A Confederation Cup Elims Sweep And Top-Dollar Winners In Canada

This week’s winners came from all over last week’s blog, including some features and the horses-to-watch (H2W) list. Let’s start with Sunday, May 10, where we took on and scored in both eliminations of the Confederation Cup at Flamboro Downs.

Though neither score was a surprise to us and both went exactly as we described in our preview, the first split winner turned out to be a strong favorite. We did not suppose that All Bets Off ($3.80. $2.80, $2.60) would be so enamored by the betting public.

The second elim gave us more for the score as our scenario to defeat the prohibitive choice at 2-5 and two other strongly backed pacers came to fruition when Lets Drink On It ($10.70, $6.00, $4.10) came from off the pace to pass the short speed and win.

Friday, May 8 offered one feature, a Reynolds stakes at the Meadowlands for soph-filly pacers. The sophomores were charging all weekend in features. In this one we would up third with Bedroomconfessions ($2.80), going off at 4-1 and beaten by the two top choices, favorites by pennies each.

More sophs battled for top prices on Saturday, May 9 at Pocono. We scored in the first PA All Stars with Wakizashi Hanover ($6.40, $3.40, $2.10). In the second split we were fifth with Techtor Hanover (25-1) and in the third we were also fifth with Well Well Well (30-1).

Also on May 9, the two Mohawk sophomore-pacing features turned into one event for us when our Diplomat colt choice, Windsong Lightning scratched from that final. It was a disappointment because we had high hopes for his win and a high price in a crowded field. The filly’s Princess Final got us a second with Moonlit Dance ($3.90, $2.10).

Except for one Simpson stakes for soph-filly trotters at the Meadowlands on May 8, three Hambletonian Trail races take place Monday, May 11 at Monticello, after we post this review. On May 8 we were fifth at 81-1 with Southwind Cartier; they were shocking odds and we intend to keep our eye on her for a good score again soon. How we do in the colt trotter events will appear in next week’s review. All Hambletonian Trail race stories are archived at the Hambletonian Society website.

In between published harness blogs, follow @FrankCotolo and @TwinSpires on Twitter.

H2W LIST RESULTS

The H2W results list across-the-board prices. Also, exactas listed are included when a H2W horse finishes second with a race favorite or the first two finishers making up the exacta are H2W horses (an asterisk appears when both horses were listed to complete the exacta). The note “ok” determines that prices published are correct even when a show price exceeds a place price or any or all of the prices are the same. This week, there were 66 active horses.

Please note that some H2W results reflect win, place and/or show results occurring after press time and that it is up to you to follow those horses that have not performed before this weekly review is posted.

Winners

Little Bit Faster, $35.60, $10.00, $5.50, Century
Happy Promise, $14.10, $4.10, $2.90, Century
JVZs Dream, $9.60, $4.60, $2.20, Northfield
Moonlightonthebeach, $7.20, $3.00, $2.60, Yonkers
Action Onelasttime, $6.40, $5.40, $2.40, Pompano
The Lunch Pail, $6.40, $4.00, $2.30, Yonkers
Fancy Freeshark, $5.60, $3.60, $2.60, Philadelphia
Royal Assassin, $4.40, $2.80, $2.10, Northville
Renata, $3.00, $2.20, $2.20 ok, Northfield
New Scent, $2.20, $2.10, $2.10 ok, Plainridge

Seconds

Desperate Crowds, $14.00, $8.80 (Exacta $29.60), Northfield
Four Star Kyle, $6.00, $4.20, Pompano
Dream Out Loud N, $4.90, $3.90 (Exacta $19.80)
Lefty Malone, $4.70, $3.10 (Exacta $23.50), Century
Willy Mucha, $3.80, $2.20, Pocono
Debunka, $3.70, n/s, Yonkers
Sports Wizard, $3.70, $2.50, Scioto
War Chant, $3.70, $2.60 (Exacta $10.80), Century
Tarport Belle, $3.00, $2.40, Scioto

Thirds
 
Prismatica, $5.80, Meadows
Wigesjet, $4.70, Century
Winchester, Scioto, $4.20, Scioto
You’re Away, $3.70, Century
Delightful Dragon, $3.50, Yonkers
Sobia Hanover, $3.00, Century
CC Big Boy, $2.80, Scioto
Cactus Billy, $2.40, Hoosier

News & Notes

Dave Palone continues to add to his career wins. On May 6 he won five on the Meadows program and is nearing the 17,000 mark. However, considering the prices of the popular driver’s victories, the raw number of his wins continues to translate into non-profit figures for the win bettor. It would be beneficial for someone to run a workout on all of Palone’s wins to come up with an average-win price and the figure of how much would have been lost had someone played his horses to win from his first race through 16,000 (the mark that awarded him the title for most wins in the sport by a driver).

The fast and competitive Hot Shot Blue Chip has come out of retirement. Trainer Jonas Czernyson is happy to have the trotter back in his barn. “It is a much better place for the nine-year-old gelding than out in his fields,” he said. “Hot Shot,” a multiple-stakes-winner with $1.20 million in earnings, last raced in 2013 and left the racing game in 2014 with a knee injury. But Hot Shot “was so bored being at the farm,” said Czernyson, that he decided to bring the horse back on the training track. Now, the trainer expects the horse to be happy and competitive. “He filled out nicely; he looks as good as he did before,” Czernyson said. “I’m excited about it.”

Northfield Park has announced the dates of four Iron Maiden Late Closing Series. All of the late closers carry a condition of: non-winners of one pari-mutuel race (Ohio-breds non-winners of two) or non-winners of $7,500 lifetime (through April 30, 2015). The series are divided into filly and mare pacers, colt and gelding pacers, filly and mare trotters, and colt and gelding trotters.

Martiniontherocks, the 2010 Breeders Crown champion for two-year-old filly trotters, died May 4, 2015, according to her owner, Thomas Cooke. The daughter of Conway Hall won four of 10 starts as a freshman in 2010 while under the care of trainer Dustin Jones. In addition to the Breeders Crown, she was victorious that year in a Champlain Stakes division and a Peaceful Way elimination. Martiniontherocks raced for three more seasons and compiled a career record of 51-8-10-8, with $498,658 in earnings. She took her mark of 1:55.3 at five at Rosecroft Raceway.

Extraordinary Extras

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

Ray Cotolo contributed to this blog

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