Harness Preview: Picks and Horses to Watch Sept. 22-26

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, September 22

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.
R4 — #2 Sayonara Royalty (15-1): Well-bred youngster from Kawartha could surprise at big odds.
R9 — #7 Ciel Blue (7-2): Rideau Carleton victory was impressive.

A BUCKET AND A JUG

Delaware, Ohio

The biggest Ohio-Jug meet races have dissolved. The Little Brown Jug’s trotting mate, the Old Oaken Bucket ($86k), has not attracted top soph-colt trotters for a decade, at least and the ’22 version complies with a field of four division third-stringers. We’ll toss a deuce on Fiftyfour K for the fun and shame of it.
The Little Brown Jug has not fallen that far in stature mostly because there are two elim heats and either or both could produce a good payoff. The final, history tells us, is a pass for price and purpose.

Little Brown Jug elim-heat one $50k
Only five vie for the final, led by the late-season smash #2 Bythemissal (8-5). We caught him at double digits at the Meadows and since then he’s handled the toughest of the sophs. We’ll now try to beat him, using recently improved #4 Greatest Ending (7-2). Second at 19-1 in a PA-bred final, he should be an overlay even in this short field.

Little Brown Jug elim-heat two $50k
The top sophs passed again this year, leaving probable favorite #3 Fourever Boy (9-5) to make history for veteran trainer Tim Twaddle. We are on Tim’s side but not to win the elim—just the final. Here we bet against him in a field of—wait for it—six (four by sire Sweet Lou). We’ll take #2 Gulf Shores (5-1). The beaten favorite in a Northfield Open gets a chance at a smooth win drafting the pacesetter and will be a fine price.

Friday, September 23

REYNOLDS HERD

Tioga

A $31k-plus+ Reynolds stakes parade bring freshmen to the New York outpost.

Race 5
Six filly pacers may be at the mercy of #4 Light And Tight (2-1), who steps up to battle the class where she belongs.

Race 6
Seven colt trotters apply early skills to deal with #7 Met Your Request (6-1), a son of promising sire Met’s Hall that could pay well against the overbet favorite #1 The Gruffalo.

Race 7
Seven filly trotters aboard for this mile face the strong favorite #7 Instagram Model (2-1). However, we like outsider #2 Tipsy Moni (5-1), handled by veteran trainer/driver DR Ackerman, who bettors unfairly dismiss without a flinch.

Race 10
Six more filly pacers, three by hot-sire Huntsville, lean us towards #3 American Wisdom (2-1), who may simply be faster than them all.

Race 11
Six more colt trotters and the best value here is from the outside with Marcus Melander’s #6 Kaleun (3-1). Four wins in six starts from a celebrity stable may be the public’s second choice but is our first.

Race 12
Seven filly trotters end the Reynolds stream. In only her second start, Ake Svanstedt’s #3 Sparkling Tile S (6-1) represents unproven sire Face Time Bourbon. But Ake likes her, so we do, too.

Saturday, September 24

MOHAWKMANIA

Mohawk Park

Grand Circuit action concludes with notable features.

Race 6 — Shes A Great Lady Final $535k
#4 Charleston won her elim and is ready to roll here for Brett Pelling, while the other elim winner, #5 Sylvia Hanover, will challenge strongly. A good shot against both, #3 Bellisima Hanover, was second to the latter at 19-1 using two kicks and will offer an overlay price among the trio.

Race 7 — Elegantimage Final $350k
Eleven soph filly trotters plod through this mile. Melander’s #5 Peyton Hanover just won a New Jersey Classic like a Road Runner at 12-1 and offers Melander a big purse-earning evening with a mile like that (Meadowlands) here.

Race 8 — Metro Pace Final $900k
#6 Ants Marching made the final from a slow start, racing behind laggard cover and going three-wide to finish fifth at 11-1. The Downbytheseaside colt is better than that and should respond in this mighty money mile with his best, which will beat the rest.

Race 9 — Canadian Trotting Classic Final $615k
This is a tough eleven-colt field, missing the division’s best; a clearing house for who’s left to get into the Breeders Crown. We give a hoot about #8 Duly Resolved for an upset. The Simcoe second at 12-1 on this track means we could be playing a winner worthy of the support.

Race 10 — Mohawk Million $1 million
Ten for the million. All freshmen trotters. We will not argue with anyone about a bet here while supporting #6 Winners Bet. A beaten favorite in a Champlain, the son of Walner negotiated an awful trip from post 10 to get second. In this field he has only to race that distance [sic] from post 6 to register the bulk of the seven-digit prize and pay well for us.

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

Delaware Ohio
9/22/22, +Downrightdelicious R7

Freehold
9/23/22, Sabrina Hill R6

Hoosier Park
9/22/22, +Apple Valley Art R3; The Thunder Rolls R5
9/23/22, +Odds On Pick Six R6

Monticello
9/22/22, B Cool Fool R4; American Vision R6

Mohawk Park
9/22/22, +Cunning Connie R1

Northfield Park
9/24/22, My Three T's R3; Averys Hailstorm R14; +In Love Again R15

Northville Downs
9/23/22, Princess Rockette R4; Susie Kan Due R9; Sports Expert R10
9/24/22, J B's Hero R2; +Royal Assassin R12

Philly
9/23/22, Blow Pop R8

Plainridge Park
9/22/22, Sidd Finch R4; Royally Raised R8

Pocono
9/24/22, Coxcomb R1; Ideal Wheel R3; +Undertaker R4; +Regal Son R12

Rosecroft
9/22/22, Seaside Tsunami R2; Adios Muchachos R7; Island Of The Sea R12

Saratoga
9/24/22, +Umberto R11

Vernon Downs
9/23/22, Somelucksomerock R6

Yonkers
9/22/22, Game Of Shadows R5; The Boss Man R6; Cantkeepmiasecret R7
9/24/22, Ehrmantraut R2; Springbridge Duel R5