Harness Racing Picks: A new year brings division graduates

The first week of the 2022 season is off and racing. All breeds of racehorses have graduated to new divisions and the aged will introduce new foes. For a while, overnight events become our features for bettors. They’re filled with opportunities to strengthen your accounts, and the never-ending TwinSpires’ horses-to-watch list (H2W) allows you to enhance exotic combination prices as well as produce fair win, place and show cashing experiences.

MOHAWK MILES

Each week we highlight some 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.

Thursday, Dec. 30

Race 6 – Ravishin Ruby — Burned out racing in second tier.
Race 7 – Zebs Watching — Comes from series and goes for a new trainer.

POWER PLAYS

Thursday, Jan. 6

Freehold - Races 2, 3, 4, 5

A Pick 4 (P4) starts our 2022 multi-race-exotic experiences. Be aware the contenders we suggest are likely valuable wagers for win, place and show.

Race 2

After a month’s rest, a drop in class and a qualifier at Freehold, Woodmere Ultimate should improve against this conditioned field. A big price is guaranteed considering the obvious but volatile foes, which include Frankandjoanne, a Morning Line (ML) choice.

Race 3

Miss Popeye returns from failing on the H2W list and appears underestimated here as she has found a class that found her on the board in the past. Faith is required for any in this field, even Rhythmofthenight, a lightly raced trotter that drops from various classes at Philly.

Race 4

Young trainer/driver Jacob Cutting has been bouncing around the East Coast tracks since leaving the California-Minnesota circuit and brings Pedigree Blue Chip in from his move to Rosecroft and is a beaten favorite among this class in a tight finish.
Stakeout hanged the first half as a favorite and could sit cold here to use all his pace late.

Race 5

Alive in the P4 or not, beware of Jacob Cutting’s Native Ideal here. Yes, it is a drop from Rosecroft class and both of her recent two races are forgiven. Last time she rushed to battle too quickly and hanged at the half, tiring and a similar problem beset her the mile before that. Cutting and his stock need support now at under-rated odds because once he acclimates them to the over-estimated Eastern nags the bettors will become aware and the prices will go down, down, down.
Princess Holly N has some early lick that could set her in a good spot early to finish on the board

FEATURES

Friday, Jan. 7

Mohawk - Race 8

The high-end claiming handicap includes beaten-favorite Mach Impact. Duane Marfisi’s pacer is one of three with the top tag of $30k, getting the 6 post in front of the other two top tagged. On the Boxing Day program Mach Impact went to the front for trainer Carmen Auciello and he looked to make it a wire-to-wire win as the public choice but was caught in the stretch by Goldinthebadlands and Outkast Blue Chip. Those two are back, leaving from posts 5 and 8, respectively, but Mach Impact has no excuse to be short in this field. The change to Marfisi alone could do it.

POWER PLAYS

Saturday, Jan. 8

Meadowlands - Races 6, 7, 8, 9

The Pick 4 stream is one thing and the legs are four others; consider the single exotics in each leg along with win, place and show to profit from this quartet of miles.

Race 6

Bruce Saunders has only two horses in on the program and one of them, Walknafter Midnite, made a giant move on Dec. 18 to win at 21-1. This bunch goes for the same purse but with less talent than he just beat.
From Philly, another season starts here for Mayhem Hanover. She was caught late and finished second and should hit the board as she continues in the hands of Jeff Cullipher.

Race 7

Erv Miller brings Hill Of A Horse from Yonkers into this well-funded conditioned trot after a tough four turns, getting passed by a group rolling better, in his last race. The horse was 9-2, attracting some dough for good reason.
Darlene Hanover must have raced more than a mile in her most recent race considering she was two- and three-wide most of the way. She’s on the rail and could be a late sneaker.

Race 8

The rail may not be some handicappers’ favorite launching spot but that is no reason to dismiss JK Will Power. Nor is his last race at odds of over 100-1 a reason to look away; toss it out. He never had a shot from post 8, leaving slowly, and he made a three-wide attempt to get in the mix. This is the one that would bust open the P4 and, of course, wipes up the win pool.
Also on the inside, Ron Burke’s Put To Right could be driver Yannick Gingras’ choice among five on which he is listed in this one event. Still, off of his last race with Tetrick steering, he was in no mood to participate, just practice for this one?

Race 9

The most recent effort from Typhoon Stride N was a gem. At 15-1 on this track he closed big time to nearly get the win, completing the exacta instead. That was a $75k claimer, so showing up in this conditioned event sends a message from trainer Nifty Norman: not for sale.
The Bird Dance N features the trainer/driver team of Nik Drennan and George Brennan. This guy can fly and will again at his hometown Yonkers later this month where the horseman team campaigns him; this mile can tighten him up for the four turns with a sharp speed-filled performance.

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

Cal Expo
1/7/22, +Shes A Showstopper R1; +Marced Magic R5; +California Rock R7
1/9/22, Villa For Rent R5; Dislocator R9

Dover
1/10/22, +Gaazilla R6; +Wise Image R9

Freehold
1/6/22, Some Lucky Magic R7
1/7/22, +Lime Twist R9

Hawthorne
1/7/22, Primo Giovanni R2; Fox Valley Gemini R4; Prescotts Hope R7

Meadowlands
1/7/22, Nimah Franco N R5; +Greenhill Hanover R6; Rable R9; +Alkippe R12
1/8/22, +Way To Close R4; +Parklane Jet R15

Meadows
1/6/22, Cirrus De Vie R5; +Snap Call R7; Idrinkbecauseofyou R10
1/7/22, Vector R2; Remember The Beach R10

Miami
1/6/22, Rockin Airway R5; Macadoodledo R6; All About Lynx R12

Mohawk
1/6/22, +Rose Above It R3

Monticello
1/6/22, +Pay Later R3; +Marianangel R8

Northfield
1/8/22, +Solosos Rock It R1; +Your My Secret R3; More Than Many R12