Harness Preview: Picks and Horses to Watch Sept. 8-12

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 8

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 — #5 Sovereign (10-1): Ships from a smart 6-1 second at Kawartha.
R4 — #4 Night Shadow (3-1): Bet-back off of an even trip for the mile at 10-1.

Friday, September 9

TROT TROTS

Northville Downs

Michigan Sires Stakes for two-year-old trotters bring lucrative purses to the Great Lakes State for the first time in the season. The fillies at $92k and colts at $113k.

Race 1
Eight fillies open the program. #4 Blue Rose Davine (7-5) has the classiest bloodline here and could topple #3 Johnny May Cruz (8-5) with the right trip. She beat a few in here already and comes to the big dance with a better shot than her odds will measure.

Race 2
The colts offer seven of the state’s best youngsters trotting and here the second best could take the big money and pay backers big. #2 Smash The Rail (5-2) comes from the fair circuit but has earned well at pari-mutuels. His recent fair race was impressive in that he broke at the gate and picked up the gait again to make a brush from a break, finishing fourth—ahead of #3 Chapter Twenty One (9-5), who finished last in the same state-bred fair event and should be the favorite here.

JERSEY SOPHS

Meadowlands

Four New Jersey Classic series finals for three-year-olds are on the program with purses of $275k (level A) and $100k (level B).
Race 2 – With just four colts to the post, #2 Temporal Hanover (3-5) won’t pay much to win but is a good key in exotic schemes starting here.
Race 6 – All eight colts offer an immeasurable handicapping problem. Still, we go with #1 Yanaba (4-1) for price and purpose. He has challenged most of these with surprising miles at great prices.
Race 8 – Ten fillies are in level B’s first division. We endorse #3 Blue Bayou Deo (8-1); she’s fast and has earned well with a good win percentage.
Race 9 – Ten more fillies and accolades much like the first division go to #6 Abruzzo (7-2) if the trip goes her way and she emerges from the pack to win late.

Saturday, September 10

MORE GRAND

Mohawk

Race 2, Milton elim 1 (mares pace) $35k – #6 Gias Surreal sharp from the outside.
Race 4, Simcoe (soph-colt pace) $85k – #4 Fourever Boy continues fine season.
Race 5, Champlain (frosh-filly pace) $167k – #1 Downbythebanks continues sire’s streak.
Race 6, Milton elim 2 (mares pace) $35k – #7 Test Of Faith pays better than usual.
Race 7, Simcoe (soph-filly pace) $163k – #3 Silver Label with a late rush for a price.
Race 8, Champlain (frosh-colt pace) $185k – #7 Tip Top Cat should be fastest of all.
Race 9, Simcoe (soph-colt pace) $85k – #3 Frozen Hanover topples 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

Freehold
9/9/22, Pop I R2; Louis R5

Hoosier
9/9/22, +Fred And Roz R4; +Rockin Speed R14

Meadowlands
9/9/22, Scrappin Gold R5
9/10/22, Beyond Words N R7

The Meadows
9/8/22, Sweet Pink R3; Keystone Vienna R4; Get Some Cash R11

Monticello
9/8/22, Ioncehadavision R2; Astor R4; Rockin Fury R6
9/9/22, Michael's Monster R5 (ae) or R7 (ae)

Northville Downs
9/9/22, +Pebbles De Vie R3; Don’t Dew It R5; Travlin Swan R8

Plainridge Park
9/8/22, +Emmajean Jellybean R4; +Big Al M R5

Pocono
9/12/22, Hurrikane Cheyenne R5

Red Mile
9/11/22, Fast As The Wind R2

Running Aces
9/8/22, +Kitty Wampus R3; +Bobleeswagger R7; Wild Nite Tina R9

Scioto Downs
9/8/22, Power Rankings R8

Tioga Downs
9/10/22, Perkins R4; Lyons Johnny R7

Yonkers
9/8/22, Game Of Shadows R2; Dresden R5