Harness Weekly Update: 53% across-the-board strike rate

The TwinSpires Harness Blog Weekly Update covers our successes and failures from selected features and the H2W (horses-to-watch list). H2W horses through the following Monday appear in the next Update’s results.

Reminder - Selections for Monday, April 3

BORGATA PACING SERIES LEG 3, $50k

Yonkers

Race 3
#3 This Is The Plan will be pacing himself and the rest of the field from beginning to end while #1 Oakwoodnitownit IR picks up a colonial check in the New World.

Race 5
#2 Belmont Royale N is in the perfect spot for a perfect trip and should show all of his stuff late to upset the obvious top choice.

Race 7
#3 None Bettor A just missed against the speed-demon winner. But watch out for the two major closers — #2 Priceless Beach and #6 Funatthebeach N — if a duel ensues without them.

Race 9
Speaking of duels, with speed on the outside (#7 Jimmy Freight) challenging speed on the inside (#3 Idealsomemagic A), we’ll bank against the grain with #6 Covered Bridge getting the best of the breathing late in the stretch.

Thursday, March 30

Last week, due to a brief break in racing our Mohawk Miles (MM) feature was not posted. It returns April 6.

At Flamboro, we posted a feature that delivered a tough mile for Flash Tothe Finish (9-1), who finished fifth. The pacer will definitely be a bet-back. Look for it in the MM, the H2W or within our selected features when it returns to racing.

Friday, March 31

Leg 3 of the Matchmaker Series at Yonkers featured three divisions, and each one resulted in a victory for the public. In the popular results on the toteboard were two of our outside contenders. Majorca N ($2.50, $2.20) was second, making the exacta $5.50, and Karma Seelster ($2.70) was third. Delitfulcatherin N (40-1) finished eighth in division one, and Alta Madeira N (79-1) finished sixth in division two.

Saturday, April 1

Our feature at Pocono failed with 27-1 Puzzling, which finished fifth to a winner going off at 10-1.

H2W LIST RESULTS

The H2W results list across-the-board prices. Exactas listed include a H2W horse finishing second to a race-favorite or if the first two finishers are H2W horses (an asterisk appears when both horses are listed—a cold exacta). The note “OK” determines that prices are correct (even when a show price exceeds a place price or all prices are the same).

Please note that some results reflect horses racing after the blog posts (they appear the following week).

This week, there were 40 active H2W horses (a 7% win hit rate and a 53% ATB [across-the-board] hit). Horses with asterisks before their names were tweets @FrankCotolo. Follow for late choices.

Winners

Oozies Beach Gal, $33.00, $14.80, $3.30, Buffalo
Broadway Bruiser, $9.10, $6.40, $3.80, Buffalo
Iwannabewithyou, $3.80, $2.60, $2.40, Dover

Seconds

Father Son, $16.20, $4.60, Meadows
Caviart Max, $3.80, $2.20, Pocono
Lady Newton, $2.60, $2.10, Meadows
Topville Rhonda, $2.60, $2.40, Freehold
Belladonna Girl A, $2.40, $2.10, Yonkers
Levi, $2.40, $2.20, Hoosier

Thirds

Green Magic, $5.80, Meadows
Racer Dan, $5.00, Pocono
No Schmo Joe, $4.10, Buffalo
Podium Seelster, $3.40, Freehold
Ranaldi, $3.40, Meadows
IM Chiara, $3.00, Meadows
Star Commander N, $3.80, Hoosier
Kaitlyn N, $2.80, Meadowlands
Trizzle Trazzle, $2.80, Yonkers
Pardonnez-moi, $2.50, Saratoga
Chuck The Cheese, $2.20, Meadows
Machtu N, $2.10, Monticello

NEWS & NOTES

Yes, Standardbred sires in California are still standing and breeding, as is the California Sires Stakes (CASS). The long-troubled harness racing venue, now down to one track, Cal-Expo in the state capital, stands 18 sires, including sons of champion pacers Captaintreacherous, Somebeachsomewhere, Jennas Beach Boy, Artsplace and Bettors Delight.

Reminder: The Borgata Pacing Series continues its legs on Mondays at Yonkers. Our Harness Previews, which post on Thursdays, cover upcoming divisions and report on our results from the previous legs. The mares’ Matchmaker series are not affected by the harness deadlines and are reported in the following Update, per above.

Woodbine/Mohawk (WoMo) started racing after a brief break, some of it due to weather cancellations. We’ve added Flamboro to the H2W in the short interval and will keep it there when WoMo horses present betting prospects when shipping—and vice versa.

Northville Downs’ 2023 meet opens with purses having a nightly average of $70k. It is expected that owners and trainers will fill the box with enough entries to provide full fields and competitive races throughout the 52-night race meet, the sole harness racing venue in the state of Michigan.

Plainridge Park, Massachusetts’s last harness track standing, will kick off its 2023 season on Monday, April 10. The season continues through November. Post times change as the season ensues so check programs. The early season focuses on racing Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. Plainridge entries return to our H2W, posted on Thursdays.

Extraordinary extras

Indulge in our new monthly column, Among Ourselves, at Harness Racing Update.