Harness Weekly Update: $114 superfecta hit

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.

Thursday, Jan. 5

This week’s Mohawk Miles contenders included three bet-backs and one new member. None hit the board. Thundering Jim (9-10) fared best in fourth. Mats MVP (22-1) finished eighth, Chief Corleone (29-1) was seventh, and Amalie Hanover (36-1) broke and was eliminated at the start.

At Monticello our Power Plays went 2-for-2 contributing to exotics. Masterson ($3.80, $2.80, $2.70) won, and Pay Later ($3.40) finished third.

Better yet were three of four contributors we suggested for a superfecta at the Meadows. The winner was the crowd favorite, and the other three were a trio from our four choices: Feast Day ($3.40, $3.40) was second; Cholula ($8.40) third; and Silver Diamond (6-1) fourth. The 20-cent superfecta paid $114.72.

Friday, Jan. 6

Both of our Power Plays choices for the Daily Double at Mohawk hit the board with Night Shadow ($5.20, $3.30, $2.50) winning the second leg at a surprisingly short price while Nightlife Seelster ($2.80) was third in the first leg.

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 23 active H2W horses (a 9% win hit rate and a 35% ATB [across-the-board] hit). Horses with asterisks before their names were tweets @FrankCotolo. Follow for late choices.

Winners

Whatineedisaman, $5.60, $2.80, $2.40, Flamboro
Wake N Bake, $2.80, $2.20, $2.10, Northfield

Seconds

Kevndam Fraudsters, $4.30, $3.40, Mohawk
Dojea Rita, $2.80, $2,20, Northfield
With A Warning, $2.60, $2.20, Meadows

Thirds

Mohawk Seelster, $2.60, Meadows
Backstreet Shadow, $2.40, Dover
Barrywhite Hanover, n/s

NEWS & NOTES

Forbidden Trade, the 2019 Hambletonian champion, retired to stud in Ontario. We were at the Meadowlands reporting on the stakes-filled program when Forbidden Trade surprised the betting continent to pay double digits. Many Canadian journalists and fans visiting for the event played the trotter out of loyalty, or the colt would have gone off higher than he did against top competition.

TwinSpires harness bettors were early benefactors when Downbytheseaside’s crops paid off. Underappreciated by bettors, the son of Captaintreacherous outproduced his sire’s earnings in 2022. His sophs earned $6,844,484 from 90 starters; Captaintreacherous followed with $6,158,085 (65 starters). Downbytheseaside’s sophs earned $94,739 per start, also more than his. Both were surpassed by the ill-fated Somebeachsomewhere’s with an average of $141,267 per start. In total earnings, the crop from Huntsville (another sire on our sires-to-watch reports) finished next with $4,585,859 from 91 starters.

Extraordinary Extras

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