Exactas Explode At $135 And $122; Trifecta From Buckeye Hi-5 Pays $278; Top Winners Bring $13, $12

 

A few feature exotics scores and a few H2W (horses-to-watch list) exotics combined with winners to make for a productive playing weekend.

There was still one program cancellation from our features lineup but it had nothing to do with the weather. On Thursday, Jan. 18, Flamboro could not even get started due to a major malfunction in the lighting system.

On the afternoon of Jan. 18, our Partners For Picks feature offered a usual quartet of contenders for a Pick 4. All of our contenders hit the board; it was the second leg that nailed big cold exacta with a winner, our first choice, Future Flight ($13.80, $8.20, $4.40), followed by our second choice, Matza Man ($16.60, $9.20). That cold exacta paid $135.00.

In the first leg we were third with Goldstar Legend ($4.60), while our second choice, Alwaysafirsttime (7-1) finished fourth.

Leg three brought a winner home with Stormin Rustler ($6.20, $3.40, $3.00).

Leg four was won by the favorite but we were second with Midnight Zette ($5.40, $3.80). The exacta with the public choice paid $27.60.

Friday, Jan. 19 Miami Valley was open for business at last as the big weather swept past Ohio and we were on target with a Power Plays race, offering five contenders since one of the exotics was a Buckeye High-5.

We had the winner with Ginger Tree Alexis ($8.40, $4.80, $3.40). We had the place horse, Cas Art Apparel ($13.80, $13.00) and that added up to an exacta worth $122.00. For the triple players we gave out the show horse, Love To Roll ($2.80) for a $278.75 trifecta. The fifth horse in the Buckeye High-5 was also on our list; it was Karefree Kara (8-1). Only ME Radar Girl (9-1) didn’t hit the board, finishing sixth.

Saturday, Jan. 20, we offered five features at two tracks. The afternoon trio went off at Charlottetown and produced a single winner, Ideal Space ($3.80, $3.30, $2.10). In the second feature we were sixth with Cougar Gal (7-2), who was beaten by the favorite, and then in the third we were fourth with Smiley Bayama (3-1), beaten by a 10-1 shot.

We did no better at Yonkers that same night. Two features found us sixth in both; first with First Of Itskind (23-1), beaten by a 6-1 shot, then with Somewhere Fancy (25-1), who was beaten by a 20-1 shot.

All losers in our selected features appear the following week in the H2W list.


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 58 active horses (a 14-percent win hit rate and a 36-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

Doo Wop Hanover, $13.40, $7.40, $4.40, Pompano
Starface, $12.80, $4.70, $3.40, Northlands
Wabash Cannonball, $5.30, $3.10, $2.40 (*Exacta $11.80), Fraser
Mach Stockn Barrel, $5.10, $3.00, $2.40, Buffalo
Senseless Beauty, $4.50, $2.80, $2.20, Northlands
Cousin Mary, $3.80, $3.00, $2.80, Meadowlands
Missile J, $3.70, $2.60, $2.20, Yonkers
Dracham Hanover, $3.40, $2.20, $2.10, Pompano

Seconds

Celebrity Lover, $13.40, $6.20, Pompano
Rockinsangria, $12.20, $5.90 (*Exacta $41.60, *Trifecta $141.50), Monticello
Cantab Lindy, $10.20, $4.40, Miami
Its Chocolate Time, $7.40, $5.00, Meadowlands
Southwind Warsaw, $6.80, $5.20, Meadows
Dynamic Rayzer, $4.40, $2.80 (Exacta $9.20), Pompano
Whatkindofchance, $4.10, $2.90 (*Exacta $11.80), Fraser
Little Quick, $3.10, $2.60 (Exacta $10.90), Miami
Million Dollar Mam, $2.80, $2.10, Northfield

Thirds

Johnny Gun, $5.90, Northlands
Some Power, $3.40, Freehold
Tito Santannon, $2.40 (*Trifecta, $32.00), Fraser
KJ Dale, $2.10 (*Exacta $41.60, *Trifecta $141.50), Monticello


News & Notes

In our Jan. 15 Update we addressed some first-crop sires. As we wrote about the upscoming freshman season we mentioned Captaintreacherous, no stranger as a racehorse to this department. There is sad news this week about his productive, champion racehorse sire. Somebeachsomewhere succumbed to cancer last week at the age of 13. Known for his super-sonic speed (record of 1:46.4), which he passed on favorably to his progeny, the $3-million-plus winner was as popular to the well-to-do breeder as he was to the pari-mutuels player.

The Somebeachsomewhere Syndicate announced that its stallion was humanely euthanized on Sunday, Jan. 14. The syndicate said that Somebeachsomewhere will lay at rest at Hanover Shoe Farms in Hanover, Pennsylvania after an autopsy. Somebeachsomewhere stood stud at Hanover since his racing career concluded at the end of 2008. It was last November when it became public that the pacing stallion had a small cancerous mass removed and began chemotherapy. Somebeachsomewhere (a son of Mach Three) had colic and stomach issues through the years, so his recent discomfort was checked and the mass was discovered on his intestine.
 
Somebeachsomewhere’s sire bequeathed another gear of speed to this son and when Somebeachsomewhere went to stud (having won 20 of 21 starts at two and three) the bloodline continued to produce fast winners to the tune of more than $87 million. He was the first sire in the history of standardbred breeding to to $20 million in progeny earnings in a single season. He produced 13 millionaires, including Captaintreacherous, Pure Country, Downbytheseaside, Huntsville and Check Six. 

After an accident in the summer of 2017 left Stephane Bouchard near paralyzed, the driver will return to harness racing, though his driving career has ended. Bouchard will be employed as a U.S. Trotting Association ID Technician, covering the New York and New England territories, areas. After he receives training in late February, Bouchard is expected to be fully operational on or about March 1.

Extraordinary Extras

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

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