Freshmen On Fire In Last Week Of Red Mile Grand Circuit

Rough Patches With Outsiders, Lone $26 Upset Surfaces Thursday, Oct.. 3 Indiana Sires Stakes (INSS) at Hoosier rolled out for events. There were two frosh-colt pace races; both were won by the house favorites. We finished sixth and fifth, respectively, with Straight Up Cool (9-1) and High Impression (7-2). Our choices in the pair of soph-colt trot INSS events both broke stride. Smooth Acceleration (9-2) finished sixth to the public’s second choice and DG’s Caviar (29-1), finished fourth-placed-fifth to the obvious choice of them all, Swandre The Giant. The Red Mile two-year-old International Stallion Stakes (INTS) began a bad run for our choices in the final week of the Grand Circuit in Kentucky. In the trio of INTS frosh-colt trots we had one show price, Synergy ($3.60), losing to the favorite. In another split we were fifth with a co-favorite, Gangster Hanover (8-5). He lost to a pair of winners when a dead-heat finish paired super-frosh Real Cool Sam with 32-1 shot Big Oil. In the third INTS we finished sixth with the favorite, Rome Pays Off (6-5), losing to the second choice. Friday, Oct. 4 More INTS wagering carnage ensued for us, as we cashed only one in four filly-trot features with a second from Senorita Rita ($2.40, $2.20), producing a meager exacta worth $7.60. In another split, Sorella (14-1) broke to finish sixth to a 16-1 shot winner. Another sixth finish went to Sweet Shirley Mae (38-1), beaten by the favorite. In the third of four we went with our Bluegrass winner, Common Sense S (7-5), who lost to the second choice in the field. In both INTS frosh-filly paces, we finished sixth with Looksgoodinaromper (2-1), beaten by a 10-1 shot, and with Gai Waterhouse (8-5), beaten by a 6-1 shot. Saturday, Oct. 5 Our top and only win in the INTS this week came with one of four frosh-colt pacers. We were rewarded well for Major Betts ($26.20, $6.40, $4.00), after predicting but passing on Capt Midnight ($2.40, $2.10, $2.10) winning the first INTS. Then, we completed a cheap exacta ($3.40) with Captain Barbossa ($2.40, 2.20) when the favorite won the third split. We were fourth in the fourth INTS with Gingra Beach (84-1). In the Glen Garnsey Tattersalls we failed to beat the huge favorite but took second to the surprise of the public with Queen Of The Pride ($6.80, $5.00) for an exacta worth $13.20. The Allerage Open for pacers was not kind to Geez Joe (14-1), who finished seventh. Nor was the Open for trotters a good spot for Eurobound (8-1), who finished ninth. The Oct. 3 BREEDERS CROWN COUNTDOWN contained our analysis for the Kentucky Futurity races on Sunday, Oct. 6. The reports on those results will be included in the next Weekly Update, Oct. 14. Please note that the main preview blog will address any Breeders Crown eliminations necessary and the finals as its major features. 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 41 active horses (a 20-percent win hit rate and a 51-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 weeks) It is up to you to follow horses that have not performed before this weekly review. Winners Blacklist Z Tam, $30.80, $15.80, $9.60, Dayton Hands Off Frank, $18.00, $9.20, $5.50, Vernon Hanks Tank, $10.80, $5.20, $3.40, Freehold Pikachu Hanover, $8.80, $3.80, $2.20, Northville Bosch, $6.60, $2.80, $2.40, Philly Southwind Onyx, $5.60, $3.20, $3.30 ok, Batavia Leap Year Lucky, $2.60, $2.20, $2.10, Saratoga With Out A Doubt, $2.60, $2.40, $2.10, Yonkers Seconds Star Guitar, $6.80, $2.80, Dayton Mr Pearl, $4.60, $6.30 ok (Exacta $14.20), Monticello Dr Grinch, $4.00, $3.20, Freehold Phine By Me, $4.00, $4.00 ok (Exacta $20.20), Hoosier Star Guitar, $4.00, $5.60 ok, Dayton Rockin Kasbah, $3.80, $2.20 (Exacta $14.20), Northfield B’s Weddie, $3.20, $2.80 (Exacta $7.60), Freehold Tipp City, $3.10, $2.60, Yonkers Passionate Deo, $2.40, $3.60, Dayton Thirds Midnite Craze, $7.20, Plainridge Massive Lightning, $6.00, Plainridge Control Tower, $4.40, Pocono Tyson, $2.60, Philly News & Notes Half of the field for the $1-million International Trot arrived at JFK Airport in New York on Oct. 4. They are Bahia Quesnot (France), Lionel (Norway), Norton Commander (Germany), Uza Josellyn (Switzerland) and Zacon Gio (Italy). They went through a required quarantine period without incident and then left for their temporary residence at Yonkers. Denmark’s Slide So Easy is already stateside. They will join Atlanta (U.S.), Cruzado Dela Noche (Sweden), Guardian Angel AS (U.S.) and Marion Marauder (Canada) in the event, set for Oct. 12 on a matinee program. Meanwhile, Atlanta worked out over Yonkers for the first time in her racing career. The world champion four-year-old trotted 1 1/16 miles prior to the Oct. 1 program. It was prep for $1-million International. Yannick Gingras drove the Ron Burke-trained mare and said he was “very happy” with the “2:26 or so” time for the distance. “She did everything I wanted, especially around the turns,” he said. “I made sure to buzz her around the turns.” Atlanta, who never raced over a half-mile oval, has seven wins and three seconds in 11 starts this season. Western Fair District kicked off its 2019-20 harness racing season on Oct. 4.. The popular wagering menu once again features a trio of guaranteed wagers. The Pick 3 features a $2,500 guarantee with a 60-cent minimum, while a pair of $5,000 guaranteed Pick-4 pools and a pair of Super Hi-5 wagers are offered. All of those wagers feature a 15 percent takeout. The Super Hi-5 races are contested at the distance of 1 1/16 miles miles. With nearly $9,500 unclaimed from the Oct. 1 Pick 5 at Yonkers, the Oct. 3 exotic vaulted well over the $25,000 guarantee. A season-high $44,885 of new wagers went through the windows, for a total pool in excess of $43,000. The winning sequence returned $829.75 for every correct 50-cent wager. Yonkers’ Pick 5 begins with either the sixth or seventh race on every program, offering a $10,000 guaranteed pool each Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. Northfield Park now offers racing every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday with a 6 p.m. post time, and on Saturdays and Sundays beginning at 6:40 p.m. On Oct. 12, Northfield features Grand Circuit racing with the $125,000 Courageous Lady. The program also will features the $75,000 Ohio Sires Stakes finals for older trotters of both sexes, as well as the fifth annual Pace For The Cure, featuring all female drivers. Extraordinary Extras Indulge in our monthly columns, Alternative Actions and Bettors Banquet at Harness Racing Update