.80.

    In the Levy Final we went against stalwart Foiled Again and beat him, though we finished second (with Apprentice Hanover) to the race’s second-choice, PH Supercam. With no show wagering in this race, either, we picked up a generous place price of $8.80.

    The Levy Consolation went to the favorite and we were third with Word Power but there was no show wagering in this race, either.

    Over at the Meadowlands we were surprised to have chosen the dead-on choice in the W.N. Reynolds event for soph-colt pacers, though he won easily. Always B Miki paid $3.40, $2.80, $2.10.

    Friday, April 25 at Northfield, we also beat the favorite in the Courageous Lady but settled for second to a 20-1 shot. That Woman Hanover paid $7.60, $4.60, being sent off at 8-1.

    More horses to watch (H2W) result activity, listed below, was positive as across-the-board prices mostly shone and five win or place contenders teamed up with favorites to produce five exactas.

    TwinSpires and Hoosier now has three power-packed programs 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 horses-to-watch (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

    Wanna Win, $17, $5.20, $3.60 (Exacta $19.60), Cal Expo
    Miss Annie J, $13, $5.10, $3.10, Yonkers
    Perma Grin, $10.60, $4.60, $4 (Exacta $24.20), Meadows
    Cyclone Artist, $9.40, $4.20, $2.60, Scarborough
    Dvcflyingfrenchman, $8.60, $5.60, $3.60, Freehold
    Ryans Caviar, $3,40, $2.50, $2.30, Buffalo
    Salazar, $2.60, $2.10, $2.10 ok, Buffalo

    Seconds

    Lucky Man Again, $7.80, $4.20, Cal Expo
    Iron N Steel, $7.60, $6.20 (Exacta $16.20), Hazel
    Bergerac, $6.80, $4 (Exacta $25), Meadows
    Lucky Land, $6.40, $5.20, Cal Expo
    Restless Yankee, $4.30, $3.20, Vernon
    Our Priority, $3.80, $4.20 ok, Plainridge
    Team Edward, $3.80, $2.60 (Exacta $13.60), Vernon
    Scandalous Hanover, $3.20, $2.60, Meadowlands

    Thirds

    Canbec Fridolin, $8.30, Yonkers
    Kaitlyn Rae, $5, Hazel
    Bettor Be Genuine, $3.70, Saratoga
    SJ’s Caliente, $2.40, Vernon

    News And Notes

    Saturday, April 26, the morning qualifiers at The Meadowlands were raced over a track that was dry but dulled by overnight rain, with spring-like temperatures and a steady 10-15 mph breeze from the west (against the wind in the homestretch). Some stars from last season were out and winging. Now three, filly trotter Lifetime Pursuit won in 1:58.4 for trainer Jimmy Takter. Her main foe, Shake It Cerry, won in 1:58.

    Soph-colt trotters qualified, looking like a Hambo elimination. Father Patrick, the Hambletonian future book favorite, made his debut for Takter and was second to Odds On Amethyst in 1:54.1.

    Older trotters took the track next and Corky was another winner from the Takter barn. He’s a four-year-old now and this was his third qualifier. He defeated Fico and D’Orsay One of the session’s marquee match ups, a battle of the sexes, saw Market Share against Maven, who won in 1:54 over her male rival

    Western Vintage won from well off the pace in 1:52.4 for trainer Nancy Johansson and Sweet Lou wrapped up the day’s events with an uneventful 1:52.1 win against Odds On Equuleus and the top mare Drop The Ball

    Final preparations are under way for the ninth season of harness racing at Tioga Downs, with the first of 61 programs set for Saturday, May 3. While opening night post time will be 5:00 p.m. and Sunday afternoon cards will have a 1:30 p.m. start, evening cards have a new and earlier post time for 2014. Friday and Saturday night programs will begin at 6:15 p.m., as will the handful of non-holiday Monday and Thursday cards scheduled for the upcoming meet. Once again, the Cane Pace and Roll With Joe Pace headline as the racing season’s features, with top three-year-olds battling in the Cane Pace on Monday, Sept. 1 and older pacers contesting a $200,000 (est.) “Joe” purse on Sunday, June 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

  • Yonkers Finals, Northfield Features Fillies

    POSTED Apr 23, 2014 By Frank Cotolo
    Spring’s first fling with big purses ends on Saturday, April 26 with Yonkers Raceway’ $567,000 George Morton Levy Memorial and $371,400 Blue Chip Matchmaker pacing series finals and consolations—the ‘Levy’ for $100,000, Matchmaker for $75,000.

    In Ohio, soph-filly pacers battle in the Courageous Lady at Northfield on April 25.

    At the Meadowlands on Saturday, a $49,015 W.N. Reynolds Memorial is the earliest Grand Circuit (GC) event to date, offering soph-colt pacers a chance to be displayed before the official GC rolls in May. 

    Hoosier Park ups the ante every Thursday night, guaranteeing a $10,000 Pick 4 over races 3 through 6 and TwinSpires is doing the same by doubling our Pick-4 bonus to 20 percent on Thursday nights.That's correct, hit the Pick 4 and you will get a bonus credit equal to 20 percent of your gross winnings, up to $500.

    We will be adding Hoosier to our horses to watch (H2W) list and suggesting horses during the week on Twitter @FrankCotolo and @TwinSpires. Clickhere for details.

    We have added a few horses to watch (H2W), on our exclusive list for TwinSpires harness blog. Use these suggested contenders that are proving productive across-the-board wagers and serve as profitable members of exotics.


    Last Of The Levys

    Yonkers Raceway presents the big event of the weekend, featuring the biggest harness-racing money earner of all time, Foiled Again, in the final of the George Morton Levy Memorial Pacing Series Saturday night. Foiled Again is looking for his third Levy title. This year, he won his first four prelims legs and put in a real stinker in the last, finishing off the board. This is how “Foiled” raced last year, also. His wins were strewn together and his losses were unexplainable. Where does that leave him on April 26?

    You cannot throw him out, but since Bettor’s Edge races in tandem with him as a Burke entry and P H Supercam/Mach it So race as a P J Fraley-trained entry, you are left with the best of the rest, Apprentice Hanover for a decent win price. He should good off far higher in odds than are his chances, while the remainder of the group—Saphhire City, Texican N and Dancin’ Yankee—may find the mile a struggle, while offering more in the pool than they deserve.

    In the consolation, no one could blame you for taking a shot with Word Power to beat probable favorite Easy Again. That one defeated Foiled last week and the crowd will favor that win, though not much a feat. Word Power won against similar last year at Maywood (we gave him to you at $15.80) and this looks like a similar spot for him to excel and so paying well. Trainer Larry Remmen has him primed after a slow start in this series.

    Matchmaker Mayhem

    Also Saturday, April 26, the Matchmaker Final and Consolation bring together most of the six-week series’ best. From the rail in the final, Somwherovarainbow will be bet heavily and have a great advantage, even though she has had some trouble in leg divisions. Anndrovette always poses a threat and her experience among older foes needs to be respected and will be via the betting.

    From post 2, Yagonnakissmeornot may be a third or fourth choice, sharing one of those spots with Summertime Lea, who drew post 8. On a good night, as the legs have proven, either of these two could win. The latter races as a Ron Burke entry with Rocklamation, which will hamper the odds, and Krispy Apple won’t be wagered upon alone, being in a PJ Fraley entry. So, Yagonnakissmeornot gets our call.

    In the consolation, we are going back to supporting Fashion Mystery. She played out some serious trips and picked up some dough during the legs and will be a strong price in a weak field.

    Brave Beaus

    The $110,000 Courageous Lady presents a small field of soph-filly pacers this Friday, April 25 at Northfield. One of the six behind the gate, Kayla Grace, was a $10,000 supplement to the field, becoming the 3-1 morning-line choice by track handicapper (and Executive VP of Racing) Dave Bianconi. Kayla Grace enters the event with a 15-for-15 record, a mark of 1:55.1 at Hazel Park and earnings of $69,227. All of Kayla Grace’s races were in Michigan. This will be the first time she travels for an event on the national stage.

    “It is really hard to say how she will do,” said trainer Marie St. Charles. “Michigan is not a real strong [harness racing] state and she has never been tested. All I know is that she knows how to race and she obviously knows how to win.”

    St. Charles, however, has had success outside of Michigan. Her horses (aside from 13 Michigan Sires Stake champions) have won at Woodbine and Hawthorne.

    The field is small, said Bianconi, because some of the fillies staked and expected to race in the race did not enter. “Two or three came up sick. I wish the field size was seven or eight, but what we lack in quantity, we have made up in quality,” said Bianconi.

    There are, on paper, classier fillies than Kayla Grace, so she will be tested to the hilt. At two, for instance, Sister Stroll was top frosh material in Pennsyvania and Ohio, winning five of 11 against far tougher than “Kayla” has met. Also, That Woman Hanover’s record sparkles for trainer Dan Altmeyer. She finished 2013 with a winning triptych and Altmeyer says she is ready for her seasonal debut. “It would have been nice to draw inside on the half-mile track. This is her first time on a half, but she’s handled all the tracks so far and the turns where we train in Florida are a little tight, so I don’t think she will have a problem.”

    If there’s a big purse anywhere, expect a Ron Burke trainee to take part. Here, A La Notte Hanover is well placed (Burke places his stakes horses in fields of similar class) and has had a good prep at the Meadowlands, finishing second as a top choice.

    We are going with “Woman” and “La Notte” to defeat Kayla soundly. Even with the “Flying Turns” of the Northfield half-mile, which bettors may feel benefits Kayla, the class of our two choices, especially Woman, is the key to a win and at a reasonable price.

    Rolling Reynolds

    The “Reynolds” starts the Early Pick 4 with Race 3 and features nine (four in two entries) lightly raced three-year-olds. It’s the first group in the division to go in a stakes contest. Two in the field did not race as freshmen and two are making their first starts off of frosh campaigns in 2013.

    Trainer Joe Holloway has a sharp pair with Stratos Hanover and The Lunch Pail, the former with two wins already this season and the latter strong from outside posts in Pennsylvania events. Thomas Cancelliere conditions the other entry, Frankandjoanne and Parnu Hanover. The former broke his maiden at Pocono recently and the latter hasn’t raced since last November. There should be some strong action on both of these entries.

    Holloway has a third horse here, outside of the entry (different owners) and coming from post 9, Always B Miki won’t be so attractive to bettors. He was bred in Indiana by a sire that raced in New Jersey with speed to spare, Always A Virgin. This one has speed and has shown an ability to come off the pace, so being young and versatile and having some experience in classy events should make him a legitimate contender here. A good price is nearly guaranteed, especially if driver Corey Callahan—a crowd pleaser in Jersey lately—takes one of the other two horses he is listed to drive.

    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

    Buffalo
    4/25/14, +Upfrontoutthedoor R11; +Somethingtobehold R9; Pembroke Crankcall R9
    4/26/14, Ryans Caviar R3; +Lucky Millionaire R4; Western Alumni R8; +Salazar R8 

    Cal Expo
    4/25/14, +Vantage R6
    4/26/14, Its Getting Hairy R3; +Wanna Win R4; +Whiskey Bernie R6; +Lucky Man Again R7; +Lucky Land R9; +Red Star Wild One R10

    Freehold
    4/26/14, +Brickyard Ben R3; +Palm Beach Boy R5; +Wildridge Sam R6; Dvcflyingfrenchman R8

    Hazel
    4/25/14,  +Kaitlyn Rae R8; Too Shy R10; Histerio R11
    4/26/14, +Iron N Steel R8

    Meadowlands
    4/25/14, +Scandalous Hanover R2; +Wheels R10

    Meadows
    4/25/14, Perma Grin R5; Bergerac R9; Strother R14

    Miami Valley
    4/25/14, Forevers A Deal R3; Student Royalty R7; Action-broadway R10

    Plainridge
    4/26/14, Our Priority R3

    Pocono
    4/26/14, +Caerleon Hanover R1; Baximum R3; +Damon Blue Chip R6

    Pompano
    4/26/14, Goldstar Raider R9

    Rosecroft
    4/26/14, Fancy Fraternity R11

    Saratoga
    4/24/14, +Ladys Bag Man R10; +Bullville Honey R10
    4/26/14+Alastair Hanover R4;+Tinys Million R6; +Bettor Be Genuine R12

    Scarborough
    4/26/14, +Regal Delight R1; Coral Snake R5; Adrians Girl R6; Allamerican Vixen R7; Cyclone Artist R7; Fritzie Rocket R9

    Vernon
    4/26/14, SJ’s Caliente R1; Team Edward R4; Highway R5; +Restless Yankee R7; The Green Knight R9; PJ Lucky R9

    Yonkers
    4/24/14, Miss Annie J R12
    4/25/14, +Canbec Fridolin R2; +Defiance N R9


    Ray Cotolo contributes to each edition.   
    Photo by Thom Pye. 

  • Cotolo’s Harness Review, News And Notes

    POSTED Apr 20, 2014 By Frank Cotolo
    Feature-wise, we hammered at Yonkers on Friday with the Matchmaker and were shut out of the “Levy” on Saturday—but not by Foiled Again. His off-the-board loss on April 19 was a big story in the industry but not for bettors. The story for bettors was that Foiled Again lost and lost badly but the winner was a five-cents-to-the-dollar entry. That is insult to injury, considering how difficult it has seemed to beat the stalwart pacer.

    Our victory was predicted perfectly in round two of the Matchmaker, as Monkey On My Wheel won in the short field, paying $29.40 and $8.90 (no show betting). In the first division, the other Casie Coleman-trained mare, Scandalous Hanover, who was our choice, lost at 2-1, suffering a bad outside trip on the half-mile.

    Our three Levy choices were not entirely skunked by favorites. PH Supercam surprised at 9-1 in division one (Sapphire City was fourth, Apprentice Hanover was third—no show wagering); Dancin Yankee won the next split at close to 2-1 (Texican N was third—no show wagering) and in the Foiled Again loss to Easy Again, Malak Uswaad (74-1) was fifth.

    In our Pick-3 and-4 choices at the Meadowlands Friday we had only one second with Wheels ($3.80, $3). Saturday, our pick in the Pocono feature, All Gold (18-1), finished fifth, while our Meadowlands feature picks were fourth (Hobe Sound, 25-1) and eighth (Burkentine Hanover, 70-1).

    TwinSpires and the Hoosier 10-percent Pick-4 Bonus continued and on Apirl 16 we offered a few additions to tickets. Two of the five we suggested were scratched and the others were off the board. Two Hoosier winners on the horses-to-watch (H2W) list below, however, were involved in bonus exotics.

    Every time you cash a winning Pick 4 ticket at Hoosier Park, you receive a bonus equal to 10 percent of the gross winnings, up to $500 per night. We will assist on Twitter occasionally, with suggestions for your tickets. Follow @FrankCotolo and @TwinSpires for choices.

    For complete details:
    |http://www.twinspires.com/10-pick-4-bonus-every-night-hoosier-park

     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

    Shamderock, $48.60, $17.80, $3.80, Pompano
    Stop The Traffic, $13.60, $5.80, $4, Hoosier
    Southern Artie, $6.80, $5.80, $6 [ok] (Exacta $31.20), Rosecroft
    Jammin Joshua, $4.20, $3.40, $2.10, Hoosier
    Blue Note, $4, $2.60, $2.10, Cal Expo
    Sundowner Bob, $4, $3.40, $2.60, Vernon
    The Midnight Owl N, $3.60, $2.40, $2.10, Freehold
    Frontgear, $3.40, $2.80, $2.40, Hazel

    Seconds

    Roy Orbisong, $25, $9, Scarborough
    Damon Blue Chip, $13.80, $10.60, Pocono
    I Can Feel It, $8.60, $4.40, Cal Expo
    Bettor Be Genuine, $6.80, $4.20, Saratoga
    Somethingtobehold, $6.40, $3.90, Buffalo
    Restless Yankee, $5, $2.80 (Exacta $36.40), Vernon
    Versado, $3, $2.70, Yonkers

    Thirds

    Whiskey Bernie, $8.20, Cal Expo
    Gonna Rock N Roll, $7, Pocono
    Pass The Deck, $6.80, Freehold
    Caerleon Hanover, $4.60, Pocono
    Seagram, $4.40, Yonkers
    Alligator Falls, $2.80, Hoosier
    Palm Beach Boy, $2.10, Freehold

    News And Notes

    More well-known horses were prepping at the Meadowlands in qualifiers over the past weekend, with the star of the show Arch Madness returning from a long hiatus. The veteran trotter from the Trond Smedshammer barn, raced against some other familiar, though younger trotters, Corky and Archangel. Arch Madness left them in the dust, winning by several lengths in 1:53.3. “The buzz among the observers was that he looks as good or better than he has in the past few seasons,” said our source at the morning trials.

    Conditioners Tony Alagna, Jimmy Takter and Linda Toscano were present and Linda had her stable star Market Share on the track for a successful workout sans minus trotting hobbles to freshen for a trip to Sweden to race in the Elitlopp. Takter’s 2013 Breeders Crown frosh-filly pace winner Uffizi Hanover made her first appearance with a 1:54.4 tune up. Takter’s lightly raced Gettingreadytoroll won in 1:53.3. Late to the races at two, Gettingreadytoroll has a single money start, a win in 1:54.2 at Pocono.

    All Bets Off “looked sharp” in his second prep for the Ron Burke stable. The Matron winner in 1:52.4. Burke’s Governor’s Cup winner JK Endofanera won his qualifier in 1:52.4 over Ideal Cowboy and Somewhere Fancy in another key prep for this group. Odds On Equuleus returned to the races after a disappointing sophomore campaign. See And Ski and OK Commander finished across the track together in 1:52.

    It will be six months before we see driver Andy Miller back in the sulky after a frightening accident at Yonkers last week. Miller, driving Marmara Denizi, trained by his brother, Erv, was in the back of the field when unseated during the first race. Also unseated was George Brennan, driving In The Clear, who appeared to step on the wheel of a first-up Fiftyshadesofhay. In The Clear went down. Brennan got up and resumed his drives for the card. According to Miller’s wife, Julie, as well as trainer Scott DiDomenico, Miller broke a pair of lumbar vertebrae in his back. He had surgery and will miss chances to participate in some of the sport’s biggest events of 2014.

    In less than three weeks, Bee A Magician, 2013 Horse of the Year, will be back to races at four. Trainer Richard Norman confirmed that the Kadabra daughter will be qualifying the first week of May. “There are no health problems,” said Norman, “and I’m very pleased with her … It’s amazing but she finished up last year as good as she started. She hit her knee in the first start back but other than that she weathered the storm pretty well.” The plan is to launch her season in the Miss Versatility at Mohawk and then roll right into the Armbro Flight. Last season Bee A Magician won all 17 starts against the same foes in her division. She was discovered on this blog at two. The winner of $2.2 million lifetime did not get our vote for the best of ’13; we went with Captaintreacherous.

    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

  • Penultimate Jousts In Yonkers Series; Meadowlands, Pocono Present Features

    POSTED Apr 16, 2014 By Frank Cotolo
    One more round for the males and mares pacing at Yonkers Raceway this weekend, then the George Morton Levy Memorial and Blue Chip Matchmaker pacing series hold their finals The ‘Levy’ and Matchmaker finales are set for Saturday night, Apr. 26. The purses are $567,000 (Levy) and $371,400 (Matchmaker). These are the two richest races to date this season in North America and are accompanied Apr. 26 by their respective consolations (Levy for $100,000, Matchmaker for $75,000).

    At the Meadowlands on Saturday, two series’ finals are included in the program. The Artistic Vision for three-years-old-and-up filly-and-mare pacers goes for $55,800 and the Whata Baron for three-years-old-and-up horse and gelding pacers has a purse of $63,000. Plus, again this Friday we engage in the Meadowlands Early Pick 4, with its last three legs a Pick 3 on its own.

    Pocono presents a Bobby Weiss Series late-closer worth $30,000 on April 19’s program. We have something to say about some value in that contest.

    Until Nov. 18, playing Pick 4s at Hoosier Park through your TwinSpires account offers specials. Ten times point-earning advantages take place on every Tuesday program and Pick-4 bonus bets are plentiful. The bonus feature includes every Pick 4 on every Hoosier program. We will be adding Hoosier to our horses to watch (H2W) list and suggesting horses during the week on Twitter @FrankCotolo and @TwinSpires. Click here for details.

    We have added a few horses to watch (H2W), on our exclusive list for TwinSpires harness blog. Use these suggested contenders that are proving productie across-the-board wagers and serve as profitable members of exotics.


    Leveling Levys

    Yonkers Raceway presents the penultimate divisions of the Levy on Saturday, April 19 and all we can do is depend on outsiders to make this series a profitable affair. Certainly betting winners of many divisions cannot shout for joy on their win-mutuel returns. Hopefully we have helped with strong place and exacta additions to those short-priced favorites.

    The trio of divisions tonight are also short for bargain shoppers, with two Burkes making it a five-horse betting mile. We are coming back to Sapphire City in this split, since he has shown some stuff in the series and may be able to handle Clear Vision, Burke’s best of his pair. Along with Apprentice Hanover, first or second, these two could increase the payout of an exacta and put a decent price to the win column with “City” atop.

    Burke sends three in division deux and we go back to Texican N for an upset. He hasn’t rallied in the series but hasn’t surrendered, either. Driver Brian Sears sticks with him and he could present some value among the five betting entities if he scuttles through late and gets a share of the series lucrative rewards.

    No one knows what to say against Foiled Again, who leads the last division’s field with an impeccable 2014 record, all in this series. Two other strong contenders are Burke-trained, so what is left but the outrageous—that competent foe Malak Uswaad N shocks the field with Sears and trainer Peter Tritton taking two on the night (Texican N is Tritton’s student). Whatever you do, use Tritton’s charges in both exotics as well as taking a shot for an upset win.

    Matchmaker Mares

    Friday, April 18, the divisions in the fifth round of the Matchmaker series take one more shot to get a berth in the final or to a consolation next week. Division one goes with seven on board. Yagonnakissmeornot gets post 7 and Ideal In Vegas post 3. Those two will probably be the favorites over four lightly raced non-winners and another with a single win in a dozen starts this season. Coming in from the north is Scandalous Hanover for trainer Casie Coleman. This mare has only two starts and was second in both. If she was revving up for this, she can take it, perhaps as third choice.

    The second of the two divisions is loaded with talent and almost impossible to establish an honest line. The crowd, however, may split their votes between Somwherovrarainbow and the mighty Anndrovette. The best scenario to hope for is that swarming speed will make waste of those two and Summertime Lea (who has to leave from post 8 to make noise). There is a chance for Coleman to sweep the duo of divisions if Monkey On My Wheel can stay mid-pack while the flaming fractions ensue and then cut through the smoke and beat Shelliscape, who should also be closing (if not, she will burn out too).

    Visions Of Art

    The $55,800 Artistic Vision Final at the Meadowlands on April 19 brings together six participants in the series; two are a coupled Ron Burke entry and one of them is the prolific American In Paris, who has yet to lose in six starts this season, all at the Meadowlands. While the Burke brigade is barreling through the Levy series across the river, his duo here, which includes Art Ideal, will take the majority of win money from the public and receive all of the accolades from the public handicappers.

    If you wish to key exotics with the Burke duo, don’t expect a windfall. If you want to try to beat “Paris,” we call to your attention Hobe Sound as the upset candidate. Her two attempts in this series were both thwarted by Paris but she races well in both—even her seventh-place finish last week had a positive side, with a 10-length close as the field roared to get Paris. Before that she was only 6-1 in the series and was fourth and before that she was productive at Yonkers, though a bad trip ruined a win for her in the Petticoat Final. John Campbell picks up the drive (at press time) and can be trusted to give her the best ride she can get.

    ‘Baron’ Brutes

    All that is left in the next series finale Saturday at the Meadowlands are four-year-old male pacers. They go hunting for the best of a $63,000 purse in the Whata Baron Final. Making up for a tough sophomore season, Wake Up Peter has been strong against this group, winning both of his “Baron” legs. Captive Audience has accomplished the same with his divisions and these two will be the obvious public choices.

    All we can see in the way of an upset is Burkentine Hanover. From post 10 he will be dismissed, as he was last week. But he was fired up and soaring, gaining while wide and coming very close to “Peter” at the wire, finishing third at 8-1. He should be far more than 8-1 in this and that is all the more reason to rebel against the top two.

    The Meadowlands Early Pick 4 (April 18, $30,000 guaranteed pool, 15-percent take), tails off into the Pick 3 with its second leg. Here are some suggested contenders, hopefully other than the obvious choices for both multi-race exotics; as well, they are sound across-the-board competitors.

    Early Pick 4 (Races 3 through 6)
    R3—use 7 Easter Surprize
    Pick 3, (Races 4, 5 & 6)
    R4—use 2 Lad Pine
    R5—use 4 Mr Candyman; 5 Wheels
    R6—use  9 Shine N Shimmer

    Pocono Prices

    Nine three-and-up pacing fellas, with two also eligible, go on April 19, in Pocono’s Bobby Weiss Series Final, worth $30,000. The Burke brigade is present with two, uncoupled, but they are in deep, with many series competitors in the mix. We are looking for All Gold to be one of the overlooked contenders. His most recent series leg was a tough 8-hole grind and before that, at 9-2, he finished just behind one of the probable public choices here, A Stitch In Time (leaving from post 9 in this battle). In a race where so many entries can be argued, we’ll take All Gold.

    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

    Buffalo
    4/18/14, Upfrontoutthedoor R1
    4/19/14, Lucky Millionaire R4; Somethingtobehold R5; Naked News R7

    Cal Expo
    4/18/14, Lucky Man Again R6; Wanna Win R7; Blue Note R8; Vantage R11
    4/19/14, I Can Feel It R3; Western Tower R9; Red Star Wild One R10; Whiskey Bernie R12; Lucky Land R12

    Freehold
    4/19/14, Palm Beach Boy R2; The Midnight Owl N R3; +Pass The Deck R8; Brickyard Ben R12 

    Hazel
    4/18/14, Kaitlyn Rae R9; Frontgear R12
    4/19/14, Iron N Steel R8

    Hoosier
    4/17/14, +Alligator Falls R6
    4/19/14, +Stop The Traffic R6; Bazinga R7; +Jammin Joshua R11

    Meadowlands
    4/18/14, +Special Command R5
    4/19/14, +Bet On The Law R2

    Meadows
    4/18/14, +Chekov R7; Masterdream Chaser R13; +Woody R15

    Miami Valley
    4/17/14, +Swimsuit Model R9

    Pocono
    4/19/14, +Bagel Man R2; Gonna Rock N Roll R4; Caerleon Hanover R5; Damon Blue Chip R12

    Pompano
    4/10/14, Shamderock R1; Yankees In Six R3; +Kennairnmachmagic R6; Goldstar Raider R8

    Rosecroft
    4/19/14, Southern Artie R4

    Saratoga
    4/18/14, +Sarkozy R1; Bettor Be Genuine R2
    4/19/14, Tinys Million R2; Alastair Hanover R3

    Scarborough
    4/19/14, +Roy Orbisong R1

    Vernon
    4/19/14, +Sundowner Bob R4; Restless Yankee R7; +Unicorn Hanover R8; Stettin Hanover R13

    Yonkers
    4/18/14, +Mctaylor R9; Defiance N R8; +McTaylor R9; Seagram R10
    4/19/14, +Versado R7


    Ray Cotolo contributes to each edition.