Harness Preview: Picks and Horses to Watch Aug. 24-28

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. 24

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 3—One Night In Paris; Good effort to pick up a check forecasts better.
Race 6—Belvedere Bronx; Underrated at 10-1, back to seize dough.
Race 9—Drinksinthesand; Sharp off a win at Grand River.

PA-BREDS ($81K)

Meadows

Race 1—Only five frosh-pacing fillies go, and three are by Sweet Lou and are Ron Burke trainees. Thus, we go with the Betting Line filly, Pit Boss Hanover because she has learned to win and should be overlooked by the crowd wooed by the Burke brigade.

Race 3—Six at the gate, half from Burke. But the undefeated gal here probably gets the majority of bettors. We fire with the Stay Hungry filly Ginger Tree Belle, who is always competitive and in a good spot to get cover and tip the speedsters.

Saturday, Aug. 26

CANADIAN CAPERS

Mohawk

Ten frosh trotting colts storm Woodbine/Mohawk (WoMo) for the William Wellwood Memorial Final ($620K). We’ve followed Mars Hill from his debut and loved his prep to get him here. He is one of Muscle Hill’s finest and could excel here to be a major Breeders' Crown champ.

Bryant Bros S is Ake Svanstedt’s Varenne product. This one is improving with every step, and such well-bred and well-trained properties are always dangerous to ignore.

There’s no telling if any others will wake up and outperform their early efforts, so we will go with those two in any order as strong contenders for available wagers.

The Peaceful Way Final, a frosh-filly trot contest, is a good race to look for recent form and breeding gold. Those qualities are distinct in the only Cantab Hall product the field offers — Draw The Line. Her elim performance at 19-1 was a "wow" event. She finished third with an overland route ride that included getting the lead from a duel and holding on for third with all the strength of a sophomore. She may be worth any odds the public delivers.

Eternal Camnation offers two divisions ($114K) for frosh-filly pacers. In division one, there is Coco Jo Jo. She raced evenly but was bet more than that trip delivered for 7-2. This is a good spot to weave a better mile for a well-bred gal like this.

In division two, look for speed in Elodie Hanover; enough of it to take this field gate to wire.

The trio of Nassagaweya divisions ($93K) for soph-colt pacers are full fields and good affairs for wagering. The first one could deliver with the sole Huntsville colt, Legendary Hanover. He comes off a pace-away victory that screams of repeat.

In division two offers Cowboy Cargo, a first-crop colt from Jimmy Freight, whose easy place finish last week proved trainer Tony Alagna has placed the youngster in fair company.

In the nightcap, Miki Ray is a strong outside contender. Andrew Harris likes this Always B Miki colt well enough to venture the Grand Circuit event after a 29-1 loss at the Meadows. We do, too.

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-pari-mutuel fair. They will get a second time on the list when returning to a betting race.

Hoosier
8/25/23, Fifty Flat R1; +Im Sir Blake A R10

Meadows
8/24/23, +Timeless Sport R7; +Tardis R9; Tidquist R10

Monticello
8/24/23, +China Dream R4; +Lizziana R6; Some Power R7

Northfield
8/26/23, Cyclone Sister R2; Honey Buzz R6

Northville
8/25/23, Mr Champinthemakin R1; +Starlit Thiswanday R5; Stoneborough R7; Bearcreekhoney R10
8/26/23, +Scarlet Cat R3

Philly
8/24/23, Brother Dick R1; Musical Box R3; Bettor B Sawyer R5
8/25/23, +Wallandar R13

Plainridge
8/24/23, +Instant Replay R6

Running Aces
8/24/23, +Intheskyrocket A R9; City By The Bay R9

Saratoga
8/25/23, +Uphill Lie R13
8/26/23, Miki Burke R1

Scioto
8/24/23, Burrow R4
8/26/23, +Coupe Deville R2

Tioga
8/25/23, +Samosa Hanover R1; +Suge R4

Vernon
8/26/23, Bellatrix Hanover R4; Cloudbreak R6; Anytime N R12

Yonkers
8/25/23, Indictable Hanover R3; +Morning Has Broken R7
8/26/23, Tachyon R2; +Full Rights R4