Harness Weekly Update: Cashing Spree

The TwinSpires Harness Blog Weekly Update covers our successes and failures from selected features and the H2W (horses-to-watch list, now including Hoosier spin-offs).

Thursday, Aug. 26

At the Meadows in the afternoon we scored in sires stakes with Dreamonhigh ($14.20, $3.80, $2.20) and completed the cold $18.20 exacta with Baptism ($2.10, $2.10). We were handed the favorite in the other division, winning with Mon Cheval ($2.80, $2.20, $2.10), though Vogue (13-1) finished fifth.

The Grand Circuit began at Mohawk Park that night and favorites took four of the five Champlain editions. We won with one of them, Temporal Hanover ($5.50, $2.70, $2.20), and finished third with a pair—World At War Deo ($2.60) and Mercutio ($9.00)—with Clockwork Orange (18-1) finishing fifth and Gyre Hanover (9-1) breaking to finish seventh.

Friday, Aug. 27

The big-pursed sires stakes for frosh colt pacers at the Meadows was a slam-dunk winner for us with True Blue Lindy ($6.80, $3,80, $2.40).

Saturday, Aug. 28

The Zweig filly winner was delivered here with Darlene Hanover ($4.40, $3.40, $2.70) as co-favorite. Iteration (6-5) finished fourth and Dazzling Reign (56-1) took fifth.

The colt Zweig was a galloping mess. Favorite Dancinginthedark M broke again to finish ninth, while Take All Comers (7-2) broke stride, finished second, and was placed fifth. Ambassador Hanover (5-1) came home eighth.

As we have been saying since he first came to America, depend upon Brett Pelling to place a horse correctly and take advantage when the crowd still offers value. It happened again in the Somebeachsomewhere’s (SbSw) first division with Whichwaytothebeach ($4.10, $2.60, $2.30). Too bad Stonebridge Rex (5-1) didn’t stay close to the top for a cold exacta; he finished fourth.

In the second SbSw, Powertrain (9-1) broke and finished sixth (last) to the big favorite.

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 55 active horses (an 11% win hit rate and a 44% ATB [across-the-board] hit). Horses with asterisks before their names were tweets @FrankCotolo. Follow for late choices.

Winners

My Last Chance, $75.50, $17.20, $11.80, Monticello
Voluptuous Swan, $35.40, $12.40, $7.20, Hoosier
Best Derby Nature, $34.20, $12.60, $11.00, Meadows
RJZ First Lady, $8.00, $4.20, $3.00, Hawthorne
Attention Please, $7.20, $3.60, $2.40, Philly
Redwhite N Goo, $3.80, $3.00, $2.80, Meadows

Seconds

Northoftheborder, $7.50, $3.50, Vernon
Chav Hanover, $5.80, $6.40 OK (Exacta $19.400, Plainridge
Gemologist, $3.80, $2.40, Pocono
Shirley Goodness, $3.60, $2.60, Hoosier
Runhappy Ten, $3.40, $2.20, Pocono
Yo Mister, $2.80, $2.40, Hoosier
Maze, $2.40, n/s, Running Aces

Thirds

Bludhaven, $12.60, Hoosier
Luv Loreli, $6.60, Hoosier
Wild Bill, $5.40, Scioto
Devious Delight, $5.00, Freehold
Iron Wheel, $5.00, Meadows
Stihl N, $3.80, Plainridge
Justa Hintof Spice, $3.20, Hoosier
Rockin The Arena, $3.10, Saratoga
Tabsladyone, $2.80, Hoosier
Rebel Devil, $2.40, Meadows
SD Watch Me Now, n/s, Running Aces

NEWS & NOTES

Freehold has returned from its summer break. Racing at the classic New Jersey half-mile oval started its summer/fall meet on Aug. 27. First races are scheduled for 12:30 p.m. (ET). TwinSpires bettors can find Freehold choices in the H2W weekly. Note that many horses will ship back and forth to and from the Meadowlands when it opens again in September, and the H2W keeps tabs on which horses race where and when.

Harness racing is set to return to Flamboro Downs on Sept. 4 with a first race post time of 6:35 p.m. (ET). The first set of qualifiers will be held on Sept. 4 and will remain to be conducted on Saturdays at 4 p.m. for the remainder of the racing season.

The success of driver Dexter Dunn since becoming an Australasian expatriate harness driver is affording his Grand Circuit (GC) success. Currently, in GC-related events, Dunn leads all drivers with 558 wins (through Aug. 21). He is 38 wins ahead of Yannick Gingras and is followed by Tim Tetrick, David Miller and fellow Down Under original, Andrew McCarthy. Trainer Ron Burke’s stable leads Nancy Takter, Tony Alagna, Ake Svanstedt and Marcus Melander.

Here’s the latest countdown/comparison for the Little Brown Jug contenders. Our top five in the first installment follows fair publicity director Jay Wolf’s top five.
1. Perfect Sting / Lawless Shadow
2. Lawless Shadow / Southwind Gendry
3. Southwind Gendry / Perfect Sting
4. Rockyroad Hanover / Mysweetboymax
5. American Courage / Rockyroad Hanover

We continue with our comparison of the top five contenders for the North America Cup:
1. Bulldog Hanover / Southwind Gendry
2. Perfect Sting / Lawless Shadow
3. Rockyroad Hanover / Perfect Sting
4. Southwind Gendry / Rockyroad Hanover
5. Lawless Shadow / Bulldog Hanover

Extraordinary Extras

Indulge in our columns, Alternative Actions and Bettors Banquet, at Harness Racing Update.