Freshman Stakes Debut At Yonkers; Elims Enrich Pocono’s Bright Night Of Stars; McWicked’s Revenge; Ake-Action Graduates

The first call to post for two-year-olds this season presents potential all stars for next season. We cover the New York breds as they line up at Yonkers for their initial trials. Then, at Pocono, eliminations for next week’s headline stakes program are on tap as the soph divisions muck up the status of their main characters. The trot-colt sophs are included at Pocono, eliminating for the Earl Beal Jr. Final, a main stop on the Hambletonian Trail—check the exclusive blog for those races and some stray eligible colts at Hoosier. The blog insinuates so smart-wagering tactics. More and more contenders amass with the TwinSpires horses-to-watch (H2W) list. Do your own handicapping and then consider our H2W selections. FROSH FIRSTS New York Sires Stakes (NYSS) for two-year-old pacers are the features at Yonkers on June 20 as the freshman season begins. We offer some contenders based upon sires that have proven to produce profits for betting on green starters. This early in the season we use statistics from 2018, thus having to ignore all first-time sire progeny. Still, this has been a sturdy basis in the past for finding some very good prices on frosh winners, especially since most bettors will not use the stats we lean upon. The first NYSS ($38,650) offers a field of seven first-time starters. We will focus upon Hurrikanekingjames. He is the only son of So Surreal in this field. The two Art Major products and the two American Ideal colts are his biggest matches, but they may present popular prices. The second NYSS ($38,650) also sends seven novice pacing colts to the gate. Ray Schnittker presents another So Surreal product, again the only in the field—Splash Brother. Ray has worked with this sire’s younglings before and that conditioning bias gives this one a few extra points. The next NYSS ($38,650) lines up another seven first-timers. Testifying to the Schnittker—So Surreal partnership is another by the sire trained by New York-based Ray—Cigars And Port. That one deserves consideration by the same data we support in the first two divisions. However, Yer So Bad, a sole product of Roll With Joe, who has been a productive New York pacing sire, looms boldly with a big chance to win at first crack. Eight are in the field for the fourth and last NYSS split, this one worth $39,350. Two colts from one of last year’s top crop of frosh progeny—Heston Blue Chip—are poised to continue the profitable trend of their bloodline. Brushcut and Save Me A Dance leave from the inside for productive state conditioners Scott Di Domenico and Andrew Harris, respectively. They are tough to pass, especially Harris’s colt, who is from the classy mare Dance Hall Gal. Beware, though, there are two So Surreal products here, though only one, The Mystic, is under the tutelage of Schnittker. As well, the sole Roll With Joe product—Groovy Joe, could be the best price offering, worthy of a bet under those conditions. Judge your prices. THE MAX FACTOR Glamour-boy pacers are in full gear as their stakes season delivers them to Pocono for The Max Hempt Memorial elims. At $25,000 each there are three on June 22’s program (check official program for race numbers).. Six go in round one, featuring a field of the division’s second-stringers—so far, at least. It’s an even match, though two of them have yet to win this season. Tony Alagna’s Shake That House is the early favorite. He has won three of four starts and having fan-magnet-driver Brian Sears in the bike will assure he becomes the main choice. We have our eyes upon Ray Schnittker’s Latissimus Hanover. Ray has a potential powerhouse barn for stakes action this season and this one has a good shot at a great price here, in only his third start. In the second elim the competition is also tight among the six involved. Brian Brown’s Proof is the best known from his frosh efforts and should get favorite status. Alagna’s Major Deception should follow in the pools. Lyons Night Hawk is our choice for price and purpose, as well as his sophomore form appears to be improved from last season. He could wind up a first-tier competitor in the division, especially if he makes the “Hempt” final and does well in it. The last of the Hempt elims has seven aboard, led without argument, by Goldberg. Brenda Teague’s colt can go much faster than his current mark. He’s much like the Teague’s Lather Up in that respect. But he is not without challengers. Hurrikane Emperor comes from the North America Cup and having raced with much better than any of the horses in this field (including Captain Victorious, who tanked in the “Cup” and is yet to win this season) and the other two elims, should contest favorite status as well as the mile itself in this elim. It would be great if Goldberg took more money, so we could get a fair price on the “Hurrikane,” who we feel may romp here. LADIES OF LYNCH The Hempt sister stakes is the James Lynch Memorial. Three elims at $20,000 each are on the June 22 card at Pocono (check official program for race numbers). Philly Hanover, with four wins of five starts and the highly touted Dexter Dunn aboard, will attract the majority of win bettors, with St Somewhere closely behind, raring to deliver a cheap exacta. The third probable choice, however, is our investment. Tall Drink Hanover is ready to make big noise in the division and will start here with a big mile that could become bigger in next week’s final. The middle elim also sends six to post, led by Zero Tolerance from trainer Joe Holloway. He has a good touch with his soph fillies and this one is following suit. Still, she has to contend with at least two main threats, and the others may also cause her concern. Rob Burke’s Rose Run Uptowngal will have a better chance among the top trio than her odds will display. She has whipped up quite a bankbook in seven starts, showing enough talent to become one of the division’s major contenders. Split three offers another catfight between the top-two Fan Hanover finishers. Treacherous Reign somehow got the best of Warrawee Ubeaut at Mohawk. But “Ubeaut” did not get tired, just beaten, and she will take advantage of a bounce from her “Fan” foe. Does this mean Ubeaut offers better odds? It could mean that but it can also mean Burke’s other filly, Sylph Hanover, may get the best out of the top two dueling for dominance. We are going with Sylph Hanover to beat them both for price and purpose. BIG BEN A pair of $35,000 elims presents Free-For-All pacers in the Ben Franklin (an early closing stakes). Top notched Western Fame is among the eight but may be a tepid fan choice. Highalator is on a mighty streak in the division and could get the most win money. This is where the win-pool cash will be dumped, though. Though he will have to negotiate the three turns leaving from the 7 hole, Hitman Hill will be overlooked due to the post and a poor comparison to the two obvious favorites. This guy was getting better and better at three and he has shown tough stuff against elders this season. We will take him in an upset forecast. The other “Franklin” elim sends eight more FFA fighters, most well known by now. McWicked tops them and last week’s loss may do nothing to reduce the bulk of bettors at his back. Lather Up is back, bringing his uneven history at Pocono to the attention of us all. Beyond those two, however, surface questionable foes, including Dorsoduro Hanover, “Dorsoduro” looks lazy so far this season, sighting some issues we may be unaware of detecting. Filibuster Hanover has yet to win a race this season in five starts, something we cannot solely blame on bad posts. Mac’s Jackpot, Miso Fast and Whittaker N are easy to toss here. And, the season’s debut of Springsteen is no threat. If we go with McWicked to win this, we need to hope the crowd lays heavily upon Lather Up—and the public may just do that, as well as swinging for the fence with some of the others mentioned. Push come to shove, though, McWicked is still better than Lather Up. Period. GRADUATE TROTS At $50,000 each, two Graduate divisions for four-year-old trotters are on the bill at the Meadowlands June 21. Eight in the first cast features Atlanta, who does not seem to go slower than the most recent race she wins. Post 8 will mean nothing to bettors, who will seize another chance to make 10 cents on the dollar. Crystal Fashion will attempt to earn a few steps from her inside post to catch Atlanta and Ake Svanstedt’s Muscle M Up will be all out to ruin chalk players. Ake’s Plunge Blue Chip is listed after being scratched last week at Mohawk and she would be the better price of his two stalkers. If you feel a win by Atlanta will embarrass any other bet you make, pass this race. If not, take Plunge Blue Chip off of her scratch. The other Graduate field also offers eight entries, as well as another Atomic Ake addition—Six Pack. The crowd may not believe in Six Pack as strongly as they go for Fiftydallarbill or even Burke’s Mission Accepted, so Six Pack may get into it at delicious odds; nothing huge, of course, but every bit valuable. 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 6/22/19, Iluvtomakemoney R3; +Eachyahartout R11 Charlottetown 6/22/19, Top Of The Morning R1; Woodmere Soul R8; Twin B Shadow R10 Grand River 6/21/19, +Jooner R7 Hawthorne 6/21/19, Mobil Big John R2; +Frisky Bob R6 Hoosier 6/20/19, Glorious Virgin R4; +Captain’s Play R13 6/21/19, +Medieval Dragon R6; +ER Simon R6 Meadowlands 6/21/19, +Caviart Ally R2; +Ice Attraction R10 Meadows 6/22/19, +American World R1; +Marvalous Town R3; +Craig Michael R10; Broadway Mojo R11 Mohawk 6/20/19, +Shake A Leg R2 Monticello 6/20/19, Snoz R1; +Come On Red R3; +Slippery Noodle R7 Northfield 6/22/19, +Flight Seelster R4; +Champagne Shower R16 Philly 6/20/19, Don Dream R7; Magical Beliefs R9 Plainridge 6/21/19, +Midnite Craze R3; +Vodkancaviar R6; Order By Me R11 Pocono 6/22/19, +Rodeo Rock R9 6/23/19, +Frankie Mullins R10 Running Aces 6/22/19, Peach Wave R5; Johnny Gun R6; The Gobye Girl R7; +Buzz Light R8; Bunkerhill Jill R8 6/23/19, +Gregory John R7 Saratoga 6/20/19, +Kissesfromheaven R2; Frenzie R5 Scarborough 6/20/19, +SB Mikes Hot Beach R6 6/23/19, Memorydream R2; +Dashboard R3; Drive ‘em Cowboy R4; +Rocco R7; +Astrogal R9 Scioto 6/21/19, +Shalara R10 Tioga 6/21/19, Money Earned R2; +I Rhoda Daley R4 Vernon 6/21/19, Pudges Pastime R10 6/22/19, +Stonebridge Bonus R13 Yonkers 6/20/19, Venice R2 6/21/19, +Joe Hill R3 6/22/19, Lockton Luck A R8; London Seelster R12