Doses Of Dynamics In Selected Features; Hot Field Poised For Cal-Expo’s Shelly Goudreau Final; Exalting Exotics

This week our focus on selected features continues, along with opportunities arising for across-the-board and exotics action from our H2W (horses-to-watch) list, currently holding a strong 50-percent hit rate. We hope to continue our high-powered win record, which has already produced a probable TwinSpires Harness Bettors Horse of the Year candidate and a few other high double-digit winners. Our exclusive H2W horses present valuable favorites and double-digit outsiders for any wagers you target. Consult the H2W for all of your harness action. POWER PLAYS Pompano / Race 2 Thursday, Feb. 21 Capping off the Daily Double and putting more exotics into play, this condition-claiming event may be an easy target using a key horse, Prairie Foolish, in a short field. On Feb. 14, at 10-1, Prairie Foolish was raring to begin the new season (at the same level as this race) and sat a simple trip to get third almost in tandem with Big CC’s Rock. That one is also here, as is the horse finishing in second, Bobs Fella. Big CC’s Rock is another exotic element (9-1 last week), if only off of his 8-hole performance beside Prairie Foolish. To go deeper into exotics, Firewater Jake comes up for the last time on our H2W list and we vote to toss out his terrible race against the aforementioned and use him for price and purpose. As a note, the winner of that race last week is not in this race and the favorite from last week’s race is not, either, though make note that he may have been the favorite due to his connections (Wally Hennessey in the bike) and a fluffy outside trip early with no sign of any desire to participate. FEATURES^FEATURES^FEATURES Pompano / Race 5 Thursday, Feb. 21 On the last day of 2018, Fantasy Official finished second at 5-2 in a conditioned non-winners-of race. She is entered again at the level, a year older, in a poor field of mares. The only winner from the group gets the 8 hole and the other six are still showing little prospect. Fantasy Official could overcome the outside post, hopefully better than the mare to her right, and get her season going with a fair-odds win. Last week, in a Powers Play group, I’m Very Special scratched for whatever reasons and trainer Tom Artandi brights her into this as the first start of her season. She will carry a decent price and if Artandi has willfully scratched her to start 2019 in this race, she may be ready to win and should also be considered for an exacta with Fantasy Official. FEATURES^FEATURES^FEATURES Miami / Races 6, 7, 12 Friday, Feb. 22 At the beginning of this season (and the Miami Valley meet) we launched a “Trainer Watch” at Miami, using high-percentage-winning conditioner Adam Short. We used his early starters as a handicapping edge for winners to get a jump on good prices. He has been slow to start the season with a few in his barn. Adam has three horses on this evening’s program and they all deserve attention in all betting pools, so we offer three features from this advantageous angle. In Race 6, Trainer Watch followers may have picked up Stonehouse Adam, winning easily at 3-1. He is back to win again and perhaps at another fair-odds price considering he drew the 9 hole. In Race 7, Undercover Strike goes for the first time as a Short student. On Feb. 15, under the tutelage of Randy Ehrhardt, Undercover Strike (5-1), was crowded throughout and had to settle for fifth. Short should have him raring for his first win of the season in his fifth start. In Race 12, Ginger Tree Alexis returns from a dead-heat win on Feb. 15, where Short-watchers were forced to take 2-1 returns on a 4-1 starter due to the DH. Still, it was another Short winner and there is little reason she won’t win again, this time on her own in the winning photo and with a better price. FEATURES^FEATURES^FEATURES Yonkers / Race 2 Friday, Feb. 22 Last week, Trond Smedshammer’s Buena Camino was reflecting the obvious early success of the trainer’s early season as he preps for the stakes season (as we supported and promoted at the year’s start). He shows up again this week but here we have reasons for prince and purpose to go against him. Golden Kronos leaves to the left of Trond’s trotter and should make amends for losing last week. From the sharply bred progeny of Kronos, this trotter was a 7-2 second choice to a huge favorite (who won) and should be more aggressive on all four turns. Such a performance will beat Trond’s obvious public choice in what is arguably a two-horse field. WAITING FOR GOUDREAU On Feb. 23, Cal-Expo’s feature is the $8,600 Shelly Goudreau Final. It is a memorial pace dedicated to the Canadian-born driver who made his home in California when there was still a West Coast harness-racing circuit. It is also where Shelly died after a serious racing accident at Hollywood Park. It is not a purse size associated with the kind of features we address, nor does it contain a cast of division giants, but it is a deserving memorial for him and those of us who won and lost along with Shelly and still find it hard to believe he is gone. Nine horses go on the big mile in the event, Race 9 on the program. As a note, the only trainer of a horse in the field who was active during the Goudreau era is Bob Johnson, who sends Hi Ho’s Litle Rey, driven by the only driver in the field who was active during the Goudreau era. The favorite, though, is bound to be Urgointohearmeroar, trained by Gordon Graham. The pacer is five wins for five starts and the top earner of the group. Productive trainer Kathleen Plested’s Blue Star Maverick leaves next to the probable favorite. Last week, in a Goudreau prep, “Maverick” finished fifth in a crowded group at the wire after a long trip starting from the outside post 9. Also in that race, the second choice, Mint To Cruise (driven/trained by Luke Plano) finished fourth in the charge after leading the field into the stretch. Those three leave from the inside posts in the final and both Maverick and “Mint” could hand the favorite his sole loss so far. Certainly, there is value in those two finishing first and second, though Maverick may come up less than last week’s offering. The best payout will have those two atop the favorite, if you keep the favorite in exotics. 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 Buffalo 2/23/19, Call My Broker R4; Bugatti R5; Catch The Wave R9; +Wild Bill M R10 Cal Expo 2/22/19, +Cowboys Dirtyboots R2; Rosebuds First R4 2/23/19, +Pink Lady R6; Blue Note R8 Dover 2/21/19, Sicily R3; +Artic Adventure R4; Western Young Gun R5; +Own It ae R6 Flamboro 2/21/19, Dreams Of Mine R3; +Showdown Seelster R8; Blue Eyed Cowboy R10 Fraser 2/22/19, +Custard Lite R1; Feel So Close R7 Freehold 2/22/19, +Sing Along R1; +Always Picky R2 2/23/19, Stimulus Plan R7 Meadowlands 2/23/19, Jackamino R1; +Drunk On Your Love ae R3; Shambala R7; +Rootin Tootin R10 Meadows 2/22/19, RN Nate R2; Sir Jack R7 Miami 2/22/19, Good Faith R2; Rompaway Galaxy R10; +Rock Of The Ages R13 Mohawk 2/21/19, HA Houston R2; +Lively Larry R3; +Oceanview Deb R5 2/22/19, +Big Lis R5 Northfield 2/23/19, +Feelin The Sea R6; +My Fleet Three R6; Get Your Armor R7; +Demi Ivy R15 Pompano 2/21/19, +Hurricane King Kong R8 Saratoga 2/21/19, Spreester R8; Bazooka Terror R8 Western Fair 2/22/19, Mack The Knife R5 Yonkers 2/22/19, Show The Fashion R1; Shezza Grip N R6; January A R9 2/23/19, Bettor Than Spring R7; Bettor Rock On N R10 2/25/19, Yeahnah R5; Whos Better R8