Harness Weekly Update: Big parlay hit tops highlights

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.

Selections for Monday, April 10

BORGATA PACING SERIES LEG 5, $50K

Yonkers

Race 3
All we can imagine for a scenario in this is #3 Jimmy Freight — on a roll for Pelling — and #4 Backstreet Shadow — recently on fire — dueling for the benefit of another in the small field to take some late steps and win as they burn out. That mile gets us #5 Priceless Beach, who can shut them down in the stretch, again at a price (we backed him paying $50 earlier in the seaon).

Race 6
Let’s return to #1 None Bettor A getting the best as the obvious top dogs push the limits of their posts to go all the way. This is the division in which “None” can make the best of the series.

Race 8
Again, #5 Leonidas A gets a field he can take late as the speed fizzles and do so offering better dough than usual. As well, #3 Covered Bridge could be sucked into the win and/or the exotics so watch out.

Monday, April 3

The big story with the Borgata series was the truth behind our warning in division three when Funatthebeach N ($74.00, $27.20, $37.80 OK) won it with None Bettor A ($9.90) third (Priceless Beach [8-1] was off the board).

Otherwise, This Is The Plan ($2.40, $2.10) was second (Exacta $7.30) to the favorite. Oakwoodnitownit IR (10-1) was fifth. Belmont Royale N (10-1) finished fourth in the second division, and Covered Bridge ($9.30) was third in division four.

Thursday, April 6

Our Mohawk Miles (MM) trio had only one hit the board, and that was race-favorite Elises Delight ($2.10, $2.10 OK), beaten by a 6-1 winner. Dealin Duble (29-1) finished ninth after a break distracted his gait. Write The Rules, a crowd choice, was terrible, finishing seventh to a 25-1 upset.

At Philly we suggested a parlay in races 2 and 3, using two horses in each race. We took the first race with Walover ($4.20, $2.80, $2,80 OK) and the second race with Legal Jeopardy ($6.40, $2.40, $2.10). A $20 parlay with those two brought a big return with $20 win on race one ($42.20) and $40 win on race two. In race one, Crazy Cash ($9.00) was third and Sandradimples (74-1) was fourth.

Friday, April 7

Leg 4 of the Matchmaker Series at Yonkers delivered a cold exacta that only paid $6.10 with Drama Act ($2.10, $2.10, $2.10 OK) on top of 9-1 Delitfulcatherin N ($4.00, $2.10). The exacta price would have been far less without our selection finishing second.

In the first division we were third with Mabeline N ($3.10), and in the third division, we finished fifth with Majorca N (28-1).

At Hoosier we aimed for a superfecta and single-race exotics with four contenders. We delivered three of the four finishers: Six Again ($3.00, $2.20, $2.10) first, Business Check ($3.00, $2.20) second, and Ill Tell Yourdaddy (13-1) fourth. Lupa (7-2) finished fifth. The exacta paid $15.60.

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 36 active H2W horses (a 22% win hit rate and a 50% ATB [across-the-board] hit). Horses with asterisks before their names were tweets @FrankCotolo. Follow for late choices.

Winners

Sugar Dance, $29.40, $6.00, $3.40, Northville
Magnificent Mark, $12.80, $8.00, $3.40, Hoosier
Bully Boy Hill, $9.40, $3.00, $2.60, Pocono
Rockin Jimmy Brown, $8.20, $4.00, $2.40, Cal-Expo
Andover Jess, $4.60, $2.60, $2.20, Saratoga
Atlantis, $4.60, $3.20, $2.20, Philly
Sectionline Bigry, $3.60, $2.20, $2.40, Hoosier
I Choose You, $3.00, $2.10, $2.10 OK, Northville

Seconds

Taragon, $5.00, $3.00 (Exacta $15.00), Shenandoah
Filled Donut, $3.20, $2.10, Philly
No Schmo Jo, $3.00, $2.30 (Exacta $14.40), Buffalo
Derby Dog Hanover, $2.20, $2.20 OK, Rosecroft

Thirds

The Letter, $5.80, Northfield
Always A Miki, $4.80, Saratoga
Caribbean Tides, $3.70, Monticello
Surf Cast Zette, $3.50, Saratoga
Goldies Rockin, $3.40, Hoosier
Podium Seelster, $2.80, Freehold

NEWS & NOTES

Plainridge Park begins its 24th season Monday (April 10) at 4 p.m. (ET). The schedule for 2023 starts with a Monday, Tuesday, Thursday rotation from April through September, except for April 11 and July 25. There is a 2 p.m. matinee card on July 23. Racing expands to four days a week for the last two months of the meet when Friday, Oct. 6 is added. The one exception is that the track goes dark on Thanksgiving, Nov. 23. Check the programs for various post times.

Harrington Raceway’s 77th season rolls out on Monday (April 10) with a post time of 4:30 p.m. (ET). Racing is conducted on a Monday through Wednesday schedule. There is a break after July 3 for the Delaware State Fair with the annual Governor’s Day racing program on July 27 (7 p.m. post) before resuming the meet on Aug. 14. On the wagering menu, a Pick 5 is available in race two and a Pick 4 in the last four races. Also new this year to the wagering menu is a 50-cent minimum wager for the superfecta. The Pick 4, Pick 5, and superfecta feature 100% carryovers into the next scheduled impacted pool in lieu of a consolation payout when no one correctly selects all winners.

Extraordinary extras

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