Fear The Dragon Wins Best ‘Jug’ Heat; Metro Pace Score At 3-1; Top Win Prices Are Double Digits, Place Pool Pounded

It was a big week in the sport and a good one for our audience as features began with the classic Grand Circuit pace in Delaware, Ohio.

Once again, the public leaned the wrong way. In the first and most important betting mile of The Little Brown Jug (Sept. 21), the bettors gave Downbytheseaside the resounding status of favorite. As we hoped, this left our major contender the second choice and the only thing remarkable about our projected win was the win price. Fear The Dragon ($5.60, $3.20, $2.60) took the race in a hard-fought mile, with Downbytheseaside a laggard fourth. We did not tout the second heat, so our betting Jug was a great success.

Though a lesser payoff due to a shorter field, we also won the Old Oaken Bucket. This was a sharp mile by Shake It Off Lindy ($3.40, $2.40, n/s).

Then we were second in the Ms Versatility Final with Caprice Hill ($2.60, n/s) with an exacta worth $5.20 with the winning favorite.
 
Friday, Sept. 22 at Hoosier, a stakes-filled program had some across-the-board surprises after we started with a public-choce winner, Closing Statement ($4.00, $2.40, $2.10) in The Elevation.

The Kentuckiana for frosh-filly trotters was won by a 6-1 shot with our choice a valuable second—Custom Cantab ($17.40, $7.20).

Another huge second came in the Hoosier Pacing Derby, where a 7-1 shot won with our choice the best on the toteboard with the place-horse Missle J ($23.40, $13.40).

Other stakes left us out of the action. In the Moni Maker we were sixth with Overdraft Volo (6-1); in the Kentuckiana for frosh-filly pacers we finished ninth to the favorite with Alexa’s Power (31-1); In the Jenna’s Beach Boy got sixth with Ocean Colony (11-1); and in the Centaur Trot we were fifth with JL Cruze (7-1) and second with Hannelore Hanover ($2.20, $2.10).

Saturday, Sept 23 at Mohawk featured top frosh stakes.

The half-million-dollar Metro Stakes for frosh-colt pacers was a score for us, winning with Lost In Time ($8.20, $4,80, $3.20).

In The Metro Consolation our second choice, This Is The Plan ($4.00, $2.70, $2.50), was the public-choice winner, while our first choice, Phil The Thrill ($6.30) took the third spot in the $114.00 trifecta, if you had the public’s second choice finishing second.

In the frosh-filly pacing She’s A Great Lady Final, a 40-1 winner rocked the board, while our second choice, Come See The Show ($3.80) was third and our first choice, Kissin In The Sand (8-1) struggled first over and finished off the board.


BREEDERS CROWN COUNTDOWN

We began with features early last week due to the Little Brown Jug meet in Delaware, Ohio and with the traditional late-September-Thursday “Jug” (see below) at the beginning of our usual features list, the “Countdown” covered the Wednesday, Sept. 20 Fair stakes for the fillies, The Jugette (pacers) and The Buckette (trotters).

Trying to beat Blazin Britches, the huge favorite in the Jugette’s first heat, was futile from the start as our choice, Jaye’s A Lady (20-1), broke and was out of the picture all around the mile.

In the second elim heat, our choice, Idyllic Beach ($2.60) was third to the favorite, Caviart Hall, who came back in the deciding mile to win the Jugette.

In the Buckette, the first and second choices produced the exacta and we were third with Maewegonow ($2.40).


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 27 active horses (a 19-percent win hit rate and a 70-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

Sarpa Hanover, $23.00, $10.60, $5.40, Philadelphia
UF Whosurdarlinboy, $13.00, $3.40, $2.60, Northville
Astor, $12.20, $4.60, $4.00, Freehold
Real Sharp, $4.50, $2.80, $2.20, Northlands
Ianthe Hanover, $2.40, $2.10, $2.10 ok, Plainridge

Seconds

Oberlin, $9.60, $3.60 (Exacta $27.80), Delaware Ohio Fair
Carobbean Pacetry, $7.90, $3.20, Yonkers
Monk, $7.00, $5.00 (Exacta $14.80), Philadelphia
Hot Tap, $6.60, $3.40, Northlands
Chirita, $3.40, $2.60, Hoosier
Its Complicated, $3.20, $3.00 (Exacta $8.00), Philadelphia
Southwind Jaden, $3.20, $2.70 (Exacta $14.20), Northlands
Shadows On Time, $2.80, $2.60 (Exacta $16.80), Delaware Ohio Fair
Awhimaway, $2.60, $2.30, Northlands

Thirds

Forced Passage, $6.40, Plainridge
Bands Houdini, $4.00, Hawthorne
Fox Valley Iliad, $2.70, Batavia
Summer Side, $2.40, Meadows
Skyway Priss, $2.10, Batavia


News & Notes

The Grand Circuit shifts to the Bluegrass for two weeks of stakes for the season’s stars with harness racing at The Red Mile. The action Racing begins on Thursday, Sept. 28 with a 7:00 p.m. post time, which continues through Saturday, Sept. 30. The 1:00 p.m. matinee cards start on Sunday, Oct. 1 and return for the Thursday-Sunday schedule Oct. 5 through Oct. 8.

Western Fair ushers in another season of harness racing on Monday, Oct. 2. The weekly schedule features racing every Monday and Tuesday at 6:15 p.m. and Friday nights at 7:05 p.m. The betting menu gets a tweak as the early Pick 3 each day will be guaranteed at $2,500. The early Pick 3 also includes a pair of $5,000 guaranteed Pick 4 pools and a pair of Super Hi-5 wagers; all with 15-percent takeouts. The Super Hi-5 races are contested at 1-1/16 miles.

Some insiders are blaming a lack of horse ownership for the fact that the Little Brown Jug only attracted eight horses and had to change its format because that is the amount expected from now on. Other issues ensue, though. Horsemen are wary about racing heats, no less on four-turn miles like in Delaware, Ohio. Trainer Ray Schnitter made headlines when after winning the Meadowlands Pace with Huntsville he said his colt would not race in the Jug because you have to be “a moron” to enter a horse there. All of the problems conspiring to change the Jug have changed the event into a less-than-important stakes and more of a traditional event that is not attractive to bettors, either. When the stats for betting come in, it is sure to show that America’s Great Pace has turned into Ohio’s Local Fair Racing Event in that being at the fair live for all of the attractions far outweighs the thrills or the magnitude of the Jug and its ever-shrinking stakes participants.


Extraordinary Extras

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

For Thom Pye cartoons, informative harness history and more, click here ~