Fields Of Ohio Harness In Flight

 
While other North American harness venues engage in prepping for the continuation of their 2020 seasons, we remain planted in the Midwest of the USA with selected features from Scioto and Northfield for May 28—May 30.

Keep checking the TwinSpires blog section regularly for our harness racing previews and updates, since it will not be the usual, consistent two-times a week until there are enough tracks open to provide full coverage.

The H2W (horses-to-watch) list selections at both tracks reach for hopeful outsiders to bring successful win, place, show and contribute to single- and multi-exotic races. The list will, of course, become longer as raceways present programs.


FEATURES~FEATURES~FEATURES~

Scioto / Race 7
Thursday / May 28

We’ve had our eye on Crowntime Pet from productive trainer Tom Blankenship since before the hiatus and here she comes in a conditional that may become competitive in the pools. Her 20-1 morning line (ML) seems exaggerated but it’s fine for a giveaway price on a Blankenship entry.

The competitive elements include Artful Dancer, Steve Carter’s entry, which is bound to be in the public’s top three. As well, Beautiful Beach automatically gets strong support with driver attraction (ML favorite). A long one here is Madelines Craycray, who comes under a new training roof since cashing some checks last season.

Scioto / Race 8
Thursday / May 28

Walter Haynes, Jr. has only two in for the program and his best shot appears to be Mountain High. She prepped for this on May 19 at Hoosier, where she made her time and showed a good gain from start to finish in a qualifier. She wasn’t heard from again until she headed for Ohio and drew in here.

Scioto / Race 14
Thursday / May 28

Look who is on the Short List—AJ Corbelli. The former Meadowlands regular left New Jersey barns for Adam Short’s Ohio school of pacing. Just about everything this pacer faced in New Jersey was better in some way than anything racing in Scioto now. Short will have “AJ” in top condition, for sure, and want to pop early after the hiatus. It’s your judgment on a price, but we feel the ML is too high..
 
FEATURES~FEATURES~FEATURES

Scioto / Race 3
Thursday / May 29

A rank outsider in the first race since the layoff, Away My Baby was in a strange field, as it turned out. The favorite won, the close second favorite broke at the half, a 54-1 shot pressured the fractions to three-quarters (cover for “Baby”) and two other huge outsiders closed stoutly from the back. Baby was 25-1 and held up all right amid all of this. Chris McGuire’s trotter survived to finish fifth in a good mile, considering the uneven performances.

Baby could stay out of trouble and excel in this group, where her bankroll is best and there is no dominating favorite.

Scioto / Race 5
Thursday / May 29

Westsluckycam is a steady earner for Tom Blankenship and a worthy contender in this mare Open pace. She steps up after being a beaten favorite in a conditioner, where she was passed by the two other close favorites and nosed by a 15-1 coming off an easier trip.

Blankenship’s decision to raise her level doesn’t sit well with the track handicapper, who makes her 15-1, and the public will agree, which gives further value to our suggestion. Certainly, Westsluckycam is a plus for exotics, certainly with William Bercury’s ML favorite, Blue Ivy. 

FEATURES~FEATURES~FEATURES

Northfield / Race 9
Thursday / May 30

With a ML of 7-1 leaving from post 2 behind the obvious public choice, Cheyenne Zone could win this in the catbird seat, a super spot on the Flying Turns. All the Billy Farmer-trained pacer has done since the hiatus is follow a group of seven in a qualifier to make the time, which served its purpose. That being considered, you would think the ML would be more like 20-1. Cheyenne Zone has been on our H2W list from before the hiatus and we have no problem backing her here in this soft conditioner.

Northfield / Race 10
Thursday / May 30

Shadows Mystery is on the also-eligible list. We do not often push for a horse not in the race at the time we assess the competition but Shadows Mystery was on the brink of a win just before the lockdown and we are pressed to follow through, hoping she will get in and the public would dismiss her on all counts.

She was all out in her qualifier, though short, but it could be a flare to alert us for the performance we expected way back then.

Scioto / Race 4
Saturday / May 30

The Dark Shadow comes from the Short List. He was one of the top choices last week at 3-1 for Adam Short and made up a ton of ground while the favorite tanked after giving winning cover to a 26-1 shot. His ML is 8-1, which is in the territory where Short horses pay long prices.


H2W Legend

Review our choices and confirm the wagers available at the prescribed track. H2W offers possible contenders researched from reviewing races. Horses’ names are listed beneath the name of the track with the date of their race and the race number (R6 ) follows. If a + is in front of a horse’s name, it appears on the list for the second time (horses are listed twice only if, at first, they failed to win. An “ae” signals also-eligible. Types of wagers to make are based on your judgment.

H2W LIST

Northfield
5/29/20, Mighty Cowboy R11; Heidis Heart R14; Rockinmydream R15

Scioto
5/29/20, Buzinga N R2; +Black Mamba AS R6; +I Choose You R9
5/30/20, +Whiskey Friskie R5; +Hell On Wheels R12