Harness Preview: Picks and Horses to Watch Aug. 17-21

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, Aug. 17

MOHAWK MILES

Each week, we highlight probable longshots from Mohawk Park (WoMo) 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 5—Job Hunter; One more shot, be it a long one.
Race 7—Twin B Ludacris; Ships from Meadowlands for a quick mile.
Race 10—Dice R Out; Uneven speed but not out of it.

HOOSIER KIDS

Hoosier

A whopping $133K is on the line for 10 state-bred filly pacers, and some of the best are here.
The daughter of Freak Feet Pete has raced twice and won once and should be taken seriously among these top earners in the program. Her sire is able to produce better pacers, and once that is established a gal like this one will be odds-on wherever she shows up in the Midwest. It’s an even-matched field, even though the betting will not reflect that and will pour the dough into All JK, while Forever Farah is probably just as able to improve her stats as any here.

Saturday, Aug. 19

SUN STAKES

Pocono

A 2023 all-star program includes big pacing and trotting stakes (see H2W for consolation picks).

Delmonica Hanover ($250K)

Glamour-girl trotters from the division’s top ranks land here. Melander’s big upset filly is here, but we have to ignore her again for Blonde Bombshell and the struggling Bond. These two may make the rest look weary in the stretch. The former a deserving overlay and the latter still a force to be reckoned with in the wiggling division.

James M. Lynch Memorial ($250K)

Soph-filly pacers must do better than their best as Sylvia Hanover prepares to once again show her love for getting over the finish line first. She will be challenged and if any of these is to rub her losing nose in it, that filly could be Sweet Amira. The three turns are perfect for the rowdy daughter of Sweet Lou.

Max Hempt Memorial ($300K)

Glamour-boy pacers take to the five-eighths oval fresh off of being devoured by Confederate in the Cane Pace. Make him a key for exotics or take a leap of faith and back a longshot. Or pass. Confederate has made fools of these, so he has to beat himself here if you leap for the upset, consider Stockade Seelster. He is still sharp and will be worth his price in this group.

Earl Beal Jr. Memorial ($300K)

Classy soph-colt trotters, some of Hambo-class, meet the daylight and its three turns. Direct off of a huge overlay win, Kierkegaard is going to be in step to show this group how he would have been a major influence on the Hambletonian. His Yonkers mile was strong and swift, and here he won’t be given the credit for it that he deserves. Good. We can get the buck-benefit from it because we expect a speedy, dominating mile.

H2W LIST

Horses to watch (H2W) are strong contenders evaluated from overnight-race charts (including qualifiers), replays and trainers’ current win percentages. Each horse appears in two consecutive lists if it does not win on its first listing.

H2W horses are suggested for win, place, show (across the board) wagering and to be included in exotic combinations.

Exactas listed in H2W results reflect an H2W horse finishing second to a race favorite or if the first two finishers were on the list, when an asterisk appears for cold exactas. The note “ok” determines prices are correct when a show price exceeds the place price or all three prices are identical.

Some results reflect horses racing after preview blog posts and appear the following week. As well, some horses will not appear a second time when their first time is followed by a race at a non-parimutuel fair. They will get a second time on the list when returning to a betting race.

Batavia
8/18/23, Fear The Pansy 3; SBD Corazon R7

Hoosier
8/17/23, +Fancy Riggin R8; Hilary Barry N R8;
8/18/23, +Julerica R3; Im Sir Blake A R10

Meadows
8/17/23, Your Fancy Man R2; Timeless Sport R3; Feast Day R6

Monticello
8/17/23, +Coach Cal R2; Lizziana R3; Causway R6; A Good Chance A R8

Northville
8/18/23, +Holton R9; Starlit Thiswanday R11

Plainridge
8/17/23, +A List Girl R1; Instant Replay R1; Stay Jelly R4; +Smokin Molly R9

Pocono
8/19/23, Wild Jiggy S R1; Act Fast R3; Keg Stand R4; Heart On Fire R7; Ammo R8; Crown R9

Running Aces
8/17/23, +Anna B R9; Fromashestoashes N R9

Saratoga
8/18/23, Conquest AS R5; Uphill Lie R11
8/19/23, Nicholas Blue Chip R2; Letsgotobrazil A R7; +American Artist K R13

Scioto
8/17/23, +What’s Up Cupcake R4; Flyin Fitz R16
8/18/23, Eveninstarzrapsody R2

Tioga
8/18/23, Samosa Hanover R2
8/19/23, +Beguin Dugoutier F R9

Vernon
8/19/23, +Tempville R4; +Wyoming Cowboy R10

Yonkers
8/18/23, Morning Has Broken R8
8/19/23, Indianas Quest GB R5; Full Rights R7