Canadian Tracks Present Profit-Motive Events; Power Plays A-Plenty; Hunting Scores In Last Efforts For 2018 Divisions

This is the final 2018 preview blog. Our final review blog for the year, on Monday, Dec. 31, is the annual opening of the books and the crowning of our TwinSpires Players’ Horse of the Year for 2018. Here, we go for selected features and Power Plays, aiming for high-paying contenders in our unique way as we ready for the profit pathways to 2019 and entirely new sets of divisions. TwinSpires harness blog’s exclusive horses-to-watch (H2W) list helps you explore any and all combination exotic bets as well as win, place and show for use at your discretion. Always do your own handicapping and then consider any and all our H2W selections. Note” The H2W is thin, with a few tracks on hiatus until 2019. A full-fledged version will return soon. POWER PLAYS Freehold / Race 2 Thursday, Dec. 27 This conditioned pace offers an exacta and trifecta and is the first leg of a Pick 4. Our suggested contenders are listed in post position order. H-Andnharleythejet takes a dip and returns to Freehold after a gallant effort at the Meadowlands. Her morning line (ML) is fair but will she go off at that? She makes sense in any of the exotic positions and could easily whip the ML favorites. Full Explosion fits here with more value than her ML suggests. She is in a great spot to save ground and her finishes show her love to collect second- and third-place checks. Still, she can win this at big odds as well as pumping up exotic prices. The surprise element for exotics is Jacinta Hanover, who dips a bit after her first Freehold assignment from a campaign at Rosecroft. She does not look like a winner but she is an outside contender off of her recent third and has some back class to support a better finish than she provided in Maryland. FEATURES^FEATURES^FEATURES Meadowlands / Race 4 Thursday, Dec. 27 A good price is proposed for Justcallmeronald and considering his resume, we will take it. This is a claiming affair for trotters and Justcallmeronald has been racing well since claimed at Philly. His first Meadowlands race on Dec. 20 was strong but straining since he had to be used early but he held on for third at 12-1 against types like these and with some cover and a single use of his brush he could win this and head a strong-paying exacta, trifecta and superfecta as well. POWER PLAYS Western Fair/ Race 7 Friday, Dec. 28 This $15,000 claiming pace is stacked with exotics. There is an exacta, trifecta, superfecta and it’s the first leg of a Pick 4. We will focus on the single-race exotics. All contenders are listed in post-position order. We despise favorites that return after failing in the same class but have to respect them as enemies for price and purpose. So, including Lady Everlong in the exotics is a must—especially if you go as deep as the superfecta. Coming from the H2W list, Friends To The End is also a must, though it would be better if she won. Her place-and-show record is great; she is always in the mix and stays in the class where she cashes all of those checks, usually with a big brush that sooner or later (today) put her in the winner’s circle. Larjon Legacy is similar in productivity and would be a gift going off at her 6-1 morning line. She keeps getting beat by those on easier paths and the outside post here may afford her a better shot than some of the inside traffic that has thwarted victories. POWER PLAYS Meadows/ Race 4 Saturday, Dec. 29 Oddly enough, in this Meadows conditioned pace, three horses return from the H2W list after competing in the same Power Plays edition last week. There are exotics—an exacta, a trifecta and the start of a Pick 4. The cast of contenders we’ll back again is in post-position order. Starmaker raced well enough at 3-1 last week and should be respected as he goes his final race at three. Trainer Wilbur Yoder is in for a good season with this one and some of his others. Lemonaideshine was short with no excuse as the favorite in that race. He will try to steal the race again and should definitely be in the mix even if he is short again. The longest shot of the trio last week was Hit It Maestro. The ML here puts him in the top four and courageous bettors would aim for the biggest price with the three this week by using Hit It Maestro on top. He may go off in the neighborhood of last week’s 15-1, ignoring the 5-1 ML prediction. POWER PLAYS Flamboro/ Race 2 Saturday, Dec. 29 It’s too late to call any of the horses their ages as listed, technically, so let’s not worry about freshmen racing with three-year olds and-up. It’s a normal conditioned pace with an exacta, superfecta and the launch of a Pick 3. Juliana is six, a late starter considering this is only her third pari-mutuel race. With two third finishes she is not a proven loser and unable to be labeled what the ML declares—15-1. In her first start, which happened at Flamboro, she was sent off a big favorite. In her second start, also there, she was 9-2. In theory, she has more going for her than the horse to her left, the ML favorite. Similarly, Jodykins has won one of three settled in these conditioned and is apt to get better than worse as she readies to battle sophomores. A well-bred pacer, she has speed yet untouched and looms dangerous when she improves. Stonebridge Loyal is obviously a contender, having won two of three starts she has been heavenly supported and her early foot will assist her start from the outside. She can lose to the aforementioned but should be an exotic element. Finally, Desolation Row has a decent shot to be involved and is a danger to leave off of any combo ticket. We would not suggest she will win but she is a spoiler in combos that dismiss her. 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 on the also-eligible list. If a horse is listed twice, refer to the entries on the night of the race since a horse may enter in more than one race. 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 LIST Cal Expo 12/28/18, +Fancy Little Girl R5; Oh Yeah R9 12/29/18, +Hay Hay Alright R4 Dayton 12/28/18, Super Pac Hanover R8; Peck Blue Chip R12 Freehold 12/27/18, Myeyesadoreya R4; Cool Runnings R7 Meadows 12/27/18, +Boniello R7; +From Me To You R7; Matter Hatter R8 Meadowlands 12/27/18, Keystone Nikki R5; King Royalty R7 12/28/18, +Keystone Krystal R1 Pompano 12/27/18, +Hora Star R2; +Casey Hanover R6; +Bobs Fella R6;Virgin Chaser R6; +Charlie Come Home R6; +Jay Jay R7; Roundtable R7 12/30/18, +Polak A R5