Harness Preview: Picks and Horses to watch April 28-May 2

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

Matchmaker & Borgata Pacing finals: Here's how we did with the finals on April 25 at Yonkers:

Matchmaker
Drama Act ($8.10, $2.80, $2.10); Racine Bell ($2.10, $2.10) Exacta $13.60; Karma Seelster (15-1), seventh.

Borgata
Leonidas A ($3.70, $3.80)

Thursday, April 28

MOHAWK MILES

Each Thursday we highlight some probable long shots from Mohawk Park. If they do not win at first crack we add them to the H2W the following week as bet-backs or in selected features, adding new possibilities to this section.
R5 – Moonlit Affair: A decent qualifier that is good enough to be overlooked by bettors.
R8 – Control The Thong: Made the qualifying time while uninterested in foes; ready to race for real.

FEATURES

Miami, Race 10

Ohio-bred soph-colt pacers go for $50k in the James Hackett Memorial and it looks like trainer Ron Burke controls the field with five of the eight in the field.

His investment in colts puts faith in sire Downbytheseaside; four of the quintet are his sons. However, Springbridge Dragn is a son of Fear The Dragon and he is our choice among the Burke battalion.
The crowd may put more faith in two others from Burke, which is good for a price we will like on the “Fear”-sired Springbridge Dragn. In fact, were we to key him in an exacta, we would use the son of another good sire, McArdle, the 5-hole-leaving Dirge.

Plainridge, Race 6

The sophs are stampeding as stakes season ensues, including this $100k Paul Revere Pace. It attracts two from Nancy Takter’s troupe who are among six beginning their 2022 season.

Most of the sires represented are top-notch daddies, making this tough to handicap using pure racing numbers. Handicappers looking on recent races for ammunition are stuck with the 9 horse, Heinikin Bythebay, he has two for two, but has not faced the potential involved here.
We offer a price with Pickup Man Hanover. He is a son of Huntsville, a sire that has surprised many with his first crop, which are now showing muscle at three.

Friday, April 29

FEATURES

Hoosier, Race 4

A $50k tag brings together a field where none are looking worth $50k except the one with the most promise – Crusher Q. Hector Herrera’s pacer has been out only five times this season and hit the board in each race, winning twice. He is also sporting the best winning time on the Hoosier-sized oval.
He is a good key for exotics since the other six have their issues. Looking for prices, we will go with Voracity in an exacta and add him to a trifecta ticket crisscrossed for second with Surreal Art.

Saturday, April 30

FEATURES

Pocono, Race 10

The Bobby Weiss Final ($50k) for soph-colt pacers features two early-season undefeated standouts  – Lanjo Lee (5 for 5) and All Or Nothing (3 for 3) – and they are what we have to beat to make this a worthy bet.
In the series, Jennifer Bongiorno’s Letmecallyouback (a son of Huntsville) has hit the board all three times racing, winning his most recent. He is our shot and an exotics key with the other Huntsville colt, Keystonefightnight, for the best payoff.

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

Cal Expo
4/29/22, Dancin Lance R5; Capitol Hill R7

Freehold
4/29/22, +Pedigree Blue Chip R6; +Aintnosunshine R6; Hallanet R10

Hoosier
4/28/22, Charlotte Royal N R14
4/29/22, Star Commander N R3; +ER Rocky R6; +Kerrin Joseph A R8

Meadowlands
4/29/22, Jula Pro Hanover R4; Highgate R6; Mushana R9
4/30/22, Scarlett Hanover R6

Meadows
4/28/22, Lady Newton R1; Boogiewoogiebeavis R3; +RD Skippy R6
4/29/22, Dude Perfect R3; Bigly R11

Miami
4/28/22, Party Boy Hill R1; Wegoforthefront R5

Mohawk
4/29/22, Best Keepsake R3; Saylor R4; Flossie N R5

Monticello
4/28/22, Itiswhatitis R1; Sporty Redhot R4; Thunder Some Where R7; +Tidal Shark R8

Northfield
4/30/22, Don’t Mach Mia R3; McSizzla R5; Fear The Pansy R7

Northville
4/30/22, Come On Over R7; Magic Shark R10

Philly
4/28/22, Bang Bang Boinga R6; Tarkio R12
4/29/22, Skrill R10

Plainridge
4/28/22, Wily Wally R2; Sweetlies N Alibis R4; +Hot Wheelz R8

Pocono
4/30/22, Indigo Art R11
5/1/22, Yes Double Down R2; Traffic Jam R5

Saratoga
4/30/22, Gokudo Hanover R5

Vernon
4/29/22, +Major Majormajor R6
4/30/22, +Twin B Speedo R2; Valentine Express R3

Yonkers
4/28/22, +Call Me Thefireman R1
4/29/22, +Hunting AS R5