Harness Preview: Picks and Horses to Watch April 20-24

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.

Thursday, April 20

MOHAWK MILES

Each week we highlight probable long shots 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.

Race 3 — #7 Alcina (5-1): Bet-back on tap; still looms dangerous.
Race 8 — #4 Land Of Royalty (5-1): Beaten Flamboro favorite takes on Mohawk group bravely after tough trip.
Race 10 — #6 Blue Glamber (5-2): Handled 10 hole well, finished third at 8-1.

POWER PLAYS

Hoosier Park, Races 11, 12, 13, 14

Hit the late Pick-4 at Hoosier Park on Thursday and split the $1,000 daily jackpot.
Here are our contenders for the Pick 4. We feel they help exotic payoffs so consider them when building a Pick-4 ticket, as well as for single-race bets.

Race 11
#7 Big Time Barbie (20-1) was making up good ground on the overland route in her last when interference dulled her drive. She fits well here with a smooth trip. #6 Sugar And Spite (8-1) was best of the rest at 31-1, grinding all the way.

Race 12
#8 Liteningonthebeach (4-1) is likely to be overlooked but second time out this season could put Brian Brown’s trainee (by Downbytheseaside) on the path for a sharp year.

Race 13
#2 Peter Dalt (12-1) had speed but was denied the win by a catbird-seat pacer.

Race 14
#10 Always In Flight (12-1) should benefit leaving from the second tier and pay a good price to backers if the trip matters to point. #4 Pink Ruby (9-2) is the problem, though, if a perfect trip prevails.

Sunday, April 23

FEATURES

Oak Grove

Four $50k Kentucky Sires Stakes (KYSS) legs are featured. Here are our outside contenders:

Race 1
#3 Iwon’t Backdown AS starts a season in the young venue and the presence of the obvious favorite, #2 Majestic J, coming from the Meadowlands is overwhelming so we go for the upset with Anette Lorentzon’s entry.

Race 3
Probable outsider #1 Acoustic has no name recognition for connections — a perfect recommendation in this field for chances better than odds.

Race 4
Ten pacers — four from Tony Alagna — shoot for the big cash and we support Joe Holloway’s #5 Always Gonna B You. A qualifier (Meadowlands) win is a prompt for a betting event. Holloway products’ win prices usually surprise.

Race 7
#2 Disclosure, I seem to recall, loomed a sophomore champ. Why not start at four in Kentucky for a bunch of money? Class, the kind that may have matured to deliver a big mile.

Monday, April 24

MATCHMAKER FINAL $328k

Yonkers

Tough but not impossible, the weakest earner can win at a price better than the crowd will measure. #3 Dougs Babe A is as good as any here and in a perfect spot to get a convenient trip with plenty of gas left to beat the name-brand mares whom suck up the most betting bucks. Unless she is jammed, we expect to collect.

BORGATA PACING FINAL $511k

Yonkers

Classy stalwart pacers are hard to separate. The “now” horse is #1 Covered Bridge but he has to win as #6 Funatthebeach N won last year’s final—racing late against speed-balls. #2 This Is The Plan and #4 Leonidas A are the classiest speed-balls but there is so much speed here that the race can be won off the gate—but which pacer controls it? In the money department #7 Lochinvar Art A could be the strongest overlay considering post and driver. That’s where we are putting our money but certainly not a major portion of it.

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 Raceway
4/21/23, Cavalier George R4; And I Quote R6; Lougazi R10; Bjanthony R11

Cal-Expo
4/23/23, +Changing Colors R8

Cumberland Raceway
4/21/23, Riproy R2; Shaw Town R4
4/22/23, Respectable Dream R8; Bay Brute R8

Freehold
4/21/23, Red Dirt Boomer R7

Hoosier Park
4/21/23, Rollinwitdaponyzzz R3; Town Gossip R5; South Point R8

Meadowlands
4/21/23, Early Action R10

The Meadows
4/20/23, Serenity For Life R1; +Overnight Haul R3; Dechambo R11
4/21/23, +Chuck The Cheese R4; +Beach Dreamzzz R11

Miami Valley
4/20/23, Tan Man R6

Monticello Raceway
4/20/23, Sir Shadow R4; Ardent R5; Blatantly Best R6

Northfield Park
4/22/23, BNB R5 (ae); Face The Shadows R6

Northville Downs
4/21/23, +Natural Forces R2; +Bluesberry Brandi R8; +Rockin Deo R9; +Followthewind N R9

Oak Grove
4/23/23, +Zappa R8; Tailgate Buzz R8

Plainridge Park
4/20/23, +Aerosmith Hanover R9

Pocono Downs
4/22/23, Captain Romance R1; Dee's Red Delicious R7; +Captain Cowboy R9; +We Shall Sea R10

Rosecroft Raceway
4/20/23, +Boot Leg R6; Smooth Rocket R7

Saratoga
4/22/23, +Airy Shadow R7; +American Rebel R8; +Meadowbrook Raider R12

Vernon Downs
4/22/23, Golden Brit R6; +Myviewisblocked R13

Yonkers
4/21/23, +Environs Hanover R3