Bet-Backs Bountiful: Greenshoe, Bettor’s Wish, Swandre The Giant Soar; Powerful Place Prices Ignite $87, $47 Exactas

Monday, Aug. 12 The second Gold Cup & Saucer trial at Charlottestown was won by a 15-1 shot. Our choice, Lisburn (26-1) was fourth, making the final. Thursday, Aug. 15 Indiana Sires Stakes (INSS) for soph-colt trotters presented Hambo-elim-winner bet back Swandre The Giant ($2.10, $2.10, $2.10 ok) another hometown victory. Meanwhile, Sign Here N Here ($5.00), a Hambo-eligible that did not travel to compete in the event but was followed in this year’s Hambletonian Trail, finished third in the second INSS split. At The Red Mile, soph-colt pacers raced in four Kentucky Sires Stakes (KYSS) divisions. We had two slam-dunks, both Hambo-day bet-backs. We won with Cant Beach That ($4.00, $2.10, $2.10) in the first field and with Bettor’s Wish ($2.10, $2.10, $2.10 ok) in the third split. In KYSS division two we were fourth to the favorite with Shipshape (13-1). In the fourth episode we were second with Alii Nui ($7.00, $3.40) to the favorite and an exacta worth $14.60. Friday, Aug. 16 The favorite won the INSS colt pace at Hoosier, while our choice, Rockin TJ (35-1), finished eighth. In the second of the INSS pair, we were made the favorite but came in second with Shamwow ( $2.10, $2.20 ok), beaten by the crowd’s second choice. Saturday, Aug. 17 Three lucrative Pennsylvania Sires Stakes (PASS) for frosh-colt trotters highlighted the afternoon card at the Meadows. One of our horses, Roger Rabbit, scratched. In another split we were second with Big Oil ($5.20, $3.20). In the remaining PASS mile we finished fourth with Worthy Of Honor (29-1), beaten by the scourge of the division, Real Cool Sam, a prohibitive favorite. The Gold Cup & Saucer at Charlottetown we lost with Bettors Fire (3-1), who finished off the board. BREEDERS CROWN COUNTDOWN The initial “Crown” blog features took place at Vernon and included bet-backs from the soph-colt-and-filly trotting divisions. We were second in the “Zweig” filly consolation with Cloud Nine Fashion ($2.60, $2.10), beaten by a 4-1 shot. The Zweig for fillies found us second with bet-back Evident Beauty ($2.60, $2.50) as bet-back The Ice Dutchess, the bettors’ second choice, won. In the Zweig for the colts, bet-back Greenshoe won as the huge choice. An attempt for upset by us, using Don’t Let’em (8-1) failed as that one broke in the stretch after looking competitive for two calls. Sunday, Aug. 18 The results of the events covered for this program at Tioga will be reported in our next Weekly Update. 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 a cold 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 42 active horses (a xx-percent win hit rate and a xx-percent ATB [across-the-board] hit rate). Please note that some H2W results reflect win, place, show and exotic results occurring by press time but some horses race after the blog is posted (we list them the following weeks) It is up to you to follow horses that have not performed before this weekly review. Winners Shake N Bake, $10.60, $5.00, $3.00, Scioto Drazzmatazz, $5.00, $2.60, $3.80 ok, Yonkers Itsallaboutmach, $4.80, $2.40, $2.10, Plainridge Mary’s A Keeper, $4.60, $2.80, $2.20, Ocean Chiplosive, $4.20, $3.00, $2.80, Philly Thisjetsabookin, $4.20, $4.10, $2.20, Batavia Il Sogno Dream, $2.20, $2.20, $2.10, Philly Seconds Beachy Hall, $14.60, $4.50 (Exacta $87.50), Batavia This Is My Song, $12.00, $7.00, Meadows Northern Jack, $10.00, $5.00 (Exacta $47.80), Monticello Nurse Nattie, $7.60, $4.20, Running Aces The Smidge, $7.40, $7.60 ok, Scioto B’s Yankee, $3.40, $2.60, Ocean Clever Character, $3.20, $2.60, Hoosier Fox Valley Gemini, $3.20, $2.40, Hoosier Lucille Amarone, $3.20, $2.60 (Exacta $11.80), Northfield Dancin Yin, $2.80, $3.00 ok, Plainridge Thirds Jude Hall, $4.30, Batavia Stay In Your Place, $3.40, Northfield Highalator, $2.60, Pocono Southwind Rex, $2.20, Scarborough News & Notes We hope you have been following our “bet-back” horses, all that return to the races from programs on the first Friday and first Saturday of August at the Meadowlands. Since these are “automatic” win bets (no handicapping required), their price returns are huge in percentages. Lather Up, for instance, paid $2.60 winning his race after Aug. 3. He should have paid the minimum $2.10 to win as a bet-back. Fifty cents on a $2 bet is around a 25-percent profit. Bettor’s Wish won, paying $3.80 to win. Do the math; it’s a huge profit percentage. Some other bet-backs returning to win from Aug. 3 were the Hambletonian winner, Forbidden Trade, Hambo-elim winner Swandre The Giant, Six Pack, Drazzmatazz, Can’t Beach That, Trump Nation, Top Flight Angel, Treacherous Rain and Trump That, The Ice Dutchess and Greenshoe. Others returning to races participated in exotics, some with huge influence, like Endeavor, who, at 80-1, finished third in the Dan Patch at Hoosier, resulting in a $50 result from a 10-cent. Superfecta. The bet-backs continue. After nearly 34 months on the sidelines, 2015 U.S. Horse of the Year Wiggle It Jiggleit makes his long-awaited return to the racetrack with a qualifier on Tuesday, Aug. 20, at Philly. After his stellar sophomore season in 2015, Wiggle It Jiggleit rarely raced in 2016. His four-year-old campaign featured tough battles with older pacer Always B Miki. “Wiggle” won Canadian Pacing Derby over his arch-rival. In his career, Wiggle went 38-10-2 from 51 starts with more than $3.9 million in earnings. Mid-August action has many pondering The Little Brown Jug meet in Delaware, Ohio, where the glamour-boy colts next take the sport’s spotlight. Jay Wolf puts the “Jug” top 10 together. Our version is different. The following list displays Wolf’s top 10 with our top-10 in parenthesis. 1. Captain Crunch (Captain Victorious) 2. Shake That House (Stag Party) 3. Best In Show (Captain Crunch) 4. Southwind Ozzi (Best In Show); 5. Workin Ona Mystery (Goldberg) 6. American Mercury (Yacht Week) 7. Semi Tough (Southwind Ozzi) 8. Captain Victorious (Shipshape) 9. Stag Party (Shake That House) 10. De Los Cielos Deo (Proof) Extraordinary Extras Indulge in our monthly columns, Alternative Actions and Bettors Banquet at Harness Racing Update