Harness Weekly Update: 55% in the money

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

Thursday, Dec. 22

This week’s Mohawk Miles listed five contenders. The best of them were second-placers Warrawee Yankee ($2.30, $2.40 OK) and Lilys Lass ($6.30, $4.00). Zippidy Zoom (23-1) finished fourth; Peggy J (4-1) was fifth; and Mat's MVP (4-1) was seventh.

At Rosecroft, Galveston (40-1) finished a respectable fifth. At Yonkers, B Nicking ($3.20) finished third, and Hoolie N Hector (14-1) finished fifth to the second betting favorite.

Friday, Dec. 23

At Philly, Arabellas Cadet (37-1) finished fifth to the race favorite. The Meadows canceled due to a winter storm, so Alilthundadownunda scratched with the rest of them.

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 form a cold exotic combo; most base prices are $2). 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 20 H2W horses (a 5% win-hit rate and a 55% ATB [across-the-board] rate). Horses with asterisks before their names were tweets @FrankCotolo. Follow for late choices.

Winner

Valrhona, $12.40, $6.00, $2.80, Dayton

Seconds

Easteriffic, $10.00, $6.80, Cumberland
Costello, $5.60, $4.40 (Exacta $72.60), Rosecroft
Twin B Jays, $5.40, $7.40 OK, Cumberland
Caviart Eden, $4.00, $2.40, Philly
Goinroundncircles, $3.20, $2.60 (Exacta $15.20), Freehold

Thirds

Redding Hanover, $4.00, Rosecroft
Undrthsouthrnsun, $4.00, Meadowlands
Maurice, $3.60, Rosecroft
Skateboard Chic, $3.20, Freehold
Pine Master, $2.80, Dayton

NEWS & NOTES

Later this week, watch for the TwinSpires annual harness-players review for 2022. A list of 4-1 and up winners from the Horses-to-Watch list and selected features hold us accountable for our weekly handicapping contenders. As well, we make public the TwinSpires Harness Horse of the Year. (Hint—It is not Bulldog Hanover).

Though TwinSpires harness does not present awards to trainers, we applaud trainers with high-percentage performances who have been good to bettors from contenders we posted in 2022. In no specific order our list includes W. Bercury, S. Betts, Heidi Gibb, B. Eggers, A. Short, K. Koch, J. Cutting, G. Longo, D. Sawyer, D. St Louis, V. Beachy, J. Brinson, S. Barrington, H. Poulton, D. Gladu, D. Beatson, R. Berry, and J. Daugherty.

The Meadows 2023 season begins Jan. 4 with some changes to its wagering format. Among the changes are 20-cent superfectas; Pick-4 carryover pools; straight, not jackpot pools, for Pick 5s; a Hi-5 combo-base price of 50 cents; and three Hi-5 wagers each program. See program for details.

Extraordinary Extras

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