TwinSpires.com Blog

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.     

As September enters its first weekend, we stay in Canada for a number of Grand Circuit (GC) stakes at Mohawk. There are numerous co-stars this weekend; all in the U.S., with sires stakes championships from Indiana and Pennsylvania (there are others, such as Ohio, but selections for those are included in the horses-to-watch—H2W—list below).

Champlain and Simcoe GC events for Sept. 6 at Mohawk will be covered on our exclusive blog, this year’s Breeders Crown Countdown, now on line. We link to it 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.

The ‘Wellwood’ Gang

Last week’s Metro Pace highlighted the frosh-colt pacers with their biggest purse and strongest challenge to date. This week, on Sept. 5 at Mohawk, frosh-trotting colts go in a pair of $30,000 elims to meet their greatest challenge yet, the William Wellwood Memorial (WWM) Final, next week.

There are only six colts in the first elim but none in the sextet can be easily dismissed. They are green and relatively unpredictable but not without their strengths already displayed through the first half of the season.

Jimmy Takter’s Uncle Lasse is bound to get a lot of win coverage and not just for the trainer’s reputation. In the Donato Hanover product’s recent race he won smoothly at Pocono after strong battles (finishing second) with Centurion Atm in the “Haughton” elim and final at the Meadowlands.

Ron Burke’s Habitat has won three of five on a road tour, including a Champlain at Mohawk, a Tompkins at Tioga and a Kindergarten at the Meadowlands. There will be pennies between the odds of these two, leaving some breathing room for an improving member of the division, who we liked last week in a Champlain, Wheels Ah Smokin.

He may share third-public choice status with Don’t Rush from the rail but “Wheels” won’t get the obvious interest of the two aforementioned colts. Still, Wheels has won a Kindergarten as the drop-dead favorite (two back) and he was a second choice to Habitat at the Meadowlands in another Kindergarten. Trainer Chuck Sylvester is priming this guy, hoping to mature him for his wealthy owners who can eye the 2015 Hambletonian. Wheels is a son of Muscles Yankee, the sire of Hambletonian champ Muscle Hill. Sylvester trained Muscles Yankee (his third Hambo winner) and two seasons back was close to a fourth win with Lucky Chucky. It is best to go with the sleeper here because the odds should be good and you want to be there if this is the wake-up race (his morning line is 8-1).

Three of the seven in the second WWM elim are maidens and the best number of wins in the field is two, from the morning-line choice Cruzado Dela Noche. This is the colt that followed Uncle Lasse (elim one) while he was chasing Centurian Atm. The second morning-line choice could be the public’s—Gifted Way.

We are interested in the rail horse, Jetpedia. He is a son of the productive frosh sire Muscle Hill and he really has done no wrong in five starts. He broke here at 3-1 in a stakes final two back, after being the choice in the elim that got him there. He came back in a Champlain last week and started slowly, spotting the field almost 11 lengths. He was fourth by only 5 ¾ lengths, to Habitat (elim one), who rested a few lengths to win by 2 ½ lengths. He is a horse to watch and in this field a horse to bet, since he has every right to improve and the public will not offer him the kinds of odds he may rightly deserve.

Pennsylvania Polkas

The Pennsylvania Sires Stakes (PASS) will dance from the mountains of Pocono to the populated perimeter of Philadelphia over two tracks in as many days to crown their state-bred champs in the two-and three-year-old categories. On Sept. 6 the four frosh groups meet at Pocono Downs and on Sept. 7 the sophomore crews battle at Harrah’s at Philadelphia.

We start on Saturday, Sept. 6 at Pocono Downs with four mega-purse PASS finals for freshmen. The first is a $260,000 championship for filly pacers. Bound to dominate the win pool is one of three Ron Burke gals, Southwind Roulette. The public will be impressed by her earnings, sire and speed badge but  these strong factors do not give her an automatic victory. Indeed, we call your attention to Special Package from the rail. Tom Fanning’s daughter of Western Terror (an increasingly productive sire) has made it to the final round only winning one for six this season but her two seconds are commendable and impressive. She will offer a good win price as this field will be imbalanced in the betting due to Burke.

Next for the same purse, filly trotters face their largest pot. Three from Takter’s team will draw wagering attention; too much, in fact. Wewould rather look for a decent price from the Burke gal, Gatka Hanover. With post 8 she may detract more bettors than the post should provoke. The Muscle Massive gal takes after her dam, Girlie Tough, in name and metaphor.

Colt trotters bring the 2015 Hambletonian to mind as we all look for a contender able to keep up with Centurion Atm. That one’s trainer, Ake Svanstedt, is in competition with himself as he sends Lima Pride to post here. Stefan Lind’s Billy Flynn has yet to taste defeat and Shoot The Thrill has been productive. Perhaps the 8 hole again holds the overlay card with Piercewave Hanover. He could surprise the public but would be no surprise to us; he is sound, well bred and has good credentials at two.

Lastly we have the colt pacers. Burke’s barn has the money here with Yankee Bounty, yet to lose in six tries. Our bargaining sense tells us Mcardles Lightning may be overlooked. The Steve Elliot-trained colt is fast, a good earner and the only son of Mcardle in the room. Tomy Terror and Dragon Eddy should compromise by Burke’s biggie, as well as his price.

Sunday In Philly

The PASS sophomore finals are the highlight on Sunday, Sept. 6 at Harrah’s Philadelphia. They begin late in the program with the $260,000 filly trot. Lifetime Pursuit is the hot horse and Designed To Be shows up to test her. All this means is a big price on Take The Money for the upset.

The colt pace offers star material as Mcwicked tries another wire job in a prep for the Little Brown Jug. However, also prepping is the winless Limelight Beach, zero for 11 but now in the Burke barn and ready to upset on his way to the “Jug.”

The colt trot  stars Father Patrick again and his recent upset to Datsyuk (in post 1 here) could bring his price up a bit. It may be a bit too much, making Father Patrick a price we have not seen since he began racing at two.

Finally, the filly pace presents eight-for-eight Sandbetweenurtoes and she still looks like the utter best and the lock of the card. 

Hoosier Heroes

Indiana Sires Stakes finals ensue at Hoosier Park on the Sept. 6 program. The $75,000 contests are all for two-and three-year-olds. Frosh colt trotters have 10 in the hunt. Airman Batten will be the choice and rightfully so. In seven tries he has six wins, with five-for-six Steal N Gas the closest in records. But the Big Stick Lindy colt, Stickem Buck, cannot be dismissed and should be the best price of the trio.

On the frosh-filly trotting side there is a contentious affair. The earnings are close and the records are similar. Golden Big Stick has been in every mix thus far and may be the one ready to pop a fourth win for the season.

In the frosh-filly pace we eliminate the four maidens and take a shot with the 10 horse, Blues Queen. The post may give her some price weight and in the mile may not be a detriment at all. As for the frosh colt pacers, Toni’s Affection should simply have this in the bag for a small payoff.

Soph-filly trotters have to contend with the perfect Andi’s Alana, having eight wins in as many starts on the Hoosier scene. The filly pacers, though tightly matched, may offer value with Metro Shopping.

Soph-colt trotters offer a shot for value from Double A Cash Hall, daringly from post 8, while the glamour-boy pacers will continue to be dominated by the all-powerful Always B Miki, who has scourged the Hoosier scene since his rousing second in the Meadowlands Pace.

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
9/5/14, Peter Pumpkineater R7; Studio City R9
9/6/14, King William R3

Freehold
9/4/14, Nicetoseeya R2
9/5/14, Bella’s Spunkin R3; Big Sky Angelina R5; Fancy Pants Sandy R9
9/6/14, +Kings Legend R5; Mr Thomson R5; Moosehead Jack R6

Hoosier
9/5/14, Red Scooter R1; Light Up The Sky R3; Battle Gun R7; Matt The Bruiser R7; Rocket Fuel R9; Allthatgltrsisgold R11; Star City Hero R14

Maywood
9/4/14, Jetting Around R2; Buttered Noodles ae R4
9/5/14, +Impersonal R2; Delightful Dot R3; R Dunshine R4; Rip N Rock R8; Donald Himself R12

Meadows
9/5/14, Incredible Dragon R10

Northfield—Ohio Sires Stakes
9/5/14, Student Of Life R1; Dellou R2; Lofty Chip R5; Crown Time Keeper R6; Honey B R8; Friskie Til Dawn R9; Emilene’s Future R11; Suite Feelin R12

Ocean
9/6/14, +Money Paige R6
9/7/14, +Winmando R1

Plainridge
9/6/14, Painting The Town R2; +Somerset Minibob R4

Philadelphia
9/7/14, Gallie Bythe Beach R7

Scioto
9/4/14, +Whowhohoosier R2
9/6/14, Pro Deuce R4; +Tempster Hanover R6; Can’tcutthatchip R12

Tioga
9/6/14, Flashbacks R6
9/7/14, Goose Creek R1; Ten Yard Penalty R11

Vernon
9/4/14, +Canbec Jewell Sun R4
9/5/14, Fleetwood Hall R1

Yonkers
9/6/14, Lawgiver Hanover R5; Big Jer R7
9/8/14, Caviart Key R6; Montana Pablo A R6
 
Ray Cotolo contributes to each edition.      

August harness racing is about to reach a peak in its finale as the three-day weekend, which unofficially ends the summer season, arrives. The Labor Day holiday does not include harness action around the continent, with Canadian and American stakes events swarming through the daylight and nighttime hours.

No division is left un-raced, with an emphasis on the new candidates, as freshman colt pacers are featured in the Metro Pace and frosh fillies in the She’s A Great Lady finals at Mohawk. The divisions also contest lucrative Champlain and Simcoe stakes and “The Sweet Lou Show,” for the older pacers, is on the program, too—this week’s episode is titled the Canadian Pacing Derby Final.

Glamour boys and gals on the trotting side are featured at Vernon in “Zweig” splits and on the pacing side there is Labor Day’s traditional Cane Pace and those aren’t even all of the features. On the same program, Sebastian K takes on his usual and some new challengers in the six-digit Crawford Farms mile.

So load your TwinSpires account and charge your devices between meals, snacks and relaxation while picking and choosing your moves. Our suggestions follow here and on our exclusive blog, this year’s Breeders Crown Countdown, now on line. We link to it 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.

The Metro Pace Final

The $667,000 Metro Pace Final for frosh-colt pacers has been upset territory over the years as well as some deserved public choices have taken the honors. We know this because our win record for this race over the last decade has included choosing both pay types.

On Aug. 30, the obvious may rule in Artspeak, a first-season colt that races like a veteran. As well, the streaking local, Go Daddy Go, who won the other elim last week, is sharp, though his connections know he must improve here to make a major impression. The contender with the most improvement who could shake “Daddy” from an obvious place finish and, with the help of a speed duel, create an upset shockwave, is Lone Survivor.

Trapped and shuffled and returning late with resilience, “Survivor” was as close to beating Daddy as Lyons Levi Lewis in the first elim. The two moves he made may have equaled a win if things went differently but in the final, chasing Artspeak will be the game and if the huge favorite is compromised at all on top, Survivor may indeed be the lone survivor of the field.  

She’s A Great Lady

The $480,000 She’s A Great Lady Final at Mohawk on “Metro” night will feature a sterling favorite and strong leader of this division in Jk Shesalady. Last week’s elim-topper was immaculate and far better than the other two elim winners’ efforts. She should romp again at odds that could eliminate show betting; she is that strong.

Solar Sister is an interesting exacta addition and should up the payoff. At 37-1 she had a far more stressful trip against “Jk” than place-finisher Divine Caroline (public’s second choice). The other exactor and triactor companion should be Shakai Hanover, a beaten favorite in her elim.

The Sweet Lou Show

This week, Sweet Lou looks for his 11^th-straight win against the toughest, albeit the same, group of older pacers that have followed him in his 10-race win skein as he leads the cast of the $634,000 Canadian Pacing Derby (CPD) on Aug. 30 at Mohawk. Missing this week is Captaintreacherous, whose connections scratched him from the CPD elim due to illness.

”Lou” has major foes in Bettors Edge and Foiled Again, both in this field, but only an unpredictable circumstance would find Lou behind them at the wire. All the others are rungs below Lou, including some of the local favorites that fans have been insisting can beat him. This, however, is not a hockey game, it’s the Sweet Lou Show and he is the best exotic key to come along in a long time. Stay with the program and use the two foes mentioned in criss-crosses for trifectas and in separate exactas, especially if the locals lean on any others.

Grand Circuit events at Mohawk for Friday and Satruday, for two-and three-year-olds, the Champlains and Simcoes, are covered this week at the Breeders Crown Countdown blog.

Zig-‘Zwieg’-Zag

The colts for the $340,000 Zweig Memorial on Friday, Aug. 29 at Vernon Downs,  are familiar and talented and, for all due purposes, still led by the best—Father Patrick. Unless he scratches between our press time and Aug. 29 for health reasons that help explain his post-Hambletonian loss, there is still no one in this cast, including his stable mate Nuncio, that are better than him on their best day.

If his two successive losses cause his win-price offerings to increase, then there is no question he is the key for exotics as well as a win bet (it has been a while since being able to play him straight at prohibitive win odds. A good addition in combo tickets is Martiniwithmuscle. When on gait, this one knows how to float and is getting better as he and the season become older.

The $150,000 filly division of the Zweig is a bad race to give up on Shake It Cerry. Even if you feel Lifetime Pursuit has overcome her, that one is absent here and “Cerry” wins this by default. There may be some chances taken on members of this field by bettors but let’s face it, Cerry is tons better than these, including Heaven’s Door, who loomed more of a formidable foe last month than she does now. What we hope is that Broadway Socks, Avalicious and “Door” are the smokescreen that gives us another surprise price on the filly that continues to keep on giving to the bettor when it counts. You go girl.

Oh ‘K’

Friday, Aug. 29 at Vernon Downs on the night of the Zweigs, the $236,000 Crawford Farms Open, matches super Sebastian K against Bee A Magician, Market Share, Mister Herbie, Archangel and five others.

The speedy Swedish Horse of the Year and top-rated horse in the sport this season, Sebastian K may actually offer a better, albeit low, price to win considering New York champ Archangel is here and loyalty is often measured in wagers. But Sebastian is all around better at racing, at least right now, and he has it all over the local and the mare, Bee A Magician. Hope for a price breaking $3 on Sebastian is slim but, as the saying goes, men have been killed for less/

The Cane Pace

With two colts coming into the race per $35,000 supplemental fees, there are eight entries in the 2014 Cane Pace field on Sept. 1 at Tioga. For years this was a special event, it being the first jewel in the Pacing Triple Crown (a series with more than three events when you add eliminations). Although there is still a “crown” for winning it, the Little Brown Jug and the Messenger Stakes, there is little for any bettor to be concerned about along the way. Sadly, even the press value of the series has died.

However, alive and racing are some of the top soph-colt pacers of the season, including the industry’s anointed Hes Watching. The fast but opportunistic Hes Watching is one of three supplements. He meets major foe Jk Endofanera, the competitive Doo Wop Hanover, improving Lyonssomewhere (supplement), Stevensville (his first nemesis of the season), Luck Be Withyou (supplement), Bushwacker and Beat The Drum.

This could very well wind up to be like the North America Cup in a few ways which give Jk Endofanera an edge. The early-speed factor weighs heavily in this mile and Hes Watching may be over-confident after his recent efforts and ready to play his speed card. That will be his Waterloo, since Lyonssomewhere has the natural ability to fire early (though he has the burden of being short late). In the first-quarter you may also see Stevensville hustling for a front spot, as well as Beat The Drum will have a fancy to be up there.

The grinding colts with more than a few chances to take advantage of the speed scenario are Doo Wop Hanover and Jk Endofanera, the latter who did just that at 12-1 in the “Cup” with a similar configuration and some of the same horses. As well, “Jk” has once again fallen out of favor to Hes Watching and that is always good for his odds, making them far less than his chances. “Doo Wop” could be a perfect closing companion to complete a surprisingly healthy exacta.

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
8/29/14, +Red Star Fiona R1
8/30/14, +Pleasing Form R4; +Aberarder Smitty R6; Bruisers Sister R8

Freehold
8/30/14, Kings Legend R8

Hoosier
8/28/14, +Toni’s Affection R12
8/29/14, +Golden Big Stick R12

Maywood
8/28/14, Impersonal R1; +Online Learning ae R5

Meadows
8/29/14, +Upfront Billy Boy R5; Tuckered Out R7;

Ocean
8/28/14, Rockin Roxanne R4
8/29/14, +Ge’s Alex R2; +Truly My Way R4; Money Paige R10

Pocono
8/29/14, Clearview Hanover R6; Lady Alice R13
8/30/14, Smilin Eli R11

Philadelphia
8/28/14, Senor Grande ae R3
8/31/14, +Bobs Girl R14

Saratoga
8/28/14, +Curly’s Son R3; +Crazy Wow R9
8/30/14, Good Win Earl R2; +Bo’s So Hot R11 
 
Scarborough
8/22/14, Creditable Winner R2; Hobsons Choice R6

Scioto
8/28/14, Docs Zippy R6; Whowhohoosier R12
8/29/14, Creatine R5
8/30/14, Tempster Hanover R3;  +Lookingforadventure R11

Yonkers
8/29/14, +Sweet Justice R8
8/30/14, +Man He Can Scoot R2; +Bubble Boy R3; +Heston Blue Chip R6; Big Jer ae R10

Ray Cotolo contributes to each edition.      

Although some other divisions hosting stakes this weekend, the focus for the industry will be upon two-year-olds battling for berths in the lucrative Metro Pace for pacing colts and She’s A Great Lady for pacing fillies at Mohawk, along with elims for soph-filly trotters with two Casual Breeze splits on Aug. 22, while on Saturday the program includes two Metro elims, three elims for the She’s A Great Lady stakes (a Metro for the glamour gals) and two elims for the older pacers’ Canadian Pacing Derby.

Our exclusive blog, this year’s Breeders Crown Countdown, is now on line. We link to it 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.

Ladies Of The Trot

The $202,529 Casual Breeze, once contested in June to work as a prep for the now defunct Elegant Image trot, attracts the sport’s top soph-filly trotters in a two-split contest on the Friday, Aug. 22 card at Mohawk.

One division of the total 18 fillies has a field with all the top fillies, while the other contains the second-tier competition. The opening division is the second-tier showdown, featuring the dead-heat winners of the Duenna, contested Hambletonian weekend, My Inspiration and Donatella Hanover. The Canadians also have a hometown favorite in White Becomes Her, making this an interesting wagering affair.

White Becomes Her, because of her experience over this oval, is the horse to beat. She’s a front-trotting type but in her last two starts she has been caught by fillies who draft in the pocket. Seeing as that is her only visible weakness, the logical choice in this race would be a front-type who prefers to stalk the pace. Enter My Inspiration.

The Trond Smedshammer filly has hit the board in six of her seven starts in her career, with every race having her positioned near the front. This Chocolatier filly has really improved into her sophomore year and should be sharpening with every mile. She’ll be in the right place to sweep by White Becomes Her and give us a nice price.

Ever since trainer Jimmy Takter fit the shoes on Lifetime Pursuit, she has been unstoppable. A perfect trip in the Hambletonian Oaks made her an undeniable winner, then she follows her 1:50.4 world mark with another world record, this one of 1:51.3 at the Meadows, putting her in the same club as fillies Check Me Out and Designed To Be, who will compete for redemption against Lifetime Pursuit.

All in all, there’s no point in trying to beat the best filly in the division. We certainly liked her at two, even though we never cashed on her. But she is currently at the peak of her form, which evidently is unstoppable.

The ‘Metro’ Gang

It’s time for two-year-old colt pacers to face the big-buck challenge as the Metro Pace elims decide the field for the biggest frosh event of the season. Next week at Mohawk The Metro Pace Final puts the pressure on the top frosh colt pacers, with the top three finishers carrying the weight of early favoritism for 2015 stakes for glamour boys. Two Metro elims, each worth $40,000, are on the program Aug. 23 at Mohawk.

In round one, some of the top sires of the season present sons and the surprise Sportswriter colt, Sports Bettor, who debuted last week against the Grand Circuit types and won at 69-1, will get more action than that this time around. What he probably won’t get, though, is the trip that afforded him the path late to win that Nassagaweya split. Here, he has to contend with three colts that weren’t in that affair and a few that lost to him also look like trouble.

First there’s To Daddy Go, the Bob McIntosh son of Ponder that won the “Waterloo” on Grand River’s smaller track and came right back on the big oval to lose by a smidgeon after a tough first panel. He may wallow through this mile and be worth a low price. Look out, however, for Asap Hanover, who may be offering a greater price than last week. He was the favorite when Sports Bettor exploded the tote board and he is out for revenge after an awful trip.

Four wins in four starts with no challengers will make Artspeak the humungous choice in round two. There is little doubt that Artspeak will be winging out of the gate to take the top and attempt a total command of the mile. That attempt may give The Wayfaring Man two easy turns, sucking along in the catbird seat and raring to give Artspeak a late taste of losing. That is the best scenario for a price, assuming “Man” will offer a far-and-away decent price as the second or, hopefully, third choice.

Great Ladies

There are frosh-pacing fillies everywhere, demanding three eliminations for the She’s A Great Lady at Mohawk on Aug. 23. A total of 25 fillies have entered but only 10 will compete for the near-half-a-million dollar prize.

An interesting detail to watch in these races is if the gals who competed in the Eternal Camnation last week have any sort of advantage. Seeing as 15 of the 25 entered for this race competed in the “Camnations,” it might make for a good betting angle.

The opening split features one winner of a Camnation, Shakai Hanover, and other Camnation-gals including The Show Returns, Bedroomconfessions, Strut My Stuff and Palette Tina. The public will likely piggy-back Bedroomconfessions, even though she was second, off her strong performance in the opening Camnation split. We’ll take our chances with another Camnation-ist, one who was certainly fast, but was disqualified off an odd pylon violation.

Palette Tina appeared green out of the gate in her division, sprinting to the quarter in :27.3 to then sit a pocket and gamely slide up the inside to finish second. Unfortunately, she was also green when veering to the inside lane, as she had a wheel inside two pylons, forcing her disqualification. We see her improving with maturity, as she has always been a weird filly, especially in her second start, when she kicked home in :25.4.

First, the Johansson stable produced a talented youngster named Western Vintage, who went on to win his Metro elim but failed to hold off Boomboom Ballykeel in the final. Johansson returns with a filly that put in a phenomenal performance in the second division of the Camnation, Jk Shesalady.

On a night where speed was dominant, she came from 9 lengths off the lead and entered another gear to begin sprinting her way towards the lead. She cleared command at the top of the stretch and continued to draw away, winning in 1:53.4. Here is a special filly, and likely the one to dominate this division. There’s no beating her, at least in this elimination.

The final elim features Happy Becky, winner of the Whenuwishuponastar Series and the favorite in her Camnation split last week. She sprinted to try and catch Bedroomconfessions and Shakai Hanover but had too much ground to cover. While the majority will be flying back to support her, we’ll join the minority in a nice filly that was caught behind Jk Shesalady in her Camnation elim: Bin N Heaven.

Firstly, Bin N Heaven was fourth to Jk Shesalady, Cowgirl Tough and Cashaway, none of which are here. Secondly, she sat the pocket to Wicked Little Minx, who went from first to eighth by 29 lengths within a quarter-of-a-mile. Having to navigate around her, it’s ridiculous to think she could catch Jk Shesalady, so her fourth-place effort is positive. She’ll likely be put towards the front again, except on this occasion, she could claim victory. 

Sweet Lou Time

It’s Sweet Lou time again, this episode being the first of two $40,000 elims of the Canadian Pacing Derby, also on the Mohawk card Aug. 23. Really, how can we create a scenario to wager against him? He seems tireless and makes all of his foes look powerless. Maybe if we found out trainer Ron Burke made “Lou” walk to Canada from the states we could take a deeper look at the same old joes he has been beating throughout the season.

The second elim gives six who have been in the line of Lou’s fire different chances to get into the winner’s circle. The closest to Lou recently has been Bettors Edge, who comes from post 2 here and may try to lead the charge from start to finish. But we have to look again at a bargain—Captaintreacherous.

The local fans will be shouting for State Treasurer, who got a good spot to be second to Lou two back. But he isn’t the horse Captaintreacherous is in any capacity, no less the kind of horse Captaintreacherous is becoming as he knocks around the neighborhood of stalwart elders. There is a contingent of anti-Captaintreacherous folk here and they will be backing “State” and Thinking Out Loud while singing “Oh Canada.” This should make for a juicy win pool for Captaintreacherous, even with only six going here. A strong cover trip or a seat behind Bettors Edge if that one leaves could get the “Captain” home on top.

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
8/22/14, Red Star Fiona R1; Canbec Jewell Sun R1; +Scorpius R11; Pleasing Form R11
8/23/14, +Blown Away ae R2; Sbm Innocentoutlaw R4; Aberarder Smitty R11

Hoosier
8/21/14, Earls Little Dude R10; Bridges Beauty R14

Maywood
8/21/14, Breanna Official ae R2; Just A Minute ae R2; +Wilfully Scootereva R7; Online Learning R8

Meadows
8/22/14, Tuckered Out ae R5; Bluenose Gal R12; Upfront Billy Boy R12

Ocean
8/21/14, +Whitesville Ted R2
8/22/14, Rules Little Man R3

Pocono
8/22/14, Annuity R4; +Spirit Of Desire R8; Art For Arts Sake R13

Running Aces
8/23/14, Windsun T Bird R7; +Co-op Hanover R8

Saratoga
8/23/14, +Duel In The Sun R11; Bo’s So Hot R12; Titan De Vie R12
 
Scarborough
8/22/14, Creditable Winner R2; Hobsons Choice R6

Scioto
8/21/14, Whowhohoosier R2
8/22/14, Lookingforadventure R4; +Chip Of Art R12

Tioga
8/23/14, +Professorsdapapers R4

Yonkers
8/21/14, +Natural Habitat R4
8/22/14, +Insane In Spain R9
8/23/14, Man He Can Scoot R2, Bubble Boy R3

Ray Cotolo contributes to each edition.      

Big Friday and Saturday features spread across the east and the borders on Aug. 15 and Aug 16. Six-figure events are rare at Northfield Park and Saratoga Harness but this weekend they take the spotlights with the Carl Milstein and Joe Gerrity memorials.

It’s also Gold Cup & Saucer weekend, with a consolation on Friday and the final on Saturday at Charlottetown Driving Park (pictured left). Also in Canada, Mohawk hosts Nassagaweya stakes as the Grand Circuit (GC) dives into the season’s second half with a big Saturday card. On Sunday Tioga Downs hosts some traditional GC events, the Tompkins-Geers and you can find our choices for those along with other suggested contenders on our horses-to-watch list (H2W). These are valuable additions to your win, place and show bets and exotics through North America. See our weekly list of “lookouts” below. 

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.

Carl Cash At Northfield

The $400,000 Carl Milstein Memorial at Northfield Park on Aug. 15 is a huge cash event for glamour-boy pacers and the purse is so large this year it has prompted the connections of Mcwicked to supplement their speedy colt. The first sign that was worth the investment was when Mcwicked drew the rail, which at the home of the Flying Turns is still a plus.

Casie Coleman’s Mcwicked has lost to a few of the foes here in the bigger races and has not dominated the division’s top events, so the representatives of the other top trainers of the season deliver a race with deep competitive promise.

Ron Burke’s All Bets Off has come around well and is six for nine coming to Ohio. Jimmy Takter’s pacer, Tellitlikeitis was the favorite in the first million-dollar race for the division and has been in the thick of all but one of his six races. Stevensville was the winner over Hes Watching when that one faltered in his soph debut; remember we gave you Stevensville at Yonkers that night for a big win? Ohio-champ-conditioner Virgil Morgan, Jr. conditions Boomboom Ballykeel (our choice and the upset winner of last year’s Metro). Though the colt has not been on fire at three, he is three for seven in the win column and Morgan knows this course. Chris Oakes aims Luck Be Withyou, an honest threat to Mcwicked this season, at the purse. Joe Seekman’s Let’s Drink On It has five wins in 11 starts, though they are against less-talented steeds. Only Dan Altmeyer’s Seventh Secret appears to be buried in the talent, leaving against this crew from post 8 with only hopes for a small piece of the pie should a lot go wrong to his left.

Mcwicked will launch hard out of the 1 hole and attempt to cut all the fractions, making this a typical Northfield-wire-to-wire attempt based solely on speed. That most likely scenario could be the downfall for Mcwicked, since it would seem impossible that he would get away with cutting the fractions for all four quarters in a race with this kind of pot; there will be challenges. Which horse finds itself in the best position could be the one left with the best kick.

All Bets Off will be right behind Mcwicked when that one guns out and charts to get the best trip to save ground. He did his best at Yonkers and could wind up with a record mile if he comes out late with a successful bid or he shoots up the passing lane. His price is negotiable but given the circumstances he may be worth it as a second or third choice, since Mcwicked ($34,000 to get into this event) will be showered with wins bets.

Carl Consolation

The $100,000 consolation of the Carl Milstein Memorial offers this year’s second-tier soph-pacing colts a means of redemption, with one specific pacer from the field in desperate need of one.

Sharp as a freshman, luck had abandoned Western Vintage upon his tangos with the top guys, with every mile an encounter with misfortune. Upon his elimination in the Max Hempt Memorial, trainer Nancy Johnasson gave her star colt a break. Returning on racing’s biggest stage, the Hambletonian under card, he was a game fourth in 1:50, albeit to a 90-1 Sweet Rock. Competing against other colts that are in need of a redeeming mile, Western Vintage, who’s only $2,000 off of qualifying for the final, should be raring to pace.

With him is a promising colt in the exotics, Three Of Clubs. The Mach Three speedster is winless in seven tries this year while competing mainly on the Ontario Sires Stakes circuit. Regardless, his lone chance of receiving a check will be utilizing his speed to sit near the top and hope to pass rivals in the lane. With the weak speed honor going to Limelight Beach, it is more than possible that he can pass enough horses to pay a handsome exacta.

Joe Dough At Saratoga

Saratoga Raceway features top aged pacers in the $260,000 Joe Gerrity Memorial on Aug. 16. With the Foiled Again fan club ready to tune in, there’s a possibility we can get a price on the best horse in the field

Coming in off of a first-over journey in the Dan Patch Invitational (against Sweet Lou), Heston Blue Chip will start from the rail. The Linda Toscano trainee was parked through insane fractions of :52.4 and 1:20.1, causing him to falter to sixth. This group suits him perfectly, and from the rail, he will be tough to beat.

Nassagaweya Whiz Kids

Two-year-old colts get top-notch prizes for their best efforts in three Nassagaweya splits, each worth more than $89,000, on Aug. 16 at Mohawk. The crop has been dominated up north thus far by progeny from Sportswriter but we don’t know to what extent that will affect the wagering.

Round one could be a great score for a son of Somebeachsomewhere, as the Linda Toscano-trained Asap Hanover gets a good spot to shine. The solo Sportswriter kid comes out of post 8 here so Toscano’s colt gets a post edge, as well as Tim Tetrick in the bike.

Nine go in the second round and look who has a frosh pacer in the mix—Ake Svanstedt. He hands the reins of Badix Hanover over to Jody Jamieson. Ake’s stock continues to show power and profit and this Western Ideal colt is one of the youngest in his barn with improvement written all over his racelines. Go Daddy Go, the sole son of Ponder (fourth on the sires average earning list for frosh pacers) in this field, could force the issue, as Bob MacIntosh is gunning this recent winner of the Battle of Waterloo and teams up with John Campbell to try for another score, though he may not offer the lovely 7-1 he paid last out.

In the nightcap, Artspeak gets the outside but will have support for his first-season successes, which stick out. The Sportswriter son here is Sporting The Look for the Jamiesons and he may have an edge if only by a few steps gained from a better trip. This is a chance to support the Sportswriter crop with national competition, as the sire’s success has been strongly local. If they are that good there may be some prices attached to them which won’t be available for long.

Eternally Yours

The fairer frosh pacing set goes for scads of cash in three $76,000-plus Eternal Camnation splits, also on Aug. 16.

Round one gives us a chance at the sole Somebeachsomewhere in the field, Queensland Beach. She’s a local but her sire is shining on the national scene with frosh progeny and that average alone is worth backing.

In the second split, a rare trainer/driver solo from Jack Moiseyev brings out the Ponder gal Cowgirl Tough. We also find two from Rock N Roll Heaven’s first crop, all of which are yet to show significance in stakes. Oddly enough, there is a Rocknroll Hanover filly here too, so sire and sire’s sire have blood flowing here, but we’ll stick with the Ponder gal on top.

Finally, more first-crop fillies hit the scene in the nightcap. Those of you who have read this department through the years know of our successes with If I Can Dream. His filly, Yes You Can is another Jamieson-barn property and if he will shine as a sire early he will have an upset win here. The Sportswriter gal is on the outside and the Somebeachsomewhere gal looms boldly but Yes You Can may complement the early data of her sire at a price.

Flying Saucer

The $20,000 consolation for the Gold Cup & Saucer (renamed the James Roach MacGregor Memorial) is set to end the evening card at Charlottetown of Friday, Aug. 15. Due to the field size in the trials, only four failed to qualify for the “Saucer” final in this six-horse grouping. Based off their performances, it’s a wide-open affair.

Residing at the rail is Mach Wheel, who tracked cover and couldn’t chase Mickey Hanover in his 1:50.4 journey around the P.E.I. oval. Exempting that effort, he was a talented pacer at the Ontario B-tracks in their Preferred levels. The inside draw will likely put him in a position towards the front, which will make taking control late in the mile an easier task.

Duke Did It can also make this wagering affair interesting. Sitting the pocket to Mickey Hanover in his trial, he severely faltered to finish sixth by 26 lengths. He fits well into this group and will likely be forwardly placed.

While the $60,000 Gold Cup & Saucer will not see 12 horses go for the gold, an octet of speedy aged pacers will blaze around the half-mile track. Given the circumstances of the post draw (Aracache Hanover drawing post 2 and Mickey Hanover post 8), it might be safe to say this will be a take-no-prisoners event. The ultimate speed of this field is Mickey Hanover, who will have to gun in order to get his comfortable spot on the front. That is, if he can get on the front.

In his second start off a sick scratch, Scott Rocks made his debut at Charlottetown. Getting away last in his trial, he managed to pick up cover and, upon three-quarters, was left alone two wide while Mickey Hanover was preparing to lift flight. Scott Rocks managed to finish third in his trial. Drawing post 4 in the final, in the event of a fast pace, he’ll likely be poised for an upset.

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
8/15/14, Scorpius R4; Blown Away R6

Grand River
8/15/14, Cons Legacy R5

Meadows
8/15/14, Allstar Shark R4; Bluenose Gal R7

Mohawk
8/15/14, +Bee Full Of Steinum R4; I Luv The Nitelife R10

Ocean
8/14/14, Not Tonight R3
8/15/14, Ge’s Alex R2; Whitesville Ted R3; Truly My Way R4; South Dakota R4; Rhapsody Rose R6; Ny Ice R7; Winmando R9; Arrested Dreams R10
8/17/14, Osceda Gold R6

Philadelphia
8/15/14, +Real Leggy R4; +Jerseylicious R6

Pocono
8/15/14, Spirit Of Desire R7
8/16/14, +Lyonssomewhere R3; Word Power R10; Mistery Woman R14

Running Aces
8/16/14, Co-op Hanover R6

Saratoga
8/14/14, Dontmakemelaugh R11
8/15/14, +Lauderdale R8

Scarborough
8/15/14, +Jitterbug Hanover R3;  +Trotting Trice R7

Scioto
8/16/14, Mystical Brothers R2; +Head Of The Barn R3; Chip Of Art R11

Tioga
8/1514, Pan Luis Obispo R7
8/17/14, Crazy Wow R3; Josies Joy R4; Uffizi Hanover R5; +Jk Endofanera R7; +Jolene Jolene R8; +Father Patick R9

Yonkers
8/15/14, +Nf Happenstance R8; Back To The West R9
8/16/14, Duel In The Sun R5

Ray Cotolo contributes to each edition.      

It’s the sport’s mid-season as we roll through August and though the Meadowlands’ season is done for now (returns in November), wild harness battles ensue and the star equines take to the road at the Grand Circuit tracks, aiming for Breeders Crown (BC) glory this fall. Our Countdown Breeders Crown blog will fire up next week and feature analysis of races for the divisions’ top horses on both gaits; races that have significant wagering value. (Photo on right by Ray Cotolo)

This week, aside from some high-profile names (most horses from the Hambletonian day stakes parade will be taking the week off), the action is local, per se. Hoosier Park is packed with Indiana Sires Stakes (INSS) for two- and three-year-olds on Friday and Saturday. We will cover the $75,000 finals. As well, the Dan Patch Invitational brings some strong ole pacers to the gate on Aug. 8.

Charlottetown Drivers Park launches trials for its premier event, the Gold Cup and Saucer. The final is on Aug. 16 (watch for analysis here next Friday).

More traditional Currer & Ives go postward at the Meadows over the weekend, also, and some familiar faces are at hand.

At Tioga on Aug. 10, glamour-boy pacing-colt rivals Hes Watching and Jk Endofanera battle in the Empire Breeders Championship and a filly version is also on hand.

Our horses-to-watch list (H2W) presents suggested contenders—valuable additions to your win, place and show bets and exotics through North America. See our weekly list of “lookouts” below. 

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.

Patchwork Foes

The $250,000 Dan Patch Invitational reunites a few US Pacing Championship characters including the brilliant and dominant Sweet Lou and the only horse to defeat him this season, Dancin Yankee. This is their first meeting since May, when Sweet Lou finished third in the Van Rose at Pocono Downs.

Ron Burke, Sweet Lou’s trainer, told Ken Weingartner (USTA correspondent) that he is nervous because Dancin Yankee “is racing as well as any [horse] in the country … [he] is super sharp, career sharp, too.”
Dancin Yankee is on a six-race winning streak, though he has not consistently faced the caliber of foes that has “Lou.”

A field of nine is the cast of the event at Hoosier Park on Friday, Aug. 8. It’s the 21st installment of Hoosier’s signature event and it highlights the 14-race program complimented by INSS finals.

Others in the field are the familiar Bettor’s Edge, Heston Blue Chip, Thinking Out Loud and State Treasurer. Filling out the field are Night Pro (INSS champ), Carol’s Comet and Our Lucky Chip.

Though it makes sense to emphasize a threat to Lou, he has raced with immaculate precision that we witnessed in person at last week’s Hambletonian program. Watching him take command and rolling smoothly with driver Ron Pierce going along for the ride (no urging at all) was as amazing a performance as I have seen yet—and I have seen some of the greats.

Trust we are being objective, for we were not fans of Lou when he was anointed at three, and we were proven correct, as he failed to live up to the hype of his frosh antics. At four he was good here and there and we had him a few times at fair prices. But at five he is phenomenal, with a wondrous rhythm and marvelous muscle. Pocono’s three turns have stumped a few great horses here and there and Dancin Yankee had his day against Lou in May. It won’t happen this time; Sweet Lou may break every speed record Hoosier will ever record.

It’s exotic time in the betting department, then. Kick out the locals—they have no business in this against Lou and the rest—and be wary of Heston Blue Chip for second. He may offer some value for the exotics, even though he was magnificent last week on Hambo day. Linda Toscano’s New York-bred champ could nose Dancin Yankee for second and pump up an exacta price.

A $25,000 guaranteed Dan Patch superfecta pool will be available as part of the USTA Strategic Wagering Program. The wager will have a minimum bet of 10 cents and is available through the cooperative efforts of the USTA, Hoosier and the Indiana Standardbred Association. A $10,000 guaranteed Pick-3 is featured with races seven through nine

Indiana-bred Battles Abound

The INSS frosh-filly trot leads the $75,000-each finals on the Aug. 8 program. Though she has post 9, Golden Big Stick is a prime example why her sire, Big Stick Lindy, is on the best average earnings list. She is fast and she is a great earner, the best in this field.

Next, INSS frosh-colt trotters hit the track. Two sons of Swan For All, a promising sire thus far, lead the pack. One of them, Airman Batten, should not be denied this championship.
Frosh-colt pacers are next on the INSS docket. Rockin Image colts make up half the field. His progeny has been prolific but Toni’s Affection, a son of Always A Virgin, appears to have a slight edge on the division.

Finally, the filly pacers take the stage and two Rockin Image fillies could take the top two spots, with a Panpacificflight gal in the triple. For Rockin Image, we have Heyhey Mahanah and Image Of Felicia. The other is Feetonthedashboard, who has the best win record of the season in the division.

Saturday, Aug. 9, the three-year-olds are in the INSS spotlight.

Soph-filly trotters begin the INSS quartet of finals, each worth $75,000. Streaking Andi’s Alana looks for her seventh win in a row and is bound to own the bulk of win pool. A threat just aside her is Hudson Jesse. She has been consistent and always in the mix this year.

Soph-filly pacers are next on the bill, with an evenly matched field of 10. Candy’s A Virgin may have a slight edge, with a strong bankroll from only seven races, almost half of them wins.

The INSS soph-colt trotters seem to be dominated by Double A Cash Hall, with the best earnings, good connections and five of his six starts victories. An outside threat could come from Sonnyforall, who is four for seven in the win column and raring to take on better to prove he is class material. He should be a price in the attempt, too.

Glamour-boy pacers from the program line up for the INSS and the card’s Satuday nightcap. The mighty Always B Miki is here and coming from his second to Hes Watching in the Meadowlands Pace he will be a prohibitive favorite and rightfully so. He is a good key here, among colts that are nowhere near his prowess.

Trials By Jousting

A dozen pacers have been entered for the 2014 edition of the Gold Cup and Saucer at Charlottetown Driving Park. The field of 12 is the fastest field ever assembled. Of the horses entered into the two trials, eight have lifetime marks under 1:50.

Trial 1 will be raced this Saturday night, Aug. 9. Trainer Ron Burke aims to defend his title with the fastest and richest horse in the field, Aracashe Hanover. The Carl Jamieson-trained millionaire Up The Credit (2011 of the North America Cup winner) is the only entrant from last year’s final. Trainer Rene Allard has two entries in the first trial. Bigtown Hero is new to his stable. Island Jett is Allard’s other entry in Trial 1. Allard obtained “Jett” two starts ago and shows two consecutive miles in 1:53.3 over half-mile tracks. Astor is the only Maritime horse, also in Trial 1. Jason Hughes trains. Trainer Chris Oakes is new to the event. In Trial 1 he sends out Shock It To Em on Saturday.

Oakes’ other pacer goes in Trial 2 on Monday, Aug. 11. That one is Scott Rocks. Corey Johnson’s first entry in the event goes in the second trial. He is Wazzup Wazzup. Trainer Patrick Shepherd sends Duke Did It and Take It Back Terry is the second Burke starter. The third Allard entry is Mickey Hanover and the last entry is Mach Wheel for trainer Shane Arsenault.

“Aracache” will take all the money in Trial 1. Up The Credit will get action, even having post. The real danger, of course, is Bigtown Hero, who will be all out for his first appearance under the tutelage of Allard. 

Trial 2 may be a better wagering event, with no star names on board. Mach Wheel could be the pace commander here, taking it from start to finish with his inherited Mach Three speed.

Empire Breeders Strike Back

Soph pacers battle for a quarter-million dollars in purse monies at Tioga Downs on Sunday afternoon, Aug. 10. The finals of the Empire Breeders Classic (EBC) are the featured events on the sires stakes-filled card.

The filly final appears to be a match race between elimination winners Major Dancer and Precocious Beauty. Major Dancer won her elim after scratching lame from a sires stakes at Yonkers to follow it up with a workout the next day. She is a talented filly and should definitely not be discounted from the race.

Precocious Beauty has been in need of redemption. World champion at two, she pulled first over and managed to hold off Delightful Dragon to win her elim in 1:51.4. She is vulnerable, and will likely be involved in the early pace.

While Delightful Dragon was ½ -length shy of picking her post, the Three Diamonds winner has steadily regained her form. Second to speedy mare Clear View Hanover at the Meadowlands two starts back, she tackled her age group from post 7 at Yonkers to win from first over in 1:54.1. She draws a post that will likely put her in the center of the action, allowing her to take cover when needed and sweep by horses at a price.

In the colt final, the majority feels it will be an exhibition by He’s Watching. Winner of the Meadowlands Pace, he’s certainly speedy and can capitalize when given a trip. Over a sloppy track in his elim he was only ½ -length better than Jk Endofanera in 1:51.1 (note that he possibly interfered with Jk Endofanera but was cleared by the judges).

Even though he has lost to He’s Watching twice, Jk Endofanera will likely be given a cover trip, seeing as he cannot grind first over as was proven in the first-half-speedy “Pace” final. There will certainly be speed in the race, with Winds Of Change possessing agility but it will be Jk Endofanera’s redemption and he’ll likely be a great price since many jumped off his bandwagon, hopping into the fan group of He’s Watching.

Picture Perfect

Fresh off of standardbred racing’s marquee event, the soph-trotting division returns to the stakes spotlight on Friday, Aug.8, at the Meadows, where two divisions of the $120,000 Currier & Ives are set to go.

With only six males in both splits, it is not surprising to see that these are two-horse races, so to speak. The opening division will be a match between Amped Up Hanover and Wheelsandthelegman. Amped Up Hanover won a division of the Townsend Ackerman (TA) on Hambletonian day, doing so on the front in 1:54.2. Wheelsandthelegman also raced in a split of the TA but faltered after a powerful shot to the top from the outside. Our preference is Wheelsandthelegman in this match-up, as his good draw and raw speed should put him in front at the finish.

The other division is between Il Sogno Dream and Skates N Plates, with Southwind Spirit playing the role of wild card. Il Sogno Dream was fourth in the Hambletonian, a classy effort but perhaps exaggerated. The Hambo was a fast mile, with third place being 11 lengths off the stretch-battling Trixton and Nuncio. Il Sogno Dream happened to be in the right place at the right time and closed into third but was soon passed by Harper Blue Chip, who also got a nice trip. With all this in mind, this division sets up to be a nice one to beat the chalk

Skates N Plates will obviously be the second choice, due to the lack of form in the field. His break in his last start can be ignored, since he has no other record of such blemish. He also won a division of the Arden Downs at the Meadows going wire to wire. At the right price, he can certainly upset

Southwind Spirit is the interesting entrant. Off since his third in the Valley Victory nine months ago at the Meadowlands, he has two qualifiers, with his first being on July of this year. He galloped through the stretch but went 1:57. Next out, he set easy fractions on the lead to finish in 1:55.3. Off a long layoff, he might need a start, but could make the exotics pay well.

H2W Legend

Review our choices and follow the wagering at the prescribed track. These are possible contenders we have judged from reviewing races. The horses’ names are listed beneath the name of the track after the date they will be racing. The race in which they are entered (R and race number) follows. If a + is in front of a horse’s name it means it is appearing on the list for the second (and last time) because it failed to win the first time it appeared. An “ae” signals the horse is entered 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
8/8/14, +Larrys Dream R5; +Whipmeintoshape R8; +Carson City Road R10; +Western Heart R10
8/9/14, Blown Away R2

Meadows
8/8/14, +Sarcastic Man R10

Philadelphia
8/7/14, +Kingofthejungle R5; Tellitlikeitis R9; Lyonssomewhere R11

Running Aces
8/9/14, Flukie Flight R3

Saratoga
8/7/14, +Still Electric R3
8/8/14, Lauderdale R7

Scarborough
8/8/14, Trotting Trice R2; Jitterbug Hanover R6

Scioto
8/9/14, +QB Killa R1

Tioga
8/8/14, +Cathy’s Princess R4

Yonkers
8/7, Natural Habitat R6
8/8/14, +Outa My Head R3; +Charisma Hanover R12

Ray Cotolo contributes to each edition.      

For the umpteenth year, we will be reporting live from the Meadowlands for the super-stakes-filled program on the first Saturday in August, Hambletonian day. This time, of course, we have our digs in the new facility—the state-of-the-art Meadowlands Press Box in the structure located on the opposite side of the historic track’s original area in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Exclusively for TwinSpires, we will be reporting on line via @harnessraycer, @FrankCotolo and @TwinSpires, with updates, quick news items, quotes and anything else worthy for our contingent of harness bettors.

On this page we will cover all of the stakes action for Aug. 2 except the Hambletonian events, which this year are single race (no elimination heats are necessary based on the number of horses dropping into the boxes). Our spin-off blog, the Hambletonian Trail, features the jackpot-at-the-end-of-the-rainbow events, The Hambletonian and Hambletonian Oaks.

Friday, Aug. 1 at the Meadowlands, a slew of Kindergarten stakes legs for two-year-old filly trotters adorn the program. See our horses-to-watch (H2W) list below, under the Meadowlands heading, for horses that have impressed us in these categories.

All H2W through North America –our suggested contenders—are valuable additions to your win, place and show bets and exotics. See our weekly list of “lookouts” below. 

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.

Townsend Ackermans

Colts staying away from the Hambletonian will contest in the $100,000 Townsend Ackerman. Two divisions, compiled of 23 trotters, will segue the race card into the major events.

The opening split features no standouts and is a wide-open affair. Our hopes lay with Scacco Matto, a colt who has shown promise against similar amid his breaking issue. Adding hopples in his last start, he traveled three wide for nearly the whole mile, with his 20-length loss slightly exaggerated by Trixton’s 9-length romp. Given the right trip in this class drop, he could come sweeping into contention.

Class is what will separate the winners from the losers in the other edition. Starting from the rail, Sumatra might get his first victory since the Dexter Cup. When competing in the New Jersey Sires Stakes he was always in contention behind Trixton, the eventual series winner. He’ll likely be given a patient drive, which, if allowed in the stretch, will make him able to close well. In the exotics, Well Built might offer a price as he drops in class, too.

Peter Haughton

Trotting guru Ake Svanstedt returns with a talented freshman trotter in the $355,500 Peter Haughton Memorial. Centurion Atm brushed to command towards the top of the stretch and drew away by 3 lengths to win the “Haughton” elimination as our choice last week. He seems to be getting sharp at the right time, so trying to beat him may result in failure.

Ima Lula Ladies

The $52,000 Ima Lula final, features four-year-old mare trotters. The last two editions have featured the winner of the Hambo Oaks, with Bee A Magician looking to become the first to win this event.

After her impressive uprising over Bee A Magician, Classic Martine has likely swayed favoritism onto her. Yet, her victory in the final prelim last week does not necessarily make her better than Bee A Magician. She has constantly raced well in the top level and should have saved enough in the tank for a victorious afternoon. In the exotics, also watch out for Nf Happenstance, who will likely be stalking the pace setter and have enough to hit the board.

Big Boys’ Best

The U.S. Pacing Championship features stalwart older pacers but is not truly a championship. That is, winning the $257,700 event bears no resemblance to a divisional crown and neither does it hold any more reverence than any of the older-pacing stakes. This season, all entries attempt to do what they have been trying to do for a few months—defeat Sweet Lou.

Though he has been great, Captaintreacherous has been better than most of these, who are over four (Sunfire Blue Chip is the other four-year-old). Here is the difference in this event compared to the others: Daylight. But could that mean so much? Could an “off track” be a detriment to “Lou”? We doubt it; few scenarios put him behind any of these. Bettor’s Edge has done well chasing Lou and may once again race with odds better than his chances (10-1 and 18-1 respectively, when second to Lou in their most recent two meetings. And there may be the exacta and trifecta, keying Lou with the two mentioned in both exotics.

Classic Jerseyites

New Jersey-bred colts make up the $225,000 New Jersey Classic, a race that may unfold with a bargain or two. It’s difficult to predict a favorite or an underlay here but our hope is that Western Vintage may get less attention than he deserves. He has had a rougher time than we forecast as a soph but he is still lightly raced and has been rested with two prep qualifiers on his side coming into this battle. However he tries, from the front or with some cover close to the pacesetter, he is a big danger that the public may not support enough.

Doo Wop Hanover, on the other hand, won’t be ignored; he may be the choice of the crowd, since his state affairs have been sterling and he has faced far stronger than this group. His Meadowlands Pace failure was no surprise, having no change to make up ground with a slow start from post 10 and fractions that steamed by the stretch, allowing Hes Watching to glide off of a near-perfect trip.

The $100,000 Miss New Jersey, restricted to New Jersey-sired filly pacers, seems to be a toss-up when it comes to talent. Off a victory against older mares, Gettingreadytoroll appears to be the one to beat if her gait is truly no longer an issue. Yet, Cut A Deal, who comes from an average company for this group, could be eyeing an upset. Traveling first over and sustaining third in her last start, she appears to be sharp enough to gain victory given the right trip.

On Their ‘Merrie’ Way

Frosh-filly trotters engage in a $352,050 event, the Merrie Annabelle Final, and for many of the 10 involved (five are still maidens) it may be the last time they partake in such a wealthy race. The elim winners, Lock Down Lindy and Mission Brief will take most of the money, with the latter dazzling bettors with her green speed, so to speak.

In the fastest elim, Jolene Jolene was second at 27-1 (we had her) and the race before that she was 30-1 against Lock Down Lindy. Her 9 post here may cause a problem but it will just help her to go off again at a bargain price. Any improvement for her is a major challenge to the obvious top contenders.

Top Trotters Truckin’

The $300,650 John Cashman, Jr. Memorial finds older trotting hero Sebastian K on the rail with the usual suspects raring to bring him down. The latest gunner is Archangel, who last week knocked a super mile into place in an elim (“K” was in the other elim). Also, Uncle Peter goes for his second mile since returning from abroad and he was good last week, just behind Mister Herbie, who took second the week after we called for him to upset K in Canada (it was Intimidate that got the nose victory and he is here, too). Then there is Market Share, always a threat but recently subservient to K. And there is Servruga, our huge upset last year in this race, who this year is far from showing his best.

Where does this leave us but with it being K’s race to lose? We can make cases for the others but only Uncle Peter gets a nod as the least experienced falling to K. In an upset scenario, he is the culprit, especially on a day when team Takter can rule on so many levels. 

Ladies Of Liberty

The $177,750 Lady Liberty hosts the pacing mares, all of which have had their days and all of whom come into this affair with modest credentials. You could make good cases for most of them so you have to look outside of the obvious to find value. In that order, opportunity may shine upon Jerseylicious, who has been doing well while racing at odds far more than she deserves (11-1 and 70-1) against similar at this top level.

Tough trips have found better horses—Shebestingin and Somwherovrarainbow—recently losing largely and this fray may also be too demanding for them. Charisma Hanover may be a great exotic participant under these circumstances, too, and prices may blind the toteboard while flashing the top three.

Vincennes

Open-level trotters will get their shot to compete on Hambo day with the Vincennes Invitational. Takter’s newest acquisition, Master Of Law, comes in off a 1:52 effort against the top level two weeks ago. Yet, his bad draw could allow for a bigger price to be victorious.

Sweet Justice draws into the Vincennes due to his narrow disqualification in the “Cashman” eliminations last week. He’s always had a knack for this level and draws well to win in his usual fashion. 

While she is competing against the boys, D’orsay is also the queen of upsets. Doing so last year in the Ima Lula final (where we capitalized on her $36 return in the 2013 TwinSpires Players’ Pool) and in the Armbro Flight elimination (where we profited by her 50-1 win from our blog). She has a similar racing style to Sweet Justice and was super impressive when grinding the mile last week, coming a nose short of victory.

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
8/1/14, Sanskrit R6
8/2/14, +King William R1; +Larrys Dream R3; Sbm Innocentoutlaw R4; Whipmeintospape R12

Georgian
8/2/14, Oaklea Winfrey R3; +Got What It Takes R8

Grand River
8/1/14, Cons Legacy R9

Maywood
7/31/14, Wilfully Scootereva R6

Meadowlands
8/1/14, Christine Sixteen R2; +Sweet Thing R2; Josies Joy R3; Saturday Mornings R4; Cathys Princess R13

Meadows
8/1/14, Sawbuck Hanover R7; +Mattacardle R7

Mohawk
7/31/14, +Best Risque R12

Ocean
8/3/14, +Ok Amelia R4

Philadelphia
7/31/14, +Baximum R4
8/1/14, Real Legacy R4
8/3/14, +Corky Duke R14

Plainridge
7/26/14, Somerset Minibob R1

Pocono
8/2/14, +Luck Be Withyou R12

Saratoga
8/1/14, Still Electric R12
8/2/14, +All Powerful R8; I’m The Real Major R10

Scarborough
8/2/14, +Bullseye R4

Scioto
8/2/14, QB Killa R1

Tioga
8/2/14, KJ Brenda R2

Vernon
8/2/14, Curlys Son R1; Guilty Man R5; Royal Deceptor R6; Deadhead Royalty R11

Yonkers
7/31/14, +Mystical Pacer R8; +Sir Lehigh Z Tam R12
8/1/14, Putnams Attack R7

Ray Cotolo contributes to each edition.      

The Adios Pace, lacking the glamour-boys’ biggest stars, highlights the conclusion of Grand Circuit week at the Meadows with a band of stakes and anticipation of the first weekend in August when all of the superstars from all of the divisions make up the Meadowlands’ cast of Hambletonian-day fields. But July’s final weekend offers a lot of wagering opportunities that can help inflate our TwinSpires account with a full afternoon program at the Meadows and a full evening program with more stakes at the Meadowlands. 

The Adios afternoon program on July 26 will feature live tweets on the Arden Downs, Adioo Volo and Adios Pace with all the late-breaking information. Follow @harnessraycer, @FrankCotolo and @TwinSpires on Twitter before betting.

Our spin-off blog, the Hambletonian Trail features the Hambletonian Oaks prep at the Meadowlands on July 26, with seven wagering interests going for $35,000. There are no eliminations for the “Oaks” this year. The final is next week on the Big M Hambo program, where we will be on site reporting.

Friday at the Meadowlands we have a single elimination for the frosh-colt trotters in the classic Peter Haughton and two Merrie Annabelle elims for the filly square-steppers. As well, another leg of the Ima Lula is on the bill for the mare trotters. Saturday night from the New Jersey oval, two elims for the John Cashman Memorial presents free-for-all trotters on board for a berth in next week’s final.

Overnight action continues through North America and we have our fingers on the pulse of the action in our exclusive horses-to-watch list (H2W). Our suggested contenders prove to be valuable additions with many exorbitant place and show prices, as well as they support chunky exactas. 

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.

Future Glamour Boys Trot

Friday at the Meadowlands, the Peter Haughton Memorial enters phase one. A single elimination will be contested for the frosh-colt trotting event, which features 10 horses but only five betting interests. Trainer Jimmy Takter has spared no expense for stake-caliber two-year-olds, as he trains five of the 13 entered for the race (the three that receive byes for the final are Canepa Hanover, Guess Whos Back and Honor And Serve). Uncle Lasse, the only one of the quartet whose gait is not in question, highlights the four-horse entry. He enters in off of a victory in his debut and a third-place effort after attempting to go gate-to-wire, being parked in his move to the quarter.

The obvious contenders against the entry are Svanstedt’s coupled Centurion Atm, Amicus and Cruzado Dela Noche. Centurion Atm is the leader of this group, making strong first-over moves at first asking. They’ll likely be the second choice but if one looks to beat the Takter quartet, Svanstedt’s colt is the next contender.

Girlie Steps

Two Merrie Annabelle elims are on tap Friday at the Meadowlands, also. Ron Burke returns to the freshmen-trotting scene, this time with two strong fillies divided into the two elims. The opening elim has Gatka Hanover, an undefeated daughter of Muscle Massive. Meanwhile, Homer Hochstetler has a Chocolatier filly, a bloodline that has been prominent with gals. Sweet Thing debuted well, winning by 4 lengths in 1:59 against maidens at Vernon. Next out, she was second in a Pennsylvania All-Star split. She followed that race with a victory against sires stakes company in 1:58 at the Meadows. She could be sharpening and her breeding not only has Chocolatier but Kadabra sired her dam. 

Burke’s New Jersey-bred freak Mission Brief, off a 1:53.3 victory in the New Jersey Sires Stakes final is the obvious choice in round two. Yet, this speedy filly is also very green and might not mind her manners. In the event that she misbehaves, Jolene Jolene can easily sweep by this group. In her debut, she was locked at the pylons, shuffled and closed to finish third. At second asking, she could easily capitalize on Mission Brief’s possible mistake.

Big Trotter Elims

For the first time since the Nat Ray was renamed, two eliminations will be held for the John Cashman Memorial for older trotting males. The first elim features something that hasn’t been seen in nearly 40 years: Two Hambletonian winners will compete in the same race—Market Share and Royalty For Life. Yet, neither will likely be value in this event. Fresh off his world record in the Hambletonian Maturity, Your So Vain, a new acquisition for Ake Svanstedt, appears to be the one to beat. A huge three-wide bid in the 1 1/8-mile event at first asking makes the imagination fly as to what he can do with a start under his belt.

The second elim could make it a Svanstedt sweep, since Sebastian K, coming in off his loss in the Maple Leaf Trot on a “sloppy” surface, returns to a track in which he’s excelled. Since he’s the one to beat, watch for Sweet Justice in the exotics. He has a home-field advantage, having spent the winter and summer at the Meadowlands. He has also shown talent against the top level and may be the underdog in this field.

Ima Lula Deux

Leg two of the Ima Lula series (the final is on the Hambletonian program) on July 25 at the Meadowlands should put Bee A Magician (BAM) back into the public-choice seat after two strong efforts following her illness. She was absent from last week’s first leg of this short series, winning the Miss Versatility. Classic Martine also joins the fray from that race, finishing fourth to BAM. She, too, should receive strong support.

The Jonas Czernyson couple duo, Ma Cherie Hall and Mistery Woman, needs no introduction to the others here but looms dangerous with a price on the entry’s head. Leaving from posts 5 and 6, respectively, both of them are showing signs of being stronger than they were as sophomores, when BAM dominated the division. “Mistery” had a tough trip last week, got the lead, only to lose it to Handover Belle (post 2 in this). But Mistery trotted the better mile. And “Chere” may be over the stumbling stride that hampered her debut at four, posing a definite threat to the favorites.

Wicked Adios?

The 48th edition of the Adios Pace for the Orchids ($400,00) is the focus of a great stakes program on July 26 at the Meadows. As mentioned above, we will be tweeting our choices for the Grand Circuit stakes on the program live Saturday afternoon. Here, we will analyze the main event, a consolation and the filly version.

The Adios this year presents Casie Coleman’s McWicked as a huge favorite with a morning line of 7-5. Because the colt has raced with the best and won his best efforts when the best were not present, as they are not here, the Coleman fans will dig into their pockets for a return of pennies, at best. He could soar to a record mile, sure, but who cares if he cannot reward us for the effort? Besides, three in the Adios field have a right to be claimed threats and at least two of them will be overlays.

The longest price should me Stevensville, the wire-to-wire, 10-1 winner we gave you on in the “Rooney.” He may try to steal this and if he duels with McWicked could open a path for the lesser-priced offerings from contenders Lets Drink On It and Somewhere In LA. A winner in Canada, where most McWicked fans hail, “LA” should race better than his odds and burning front speed could give this to him. It’s a crafty game of who gets the trip if you don’t put your stock in McWicked going fastest from front to finish.

Stevensville could be the trip horse and if there is the kind of dueling that drives speedsters outside or causes shuffling, the Ray Schnittker colt could drop a bomb on the tote board. LA and “Drink,” however, could either be worth it as overlays that would merely shake the board.

The Adios consolation awards percentages of $30,000 to an odd crew of glamour boys in that they have raced a lot but not gotten very far in the division. This adds weight to the argument that the Adios did not attract the top tier of colts. Worth a shot here, then, would be a “now” horse and that appears to be Kingofthejungle. Last week he shot off the gate and dared the favorite, Limelight Beach, who did not make the final, to get the top. “Limelight” worked too hard to do so and wound up fourth at the wire. Kingofthejungle held well until tiring at three-quarters and finished fifth at 27-1 while ground-savers passed him. He may well be the best overlay of the program.

Adioo Volo

The soph-filly pacers in the $114,175 Adioo Volo total 11 and are not atop this division’s list for the season. None have tasted victory more than four times and two haven’t had a chance to win at all this season. Casie Coleman’s Also Encouraging is the top earner here and Casie will be looking to take the filly and the colt features by sending her full throttle, along with her other student, Someislansomwhere. Beach Gal is next in earnings and has been off the board only twice for Ron Burke, who also has Allstar Rating and Southwind Silence in the group.

Bound to be ignored, however, is Gilbert Garcia-Herrera’s Marathon Day. She’s the fourth richest this season by hitting the board 10 times in 11 starts. All the well-known names will bury this filly’s chances on the board and although we doubt if Yannick Gingras would pick her to drive, she is one of four he is listed to drive before decision-making time. Her price will be appetizing and will reward backers handsomely as an outside contender.

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
7/25/14, +Outoftexas R7
7/26/14, Western Heart R8; Larrys Dream R11

Georgian
7/26/14, Oaklea Winfrey R1; Kaboom R1
7/27/14,  Got What It Takes R8

Grand River
7/25/14, Mobro Flirt R6; Cons Legacy ae R6

Harrington
7/24/14, +Malak Uswaad N R2; Bob N Tony R6

Hoosier
7/26/14, O’Sundland R8

Meadowlands
7/25/14, +My QP Doll R5

Mohawk
7/25/14, +Nefertiti Bluechip R7; +Somethingincredible R9; Bee Full Of Steinam R11
7/26/14, Request For Parol R4; Undercover Bro R9

Ocean
7/25/14, +A Major Impulse R8

Philadelphia
7/27/14, Corky Duke R12

Plainridge
7/26/14, Somerset Minibob R1

Pocono
7/26/14, Black Hat R9

Running Aces
7/6/14, +Bunkerhill Bill R1; Cowgirls Rocknroll R3

Saratoga
7/25/14, +Amigo Ranger R7

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

Scioto
7/26/14, Head Of The Barn R11; +Hi Ho Disguise R13

Tioga
7/26/14, +McKelvie R6

Ray Cotolo contributes to each edition.