Harness Preview: Picks and Horses to Watch Sept. 14-18

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. 

MOHAWK MILES

Each week we highlight probable long shots from Mohawk Park 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. 

TwinSpires offers a $5 Exacta Money Back Offer at Woodbine/Mohawk Thursday – Saturdays through, Sept. 23. They'll be our first Exacta MBO automated track promo.

Thursday, Sept. 14

Race 1—Fortress Louisburg; Broke, regained stride, finished third as a public choice.
Race 4—Mass Money battled tough traffic, gained some, and deserves another chance.

Thursday, Sept. 14

TROT TODDLERS

Woodbine Mohawk

Races 2, 6, 7—Frosh-filly trotters go in Champlain Stakes ($90k). In the first division, Cool Ma Belle returns after being caught on the lead late in the mile. The Walner gal improves and may hold on tonight. In the second division, Greenshoe gal Emoji Hanover won against green trotters and returns to wallop these. 

The frosh-colt trotters ($180k), 10 in the division affair, have to beat Williowtime and he may be an overlay due to his obscure sire, Looslikeashpndale. 

Friday, Sept. 15 

GRAND CIRCUIT

Hoosier 

Race 5 (Hoosier Cup: $80k)—Eight glamour-boy pacers bred in Indiana are represented by three sires, six by Tellitlikeitis. The single son of Always A Virgin is our outsider choice, aptly named in this case. Barely missing in a recent sires stakes at near 5-1, the Dylan Davis-trained colt could be overlooked by the crowd and race far better than those odds. He’s classy, hitting the board since July, and good to go in all wagers offered.

Race 10 (Jim Doherty Memorial: $400k)—Frosh-filly trotters aim for the Breeders Crown in this lucrative mile. Looking for her first win, Santa Croce brings tough stuff nonetheless to this competitive division. A beaten favorite at Pocono, the Jim Campbell-trained filly will be an overlay bet here and certainly a benefit to any wager. 

Race 12 (Peter Haughton Memorial: $420k)—Frosh-colt trotters will decide next year’s Hambletonian winter favorite here. There’s an overwhelming morning-line choice but we are sticking with the trotter that almost caught him last time, Mars Hill. It’s late in the season now and upsets cannot be dismissed in these classes. Tony Alagna’s colt is better than ever as a major contender.

Saturday, Sept. 16

STAKES ELIMS

Woodbine Mohawk

Races 7,9—Metro Pace elims ($40k) for frosh-colt pacers battle for berths in the big final. In the first division, we’ll take Huntingforchrome, a beaten favorite in the New York Sires Stakes finals. Minus two turns should accommodate a much better trip and put this son of fruitful sire Huntsville into the final and at a lower price than offered here. In the second division, Clever Cody just won the Ohio-bred championship and travels to his trainer Dr. Ian Moore’s homeland with high hopes and perhaps higher odds.

Races 1, 3—She’s A Great Lady elims ($35k) send frosh-filly pacers aloft. We’re still following Rocket Deo for this class and in the second division follow through with Bronx Barista, a Huntsville-sired underlay.

Races 4,8—Elegant Image elims ($35k) presents soph-filly trotters and also continues our backing Blonde Bombshell. She’s improving and will be sharp off of her third in a Jersey Classic last week. In division two, Doc Moore’s Call Me Goo won the Casual Breeze in a breeze and returns to command another field on these grounds.

H2W Legend

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.

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.

Batavia
9/15/23, Create My Heart R7

Freehold
9/14/23, Vel Bitter Chip R7; A Good Chardonnay R8
9/15/23, Back To Hicksville R3; Almost Karen R4

Hawthorne
9/15/23, Found My Rock R8; Admit R8; +Kizzzmelikeumissme R8
9/16/23, Ponda Hawk R1

Hoosier
9/14/23, +Jesse V R1

Meadows
9/14/23, +Warrawee Whisper R1; +Your Fancy Man R2; +Gold Vintage R13

Monticello
9/14/23, +Dunes Beach R1; +Brayden Victories R2; +Magnum Force R5

Northfield
9/16/23, Trick Of The Light R2; Go Clara Go R4; Pristine Beach R5

Northville
9/15/23, +Mr Champinthemakin R3; +Hey Delilah R9

Philly
9/14/23, Jollity R7; Fromakingtoaqueen R10

Plainridge
9/14/23, Seafood Togo R4; Caviart Cherie R9; The Charging Moa N R10

Running Aces
9/15/23, Aerial View R1; Shirley Skip Shady R5; Disaronno Hill R8

Saratoga
9/17/23, +Pat’s Way R8

Scioto
9/14/23, Team Kiwi R3; Scylly Rock R8
9/15/23, Sharp Looker R15

Tioga
9/15/23, +P L Pork Chop R3
9/16/23, No Schmo Joe R5; K J Hunter R8

Vernon
9/15/23, Miss Carly Shay R7; Dream On A Roll R9; 
9/16/23, +Valottalove R9

Yonkers
9/14/23, +Indictable Hanover R1
9/15/23, Seafarer R8; Century Hannibal R8