Harness Preview: Picks and Horses to Watch April 13-17

Selected features, stakes coverage and the never-ending TwinSpires’ horses-to-watch list (H2W) share keys to success in exotics, win, place and show payoffs.

MOHAWK MILES

Each week we highlight probable longshots from Mohawk Park in this features section. If they do not win at first crack, we add them to the H2W the following week as a bet-back while adding new possibilities to this Mohawk Miles section.

Thursday, April 13

Race 5—Write The Rules; Bet-back proposition, excused from last week’s loss.
Race 6—Landing Pad; Great qualifier prepared for this race.
Race 8—Alcina; Earned step up and looms dangerous.

POWER PLAYS

Thursday, April 13 - Hoosier, Races 12, 13

Hoosier Power Play Plus offerings are a Win Parlay and single-race wagers.

Race 12
Finishing third, best of the rest by 5 lengths, Bettors Ville, a well-bred Huntsville product, looks to be a hot property for trainer Aaron Stutzman, getting started cashing a show check as the race’s second choice.

Race 13
Walter Haynes Jr.’s Goldies Rockin also finished third last week and raced better than her 9-1 offering. She faces a few debut conditioners in her fourth out for the season and eyes decent purses in this local series she is committed to use as precious preps.

MATCHMAKER SERIES

Friday, April 14 - Yonkers, Leg 5; $40k

Race 3
The last round of the series offers a last chance for earning a place in the final, and we support Wahs Fire Bug N. Slowly starting, she had little room to get anywhere racing against dull cover. She’s the penultimate money winner here, though, and the class could reflect in this softer division.

Race 6
Another outsider, this from Les Givens, is Incaseyoudidntknow. She’s won a ton and is in a good position to save some ground and move onto the final.

Race 8
With Drama Act on the rail and showing dominance this year, the only worthy win-bet scenario is a ground-saving Racine Bell behind her lead until tipping out and flying by her. Or she revs up and goes wire to wire at a decent second-choice price.

BORGATA PACING SERIES

Monday, April 17 - Yonkers, Leg 5; $50k

Race 3
Six ponder the four turns in the last leg of the series. Last week Dean B Hanover was aggressive enough to give him a shot here where he could get a perfect trip behind the probable favorite—and give him a late surprise, winning if even by a whisker.

Race 6
A tough group of seven from previous divisions gives us an opportunity for a longshot—Splash Brother. What’s with trainer Ray Schnittker? He feels after two dynamic wins this beast has a shot with the big boys. Still, the crowd may find Ray’s confidence bloated and let this speedball son of So Surreal go off with high odds promised. We’ll take it. Go Ray.

Race 8
Again, looking around the obvious, we could get a terrific price on Leonidas A, and this time he may zoom to the top and fly away, fooling few bettors. The stalwart pacer is versatile; he can cut all the fractions and/or weave a victory late through an opening of his choice.

HORSES TO WATCH

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

Buffalo
4/14/23, Bjanthony R1; +Daylon Phantom R1; Sudden

Cal-Expo
4/14/23, Down It R6; Holdonwe’rerolling R7
4/16/23, Myartblongstorock R1; +Go Viral R2

Cumberland
4/15/23, War Daddy R10

Freehold
4/14/23, +Brownie R9

Harrington
4/17/23, +Doubleagentman R11

Hoosier
4/14/23, +Lupa R2; +Business Check R2; +Ill Tell Yourdaddy R7

Meadows
4/13/23, Overnight Haul R2

Monticello
4/13/23, +My Last Chance R4; Meetyouatmidnight R4; +Gypsy Leather R5; +CR Dudley R8

Northfield
4/15/23, Racin For Royalty R6; Hey Hey Mama R8

Northville
4/14/23, +Calm As Can Bee R2; Rockin Deo R3; Followthewind R3; Bluesberry Brandi R8

Oak Grove
4/16/23, +Southside Kid R4; Lady Remi R6; Deputy Dawg R8; Zappa R10

Philly
4/13/23, +Filled Donut R7; +Mongolian Hero R9; +Sandradimples R13

Plainridge
4/13/23, Aerosmith Hanover R6; Jimmy Connor B R9

Pocono
4/15/23, Captain Cowboy R2; We Shall Sea R8; I Was Tricked R8

Rosecroft
4/13/23, Boot Leg R5; +Levi At Play R6; +In Record Time R12

Saratoga
4/15/23, Meadowbrook Raider R1; American Rebel R3; Airy Shadow R11
4/17/23, +Pardonnez-moi R2; +Surf Cast Zette R10

Vernon
4/15/23, Myviewisblocked R7; Peggy J R11

Yonkers
4/14/23, +Belladonna Girl A R7; Environs Hanover R10
4/17/23, +Oakwoodnitownit IR R 1