Breeders Crown At Hoosier Park Presents A Mixed Bag Of Pacer Prices And Trotting Thrills

Two nights of Breeders Crown finals at Hoosier Park features a dozen of the season-ending stakes and included only a few surprises among some dominating trotters and pacers that could not be stopped by an “off track” on the first evening.

Friday, Oct. 27, the temperature dipped into the 40s and a chilly rain continued lightly after soaking the track so that it was labeled “sloppy” by the first of six Breeders Crown finals, the first in Indiana. Here’s how we did, in order, on the two nights.

The mare trot was slim with only four going and we wound up fourth with Flowers N Songs (18-1), having little chance as she broke around the second turn. The favorite won.

No one was beating Manchego ($3.00, $2.10, $2.10) in the frosh-filly trot, as she won her 13^th straight. Our improbable upset, SMS Princess (99-1) raced surprising well in second before tanking and crossing the wire sixth.

We were third in the soph-filly pace final with Idyllic Beach ($5.00), part of a $331.80 trifecta, large because the race favorite, Agent Q, was off the board.

Another prohibitive favorite, Ariana G, easily won the soph-filly trot final, as we wobbled home fourth with Sunshine Delight (42-1), contributing to a $312.20 superfecta with an 8-1 and 10-1 in second and third, respectively.

The frosh-filly pace featured the favorite winning and our contender coming in second. Majorsspeciallady ($17.80, $6.60) assisted in an exacta worth $43.60 and a triple (with the public’s second choice) paying $120.40.

Our 7-1 shot was second to a 14-1 shot in the mares’ pacing final. Our place finisher was Bedroomconfessions ($7.00, $7.40 ok).

Saturday, Oct. 28, the track was “fast” and the remaining six finals adorned the Hoosier Park program.

We had two winners, the best being Fiftydallarbill ($17.20, $9.00, $7.00), an upset in the frosh-colt trot. Then, we had the favorite at a worthwhile price in the soph-colt trot, with What The Hill ($4.80, $3.00, $2.40), though we could not pull out an exacta when New Jersey Viking (75-1) finished eighth.

In the Open Trot we were third with Marion Marauder ($2.40), who was beaten by the mare Hannelore Hanover to whom he gave a perfect trip.

We were third in the frosh-colt pace with Closing Statement ($11.80), while our exotic addition, Whos Better (59-1) wobbled home eighth.

The glamour-boy pacing final was taken by the public’s third choice at 4-1, not that it mattered as our outside contender, Boogie Shuffle (11-1) didn’t pace a lick, finishing 10^th, which was last.

Our hopes for a speed duel that would benefit Manhattan Beach (56-1) in the Open Pace never developed. Instead, it was a shuffle that saw the lead change three times, finishing with an 8-1 on top. Our choice leveled with a seventh-place conclusion.

That does it for the series and for our spin-off blog, the Breeders Crown Countdown. Our thanks to the Hambletonian Society, specifically Moira Fanning and newly appointed society head John Campbell, for all of the support received by the TwinSpires harness blog to bring specific and exclusive information and analysis to harness bettors.


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 29 active horses (a 17-percent win hit rate and a 38-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

My Spring Fling, $11.00, $5.00, $2.80, Saratoga
Natives Revenge, $7.00, $3.00, $2.60, Cal-Expo
Dr J Hanover, $3.90, $2.90, $2.20, Yonkers
Bakken, $3.50, $3.10, $2.30, Batavia
Royal Renegade, $3.30, $2.40, $2.30, Northlands

Seconds

Hot Tap, $11.10, $3.10, Northlands
Onthedeck Hanover, $3.70, $2.50 (Exacta $7.50), Batavia

Thirds

Noble Legend, $4.50, Batavia
Art Again, $4.00, Batavia
Bourbons Best, $2.60, Northfield
Smilys Amira, $2.20, Northlands


News & Notes

Yonkers Raceway Sunday matinees returned on Oct. 29), with a dozen races and a first post of noon. It’s the first of a half-dozen Sunday matinees between then and the end of the racing season (remaining five post times TBA). Sunday’s carsd offer a dozen races, with races 2 through 8 featuring 10 “French-themed” trotters at 1 ¼ miles. Also returning are the “New York, New York Double,” including a NYRA Aqueduct race and a Yonkers’ event.

The 2017-2018 harness meeting at Cal Expo got underway Oct. 28 as the sweeping fires died down on the West Coast. It began inclusion to the H2W list on opening weekend. The first post for the 13-race program is 6:10 p.m. Pacific. Beginning next week there will be Friday and Saturday night action. Some new faces appear for racing this season. Nick Roland brings his stable from the Midwest and in the next few weeks Ryan Grundy, Gary Clarke, Richard Remillard and Rene Goulet will be competing.

The scratched horses from the Breeders Crown races will all appear in the H2W for their next races. Friday, on the “sloppy” track, five scratched from finals—Wrangler Magic, Medusa, Kissin In The Sand, Southwind Avanti and Aims Whisper. Saturday—Crescent Fashion, Mel Mara, Check Six, Odds On Lauderdale, Nutcracker Sweet, Hat Trick Habit, Jake, Fashionwoodchopper and Chip Walther.

The Meadowlands starts up again with four programs beginning with the first Saturday of the month, Nov. 4. The 7:00 p.m. Eastern post continues through December, with the first weekend, Dec. 1 and Dec. 2 (Friday and Saturday), with the next four weeks offering racing Thursdays through Saturdays.


Extraordinary Extras

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

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