Frosh-Frolic Price Best Of All At $59; Hambo-Trail Colt Pays $20; Adios Pace Field Set

 

The Freshman Frolic section exploded with prices across the board in only fifteen races. A DQ resulted in the top win price, $59.00 and all percentages were astounding. We hit a 20-percent win average and an across-the-board average of 67 percent (see below for details). Here’s how everything went:
 

Saturday, July 21

The afternoon Meadows program featured two eliminations for The Adios Pace. The favorite took the initial elim while we finished third with Wes Delight ($3.40). We were second in the other elim with Dorsoduro Hanover ($2.80, $2.40) who was beat in the final strides by the public’s third choice.

Saratoga’s stakes-filled card offered three lucrative New York Sires Stakes for glamour-boy pacers. We were sixth in the first chapter with Jersey Jim (6-1), losing to a 10-1 winner. In chapter two we won with the favorite, Rootin Tootin ($2.80, $2.10, $2.10 ok). In the final chapter our choice, Keystone Tenacious, scratched; the favorite won it.

The public was onboard to be finish across the board in all three spots as our outside contender, Missile J (22-1), did not fire, finishing eighth.


FRESHMAN FROLIC

Seventeen youngsters on both gaits made last week’s “Frolic” list—the exclusive TwinSpires harness section. Two of them scratched. There were six tracks involved over two racing days, July 19 and July 20.

Three winners approached from the list. One of them, though due a disqualification, paid phenomenally. Volare TZ ($59.00, $22.20, $10.40) finished second at Tioga but was placed first after judges called interference from breaks by the favorite and two others.

The other two winners came from Scioto’s programs. They were Ambitions Lillian ($13.40, $6.00, $3.80) and Feel Invincible ($4.60, $2.80, $2.40).

Four frolickers finished second. They were Capital T Hill ($3.00, $2.40 Exacta $6.80) at Philly, Cornerd Beach ($13.20, $6.60 Exacta $21.80) and Cumberland Gap ($10.20, $6.40) at Scioto; and Fox Valley Halsey ($4.80, $2.40) at Hawthorne.

There were three youngsters finishing for show—Well I’m Fancy ($4.80) and Wittyville ($7.80) at Scioto and Mr Vicktor ($2.10) at Tioga. 

Among the also-raced, we had Natural Disaster (Saratoga) and Intrepid Ivy and Sylvia Trench (Hoosier) finishing fifth, Crazyforlovinyou (Tioga) finishing seventh and Betty Barley (Scioto) finishing eighth.

Freshmen losing in their first mentions appear one more time in an upcoming H2W list.


THE HAMBLETONIAN TRAIL

Three days offered “Trail” events, beginning on July 19 with fillies. Everyone was behind Atlanta ($2.10, n/p, n/s) in one sires-stakes mile at Vernon. In the other a favorite also won but we had Tribute To Seven ($3.10) who got the show spot.

On July 20 three Pennsylvania Sires Stakes divisions for colt trotters went at Philly. In the first we were second with Make It A Double ($7.40, $3.80). In the middle episode our contender, For A Dreamer (8-1) broke and finished seventh. Then we scored a cold exacta with the obvious Crystal Fashion ($3.00, $2.40, $2.10) on top of Mississippi Storm ($5.60, $3.00). That combo paid $12.00.

The Meadowlands hosted two Grand Circuit Tompkins-Geers trots, one for colts and one for fillies. We nabbed the colt division with Helpisontheway ($20.60, $7.60, $4.60). Our exotic partner, the public choice, Evaluate, broke and finished eighth. We were second to the favorite in the filly edition with Bill’s Lady (4.20, $3.40) for an exacta worth $18.40.



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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 53 active horses (an 13-percent win hit rate and a 40-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

Beer League, $20.80, $6.20, $4.40, Scarborough
Rich And Miserable, $8.60, $3.60, $3.00, Philly
Abner The Great, $5.90, $3.20, $2.40, Yonkers
Buckeye N, $3.40, $2.40, $2.10, Plainridge
Shes A Maverick, $3.20, $2.60, $2.10, Scarborough
Dealt A Winner, $2.20, $2.10, $2.10 ok, Meadowlands
Danger Strike, $2.10, $2.20, $2.10 ok, Northville
 
Seconds

Tough Get Going, $11.40, $7.50 (Exacta $29.20), Saratoga
Want Me, $7.60, $3.80, Hawthorne
Vodkancaviar, $5.40, $7.00 ok, Plainridge
Peekaboo Tattoo, $4.00, $2.60, Running Aces
Hell On Wheels, $3.40, $3.00 (Exacta $9.20), Monticello
Who Says That, $2.20, $2.10, Northfield
Grace An Mercy, $2.10, $2.10 ok, Red Mile
 
Thirds

Last Dragon, $8.00, Hawthorne
Double D Delux, $4.60, Bangor
Northern Credit, $4.40, Yonkers
Private Interview, $3.80, Grand River
Rockin Billy, $3.00, Hoosier
Rock King Dwo, $2.20, Ocean
Love Without End, $2.10, Scarborough


News & Notes

Atlanta, the glamour-girl trotter, is going to meet the boys in the Hambletonian. It was made public on July 21, although the filly’s connections said they decided privately weeks ago to enter her into the classic. Atlanta recently doubled her earnings as a two-year-old by winning on July 19 at Tioga and dominating her division foes as she has since starting her 2018 campaign. By passing the “Oaks.” Atlanta will have to race in same-day heats to win against the boys (the Oaks elims are a week before the final). Zeron said he is confident that his “very calm and collected” filly will have no trouble with the Hambo format.

The Vincennes Invitational Trot is returning to the Meadowlands. The $30,000 event, once again to be a part of the Hambletonian-day program on Aug. 4, is for older trotters that are not eligible to the John Cashman Memorial, also on the program. The race is named after the iconic racetrack near Paris and pays homage to the Meadowlands’ pari-mutuels partners, the French PMU, a betting union controlled by France that accepts wagers for the Hambletonian program.

Batavia Downs starts its 72nd season of harness racing Monday, July 23. The 2018 racing session features 70 dates, including seven matinees that all start at 1:15 p.m. Monday and Wednesday evening post times are 5:00 p.m. with Friday and Saturday night races beginning at 6:00 p.m. There are four twilight Saturday programs during the season on Sept. 8, Oct. 6, Nov. 17 and Dec. 15 with a 4:45 p.m. post. Bettors take note the passing lane has been removed from the home stretch of the track. Batavia has had a passing lane since 1989 and during that time the track has seen the bias towards inside posts go up dramatically. So in an attempt to create more early movement, making outside posts more desirable to wager upon and decrease the amount of winning favorites, the change was implemented. Yonkers also eliminated its passing lane earlier this season.

 

Extraordinary Extras

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