BOOM ! Pair Of Upsets Pay $68, $14, Plus Three More Grand Circuit Winners At Mohawk; $36 Tops Three ‘Countdown’ Scores

 

Breeders Crown-eligible horses are battling for bucks at the biggest venues in North America and our exclusive blog, Breeders Crown Countdown (BCC), has been repeatedly scoring for TwinSpires players. This past week three more horses from two divisions made significant money on their way to next month’s elims. This Weekly Update edition of our blog begins with this week’s BCC scores and documents the forecasting of a huge upset against a headliner favorite in Grand Circuit racing.

There were other winners, of course, in the horses-to-watch list (H2W) as reported below.
 
BREEDERS CROWN COUNTDOWN

The biggest hit of the weekend took place on Sept. 7 at Mohawk, where the BCC recommended plays on two divisions of the Champlain Stakes (CS) for frosh-filly pacers.

Highest of the two winners we presented was Deb ($36.60, $10.20, $4.70) in the second split. We also nailed the first CS with Quebec Blue Chip ($5.60, $3.70, $3.70 ok). We offered no other contenders in these two races.

On Sept. 6 at Yonkers, we zeroed in on the soph-filly pacer division with fields racing in lucrative New York Sires Stakes (NYSS). We hit the board with all of our solo choices, though won just one. Newsday ($7.20, $3.90, $2.50) won round two.

We were third in the other two, though one of the splits paid us for second due to an entry. That was Tell Me A Joke ($3.10 n/s) who finished third but paid by the rule coupling her with the place finisher Jewels Foreal ($3.10). The favorite won that race.

In the first split we were third with Betterthangraduate ($3.50), as the mile was taken by the public’s second choice.


Friday, Sept. 7

At Saratoga in NYSS action for soph-filly trotters we finished second to the favorite in round two with Tribute To Seven ($2.60, $2.30). The measly exacta came back $6.90.

The other expensive stakes chapter was won by the second favorite and our choice, White Cheetah (23-1) finished poorly in seventh.

At Tioga we were wrong about NF Happenstance ($3.80, $2.60) beating Dream Together. The latter was far too good and won as the third favorite (public choice Ice Attraction had a tiring trip and faded). Our second choice in that field, Celebrity Ruth, scratched.


Saturday, Sept. 8

With the Grand Circuit at Mohawk we began the evening with one win out of two in the Peaceful Way elims. Our winner was Sisters Promise ($8.30, $3.10, $2.40). We lost to the favorite in the other elim with Fraulein Blucher (8-1) off the board.

There were two elims for next week’s William Wellwood Final and we scored the big upset in the second event with Union Forces ($68.90, $10.80, $6.10). He beat the huge favorite with all the publicity, Swandre The Giant. Race-caller Ken Middleton called the winner “A ‘Giant’ killer.” BOOM !
 
In round one we had CT Canabra (13-1) who got off to a quick start but broke before the first turn to eliminate him from the race, which was won by the public’s first choice.

The single Simcoe Stakes on the Mohawk program went to our solo choice, Shower Play ($14.10, $3.50, $2.10) as she beat the best in the division, Youaremycandygirl and Kissin In The Sand. BOOM !

The Simcoe Stakes for colts went to the favorites, one of which we offered—The Downtown Bus ($4.20, $2.60, $2.20). Stay Hungry won the other and we were second with Backstreet Shadow ($2.40, $2.30) in the favorite exacta that paid $4.10.

McWicked failed as the favorite at Scioto, finishing fourth.


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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 44 active horses (a 23-percent win hit rate and a 45-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 week) It is up to you to follow horses that have not performed before this weekly review

Winners

July, $10.20, $5.60, $2.60, Freehold
Twinkle, $9.30, $2.80, $2.60, Yonkers
Shiplap, $6.40, $4.40, $3.40, Plainridge
Kaitlyn, $4.40, $2.40, $2.10, Harrington
Blazin Britches, $4.20, $3.20, $3.00, Scioto
Upfront Countryboy, $3.70, $2.30, $2.10, Batavia
Captain Ahab, $2.90, $2.40, $2.10, Mohawk
Decoy, $2.80, $2.20, $2.20, Philly
Lather Up, $2.20, $2.10, $2.10 ok, Scioto
Proberts Legacy, $2.20, $2.10, $2.10 ok, Running Aces

Seconds

Rose Run Reanna, $27.60, $6.00, Meadows
Louphoria, $6.20, $4.60 (Exacta $13.20), Red Mile
Yes Mickey, $6.00, $3.90, Yonkers
Shake N Bake, $5.40, $4.00 (Exacta $41.80), Red Mile
Major Marcus, $4.90, $4.90 ok, Yonkers
Jenn On The Rocks, $4.20, $3.20 (Exacta $14.20), Running Aces
Youmakemyheartsing, $3.60, $2.80, Hawthorne
Are You In, $3.20, $2.60, Batavia
The Bruiser, $2.80, $2.20 (Exacta $12.40), Freehold

Thirds

Drunken Terror, $2.10, Pocono


News & Notes

Some may have noticed that in our main blog we did not cover The Jug Preview. That was because the traditional event from the final Scioto Downs weekend before Little Brown Jug week was cancelled. The event  made a return in 2017 after 10 years. The race had a field of seven. This year just four pacing colts were dropped in the entry box from a total of 61 eligible. Two of those colts were supplements—Indiana star Always A Prince and Meadowlands Pace winner Courtly Choice. The other two—Adios champ Dorsoduro Hanover and Done Well—were nominated through traditional payments. Due to the situation, this will be the final year the race is written.

The top “Jug” contenders, meanwhile, are obvious and our choices (as follows) closely resemble those of the official list by Jay Wolf. Courtly Choice heads our group, followed by Stay Hungry, Lather Up, Wes Delight, Jimmy Freight, Dorsoduro Hanover, American History, Done Well, Springsteen and Hitman Hill. Some supplements are necessary.

Time to monitor another driver’s “winning streak.” This time it’s Jordan Stratton racing at Yonkers on Sept. 6. What is impressive about Jason’s stats in a single program is that he won six races while driving only eight on the program. His horses’ prices were good as well, with a high of $12.40 and a low of $3.70. Jordan brought home winners worth $41.60 in his six wins, which only cost a bettor only wagering upon his drives $16.00. The $25.00 profit on the investment—saved by the double-digit winner—is a decent flat-bet profit considering not one of the winners were public choices.

Louisville Downs, once the home of the Kentucky Pacing Derby, may have a chance to shine again in the Bluegrass State. This blog’s parent company, Churchill Downs, and Keeneland have requested to the state racing Commission that harness racing return  to Louisville in 2019 and Christian County in 2020. An initial 10-day harness meet in 2019 at Louisville Downs is proposed along with a meet at a facility to be built by 2020. Officials say the 2019 meet is “critical” though short, to measure support for the sport and create a circuit with the second venue. Fingers crossed, we will support the measures in any way we can, being the prime source of harness wagering on the Internet through TwinSpires.

 
Extraordinary Extras

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

And check my monthly column, Alternative Actions, at Harness Racing Update