Exotic Philly Power Plays; Money-Makers At Meadowlands; Pushing Northfield’s ‘Button’

So goes the 2018 stakes season on all levels. Still, harness racing through the holiday season is chock full of opportunities, some that contribute greatly to bankrolls on the brink of red ink. So our campaign for profits continues through the New Year and we hope to assist our readers with “live” horses to bet in all the available pools with our selected features and Power Plays. TwinSpires harness blog’s exclusive horses-to-watch (H2W) will be at your disposal in every blog with plenty of races highlighted for prices and purposes. Explore any and all horses we post for use in wagers of your discretion. Do your own handicapping and then consider any and all our H2W and frosh selections. POWER PLAYS Philadelphia/ Races 3,4,5 Thursday, Dec. 6 There are many options beginning with Race 3 at Philly. We look at the Pick 3, along with a Races 3 and 4 exactas, trifectas and the Race-5 Jackpot Hi-5 exotics. All mentioned contenders are meant to be included on your ticket(s) to help boost the payoff. Still, you may use them as you want, including as win, play or show bets. They appear in post-position order, Leg 1, Race 3 Quick Fun stepped down to score easily as the favorite but is competent at this level, as proven from his inside-post affairs in the last few months. Ville Valo had no shot at Yonkers last week and still raced with dignity. He should be in the mix here, racing more like he did before the Yonkers mess. Derecho returns to his best work at this level and has the speed to get into the action early and finish on the board from post 8. Leg 2, Race 4 This conditioned trot is so messy; the entries are neither reliable nor form-full, giving us a chance for a few good prices. Derby dropped into this condition last out and rolled along evenly, losing position and a few lengths in the stretch. Flashbacks has some early foot that helped him get onto the board when racing at Pocono. Near this level is where it worked best for him during the summer. Dark Pool has the most impressive back-class resume, mostly at Yonkers, where he faced much better than these. Leg 3, Race 5 This race adds to the single-race exotics with a Jackpot Hi-5, so we offer five contenders. Danish Durango has had some rest after being scratched sick, returning to a good spot where he probably will try to steal the race from the start. Chas Hanover steps up after an impressive win. Boss Du Fosse stepped up and won at this level at 21-1 and failed in his next, where he raced well from outside though he tired from the journey. Celebrity Lambo raced well against Chas Hanover last time and has a strong place-and-show resume this season. Andover The Cash may fire early to get into it and stay in the top three, no less five, at the wire. FEATURES, FEATURES, FEATURES Meadowlands/Race 3 Friday, Dec. 7 This is a typical conditioned trot that offers a field of 10 and may present a valuable win play (chances better than odds). Last week at this level, the crowd dismissed White Cheetah at 33-1. Looking back to September, betting crowds were consistently repelled by Marcus Melander’s sophomore filly, yet her sires-stakes performances in New York, at Batavia and Saratoga, are good, racing with sharper competition than is here. Seven of 13 times this year, three of them wins, White Cheetah has picked up a check. Her first appearance at the Meadowlands on Dec. 1, after a very good qualifier that followed a two-month rest, is no shame. From post 8 she stayed on gait, made a move to the outside and held sway after the long trip. In this selected feature, she should pay a double-digit price and is worth the support. POWER PLAYS Meadowlands/ Race 5 Friday, Dec. 7 The beginning of a Pick 3, we will focus on the single-race exotics, so we offer four contenders. They appear below in post-position order. OK Heavenly is sitting on a big mile and this is a perfect spot for her to strike. She has had some tough trips at the Meadowlands, winning one strongly from a poor post, which earned her a step up that failed and may be tossed out for trip reasons. Last week she was under-played at 6-1, finishing third. Trainer Nick Surick has been sending many from his stable to the Freehold winner’s circle but Ella Christina has not made it. We thought more of her in her last two starts at Philly and she failed even as the favorite last week. Now, Surick steps her up a bit and she should be in the exotic mix and worth her price. Sudden Change has been handling better at Yonkers and has no reason to be off the board or worse than fourth here. She should be more productive on the mile than on the half-mile, no less meeting lesser foes here. If you go all the way and try to nab a 10-cent Superfecta win, use Penpal. She may not be anything to write home about but she could be an overlay and should be in the top four when the limestone dust clears. FEATURES, FEATURES, FEATURES Northfield /Race 5 Saturday, Dec. 8 In this $6,000 Claiming event, we take a good look at Mildred’s Button. Her recent two races were very good. Last week she stepped up and was dismissed at 38-1, racing better than those odds. In this company two back she was tough on the outside, getting fourth after firing midway and the time before that she was terrific from post 8, no bargain launching site for Northfield. She could show that speed here and pay well, since the crowd is bound to pour money into driver versus horse, as has been the case with Aaron Merriman-driven entries. Take that as a gift here and back Mildred’s Button. 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 Batavia 12/8/18, McDan R2; +Bahama Bay R3; Cheyenne Louie R9; Electric Chapel N R10 Cal-Expo 12/7/18, +Franks Best R2; +Last Dragon R7; Fancy Little Girl R9 12/8/18, Surprisingly Sweet R8; Art Genta R9 Dayton 12/7/18, +Northern River R1; +Olivia V R2; +Elite Awards R7; +Barefoot Julie R14 12/8/18, Winwood Mac R11 Dover 12/6/18, +Wichita Lineman R9 Flamboro 12/6/18, +Muscle Matters R8 12/8/18, +Thecrowdiswatching R7 Freehold 12/7/18, Proud Moment R2; Fox Valley Harmia R3; American Image R5 12/8/18, +JK Pridenjoy R6; +Sams Escape R8 Meadows 12/8/18, Heza Shiningknight R7; +Happy Trio R13 Meadowlands 12/6/18, Hepburn Hanover R3; Abbeylara R7 12/7/18, +Landonfitz R6 Mohawk 12/7/18, Machnhope R9 Monticello 12/6/18, Tylers Great R4; Mercurio R5; Antagonist R6; +Shiplap R6; +Davids Draw R10 12/10/18, +Blue Bell Beauty R7 Northfield 12/8/18, Tucson Breeze R7; +Shakeitformegear R16 Philly 12/7/18, +Im All Pink R12 Pompano 12/6/18, +Fantasy Official R2; +Silver Wings R4; Tymal Vortex R4; Hora Star R10 Saratoga 12/6/18, +I Am Summer R2; +Pain In The Mass R4; +Wanna Make Money R11 Scarborough 12/9/18, +Royal Reception R2; +Lifeontherange R4; +No Humble Jumble R6 Western Fair 12/7/18, Master Switch R1; Stonebridge Score R6; +BJ Savanah R7; +Friends To The End R10 Yonkers 12/7/18, Ella Michelle A R11