Harness Preview: Picks and Horses to Watch August 25-29

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, August 25

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.
R3 — #5 Cunning Connie (5-1): Beaten favorite at Kawartha can handle these.
R10 — #7 Twin B Habanero (15-1): Troubled race as longshot, returns in search of upset.

Friday, August 26

GRAND ATTRACTIONS

Mohawk

The Grand Circuit (GC) Canadian stops are prolific in fields and stakes. This weekend completes some of the circuit’s events and other North American standard events of the season.

Race 6 — Casual Breeze ($145k)
Soph-filly trotters sans the division’s best, fill only seven spots in this event. We’re backing #5 Pencils Down (10-1), a surprise in her recent race, second at 12-1 at Mohawk, and bound to be a decent price going against #3 Warrawee Xenia.

Saturday, August 27

CANADIAN SEXTET

Mohawk

Race 4 — Eternal Camnation div 1 ($118k)
Ten frosh-filly pacers looking to make headlines for themselves and their sires force bettors to rate them in a pinball cast. Go out on a limb here, keying on #10 Savethelastdance from post 10. Regardless of winning at Grand River last, the gal broke and still won, arguably beating much the same that’s here but this time at a price worth it.

Race 5 — Peaceful Way ($362k)
Frosh fill trotters go in a tight bunch. Neither elim winner was a race favorite, owning to the competitiveness of this crop. Of those two, we lean towards #4 Heart On Fire. Second to #3 Righteous Resolve, likely the favorite here, Tony Alagna’s filly will be on her toes in this with far less better behind her.

Races 6 & 9 — Canadian Pacing Derby elims ($40k)
In the first split, #3 Warrawee Vital is in a good spot to show some strength against tougher pacing horses and may be worth what the public offers after being a beaten favorite in an Open pace.
In the second elim (Race 9) we’ll go against #7 Bulldog Hanover again for price and purpose. If you disagree, pass this one but remember we backed #4 This Is The Plan and #1 Desperate Man to be at the wire before him due to superior trips.

Race 7 — Eternal Camnation div 2 ($117k)
#2 Sylvia Hanover comes from a committed win that she can repeat in the form she has now and that is the best argument we have for a race worth passing if she were not here.

Race 10 — William Wellwood Final ($665k)
Frosh-colt trotters are next to unpredictable at this classy level of their young careers. However, we have watched Julie Miller’s #1 French Wine and remain confident he is developing into tough stuff. His elim was a muscled attack, though late, losing as the favorite. This time he may prove to be the best of the green guys and head straight for the Breeders Crown—at this track.

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

Batavia Downs
8/26/22, Drunkonaplane R7; Slay R8

Freehold
8/26/22, Sweet Soul David R8; Allindotime R8; Sprout R9

Hoosier
8/26/22, Tulhurstsantanna A R4; Fred And Roz R6; +Keene William R9

The Meadows
8/25/22, +Miki The Clown R4

Monticello
8/25/22, +Tinos Pulse R5; A B Collins R9

Mohawk
8/25/22, +Dance Number R1; +Speaktoyourmanager R2
8/27/22, Brue Hanover R3; Huntinthelastdolar R8; Lawless Shadow R12

Northfield Park
8/27/22, Sweet Katie Bug R4; Ellagator R11; In Love Again R15

Philly
8/25/22, +Priceless Shadow R5 (ae); Hall It Off R13

Plainridge Park
8/25/22, +Gone Madigan R2; Big Al M R9
8/26/22, Chocolate Xplosion R8

Pocono
8/27/22, Purple Poet R7; Carlas Mach A R12

Running Aces
8/25/22, Kitty Wampus R6

Saratoga
8/26/22, Create R3; Split Rail R11
8/27/22, Imsporty R5

Scioto Downs
8/26/22, Narcian Jewel R2; All I Could Afford R14

Vernon Downs
8/27/22, San Franny R1

Yonkers
8/25/22, Ideation Hanover R3; Beyond Words N R3
8/26/22, Arabella's Cadet R4; Monty Mono R10