TwinSpires.com Blog

In the News & Notes segment, host Derek Simon discusses “How genetics can create the next superstar racehorse” and relates it to handicapping.

In the U. of Bet segment, Dave “The Horse Handicapping Authority” Schwartz and Derek break down class — can it be quantified and how?

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.      

This weekend hopes for weather less violent as March digs into its place for 2014. At the Meadowlands this Saturday, March 8, we will see the first wave of sophomore pacers in the William Gilmour Memorial Final for $60,500 and three- and four-year-old trotters in the Charles Singer for $53,200. That’s as high as it is getting so far in the features department.

We continue to pick and choose a few specific races from common cards where we hope to keep up with our success of presenting some strongly priced winners. We love the Meadows and we are there again this Friday, March 7, to discuss a few races at length for optimum value wagering.

More horses to watch (H2W) at the Meadows and for overnight events throughout the TwinSpires harness menu are presented exclusively below. This list provides wins, places, shows and exactas every week, featuring contenders that, for the most part, the public dismisses. We have added harness racing’s newest track, Miami Valley, in Ohio and have already resulted in successful plays. Saratoga opens again and is also added. Please note that horses from our featured overnight events the week before appear on the H2W list as second-time members if they did not win when we highlighted their previous race.

’Gilmour’ presents

Sophomore pacers that we may not see again down the stakes road are led by the obvious Dinner At The Met in the William Gilmour Memorial Final. Jimmy Takter trains three here, which could upset the betting configuration (program unavailable at press time) but we have to watch for value from National Debt. He is looking for his second win in as many tries and could be the speed of the speed, certainly if he commands his inside post and rates the quarters. Let the price be worth it by your judgment but he could be a strong third choice with “Met” and Capital Account leading the support bank.

’Singer’ On Stage

With Time To Quit perfect with five wins in this Charles Singer series, coming into the final from the inside is going to make you think twice about playing at all. Just behind him, Perfect Alliance is four for four this year and then you have most of the horses they have beaten between them to fill out the field. So, a very light endorsement is handed to Clementine Dream, who is the most competitive past the top two and is bound to be a price from post 8. Trainer Mark Harder also has Ray Hall from post 4 and if they are coupled (no programs available at press time) you need not worry about making a decision.

This week’s overnight offerings:

Meadows
March 7, Race 6

A horse (Goggles Paisano) we chose second in a would-be giant exacta last week, in which we nabbed the 15-1 winner (Pop Cop), surfaces the morning-line (ML) choice stepping down into this conditioned pace. However, another horse, Brown Titan, is here with an unreasonable 12-1 ML and stands the best chance to blow this field away. Hanged for three calls dropping to this level last week, Brown Titan hails from Northfield, where he collected checks in Open company. Those foes were better than these, further strengthening our support for him here. For exotic plays, be sure to use Incredible Dragon, who has shown spark at this level and is sitting on a big mile in his fourth start after a brief rest.

Meadows
March 7, Race 11

This conditioned trot is no conundrum, considering obvious choices are marked with short ML odds and have inside posts that fans love to count on when betting. But on the outside, post 9 (scored on the far outside at the Meadows), RT USS Chilton steps up a slight notch and may overcome a trip scorned by his post and win at a big price. As a legitimate contender, “Chilton” has won two of three, the middle loss of the trio due to breaking stride, mostly. He has a dual style, so if he manages to have to go with the outer flow due to his post, he should be flying in the stretch. Consider, also, that the ML choice is also a stepper-upper with two of three wins but Connie Keeper has post 2, so the inequality is based upon post as well as raw speed data, which is fine to ignore. Use her in exotics, though.

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

Cal Expo
3/7/14, +My Roberto R7; +Fox Valley Dylan R7; +Pip’s Jenny G R12; Blessingfromabove R13

Dover
3/9/14, +Devvils Embrance N R9; JRs Midnight Cry R13

Flamboro
3/6/14,; +Northern Triumph R4; +Justabiteveil R9; Strong Hope R11
3/8/14, +Justabiteveil R1; +Lightning Charger R5

Fraser
3/7/14, +Terra True R2; Jack Junior R6; +Last Luck R7; +Yanotherhos R11

Freehold
3/7/14, +Stand Guard R5; +All On My Own R10

Meadows
3/7/14, +Perfect Change R2; +Yosemite Camn R3; +Mccedes R6; D Mac R7; Dew N Doughnuts R10; +Bergerac R10; +Dojea Nodoze R13; +Four Starz Elder R14

Miami Valley
3/7/14, +TM Valley Storm R3
3/8/14, +Woop D Do Bazzle—AE—R1 

Monticello
310/14, Garbarino R8

Saratoga
3/7/14, Real Yankee Fan R3; +Cash Poor R9; +The Northern Dude R10
3/8/14, Sand Summerfield R9

Yonkers
3/7/14; Blacktuxwhitesox R7; Likeabatouttahell R8; Yo Cheyenne Rocky R9


Ray Cotolo contributed to this edition.