Harness Preview: Picks and Horses to Watch Oct. 6-10

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, October 6

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.
R2 — #8 Mats MVP (7-2): sterling-bred just broke maiden to confirm future promise.
R4 — #8 Merchantman (8-1): improving enough to take seriously at a price.

AUTUMN ALMANAC

Red Mile

Week two at the Red Mile is the autumn finale in Lexington, Kentucky for the Grand Circuit. We’re looking again for upset contenders to win, place and show with strong returns. The weekend ends Sunday, Oct. 9 with the Kentucky Futurities for glamour-colt and-filly trotters. See features for Futurity notes and H2W for other contenders on Oct. 9.

Friday, Oct. 7 - STALLION STAKES

Race 1 - 2yo colt trot, $96k
#7 Kilmister (3-2) has the class and the best record and cash and will be plastered to win. We’ll go easy backing #6 Purple Lord (9-2) to topple the best of them.

Race 4 - 2yo colt trot, $96k
Jim Campbell’s stable is not through with its big year. Here, #1 Once In A Lifetime (9-2) gets a smooth mile at a good price.

Race 6 - 2yo filly pace $126k
#4 Light And Tight (8-1) was third in a three-way joust for the wire at 13-1. Bet her back.

Race 7 - 2yo colt trot $96k
With no gait trouble, #2 Espresso (5-1) will be up for a hot mile in this field.

Race 9 - 2yo filly pace $126k
The Bongioros’ #9 Zanatta (12-1) was super last week at 21-1, taking the place spot against a bit tougher.

Saturday, Oct. 8 - STALLION STAKES

Race 2 - 2yo filly trot $105k
Well-bred #6 Toulouse Lautrec (6-1) meets some tougher and offers a good price.

Race 3 - 2yo colt pace $99k
Forget his Dayton race and watch #7 Surfside Beach (6-1) win to pay upset prices.

Race 5 - 2yo colt pace $99k
Short in Metro but packed with talent to display here is #3 Goldin Greatness (6-1).

Race 6 - 2yo filly trot $105k
Ake Svanstedt likes offspring from Face Time Bourbon and this daughter, #6 Emira Mil It (9-1), is improving to make big bucks soon.

Race 8 - 2yo filly trot $105k
Marcus Melander’s catch of the day is #3 Kayleigh S (9-2), super-bred filly should race back to her Hoosier win form.

Race 9 - 2yo colt pace $99k
A bet-back #1 Ammo (8-1) takes a leap-of-faith to bet but if he paces his bloodline he’ll prove this is his class. Never dismiss Joe Holloway’s confidence in green stock.

Sunday, Oct. 9 - KENTUCKY FUTURITIES

Only colts, 10 of them, emerge from the contentious division to race in the 130th Kentucky Futurity ($430k). We are going with Hambo-winner #9 Cool Papa Bell (12-1), who we passed on in the classic final but played in the elim that got him there. This race is not nearly as strong as the Hambo and since then, Jim Campbell’s colt has been on fire. Another good price awaits backers if “Papa” races back to his Hambo form.

The filly futurity ($276k) could be an Ake Svanstedt exacta, #12 Joviality S (3-1) to #8 Jiggy Jog S (4-1). The former is a magnificent filly who lost the Hambo to Cool Papa Bell by a slim hair and beat the colts with joy and talent leading to the classic. The latter, Jiggy Jog S, was in top form last week against most of this group. It must be a box exacta, though, if you take the race on. A triple is unpredictable and not worth using all others behind the top two.

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

Dayton
10/6/22, +Wildcat Victoria R5; Dr Bravestone R7

Freehold
10/7/22, Worldsstonecold As R4; I'm Amused R5

Hoosier Park
10/6/22, Simply Hill R1; Let's Rhyed R3; Rocknroll Charm R6
10/7/22, Big See R1; Dojea Rita R8

The Meadows
10/6/22, Always A Panther R1; The Funk R2; +Pack Your Bags R4; Monterey Jack R4; Oberto R10; Northern Baccarat R11

Monticello
10/6/22, Brazen Brazilian R1; Dr Snow R7

Mohawk Park
10/6/22, Profundo R1; Compassrose De Vie R9

Northfield Park
10/8/22, +Premier Delainey R2; Dravo R4; Odds On Capitalism R14

Northville Downs
10/7/22, Underthespotlight R2 (Qua)

Philly
10/7/22, +Blow Pop R11

Pocono
10/8/22, IC A Free Spirit R1; Crazycat R4; Chapolier R8

Red Mile
10/7/22, +Ario Hanover R8
10/9/22, +Mad Max Hanover R4; +Sweet Rock Deo R8

Rosecroft
10/6/22, +Hilarious Lou R7; +Overflow R13

Saratoga
10/7/22, Takoda Blue Chip R1; Finnick R3
10/8/22, Optical Illusion N R6; Athens Seelster R9

Yonkers
10/6/22, Ladybeluckytonite R6; +Game Of Shadows R7; Tempus Seelster R7