Harness Weekly Update: $45 winner tops weekend action

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.

The update for the next leg of the Borgata series at Yonkers is included in the next Preview edition, along with our decisions on the previous leg.

Thursday, April 14

This week’s Mohawk Miles delivered favorite Acapulco Sunburn ($2.90, $2.20, $2.10). The second contender, Maple Leaf Bound ($2.80), finished third to that field’s public choice.

At Philly, Henrico scratched, but the second half of the Daily Double/Parlay knocked down the win pool. Gatsby ($45.80, $17.00, $4.60) raced great. (See what we did there?)

Friday, April 15

The $50k California Sires Stakes final did not produce a winning upset but our top choice, May Day Maggie ($3.00, $2.10), upset the exacta/triple. Though a clear third choice to the winning favorite, she beat the second choice, resulting in a $7.60 exacta and $12.40 triple.

The three Matchmaker divisions resulted in two winners for us. We cashed with Gias Surreal ($5.90, $2.70, $2.10) and had Easy To Please (7-1) finish sixth. We lost with top-choice Scarlett Hanover (7-1) and won with our alternate choice, the favorite, Racine Bell ($2.20, $2.10, $2.10) in the second field. Then, a 4-1 defeated our Drama Act ($2.10, $2.10 OK), second, and Dragon Roll ($3.70), third.

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; most prices are for $2 exactas). 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 31 H2W horses (a 10% win-hit rate and a 48% ATB [across-the-board] hit). Horses with asterisks before their names were tweets @FrankCotolo. Follow for late choices.

Winners

Tuukka, $17.00, $6.20, $4.00, Monticello
Pagmaq, $4.20, $3.00, n/s, Pocono
Mr Dunnigans, $3.60, $2.10, $2.10, Plainridge

Seconds

Serman, $13.60, $11.80, Meadowlands
Payara, $9.00, $3.60, Northville
Manny, $6.40, $3.20 (Exacta $14.20), Hoosier
Call Me Thefireman, $5.40, $3.40 (Exacta $12.00), Freehold
Shadys Starlight, $4.80, $3.20 (Exacta $12.20), Hoosier
Tulhurstsantanna A, $4.20, $4.00 (Exacta $21.40)
Hunting AS, $3.70, $3.00, Yonkers

Thirds

B Cool Fool, $4.50, Saratoga
Bank Breaks, $3.00, Philly
Ill Drink To That, $2.40, Meadowlands
Rockin Rambaran, $2.20, Plainridge
Crazy Cute, $2.10, Pocono

NEWS & NOTES

Vernon Downs began its 69th year of racing on April 16. Again this season, the New York track features the Empire Breeders Classic events for three-year-old filly trotters and three-year-old trotting colts on June 17 with a post of 12:15 p.m. (ET). Vernon also hosts the Zweig Memorial races featuring the three-year-old Open Trot and the three-year-old Fillies Trot on July 9 with a post of 12:15 p.m.

Jujubee, the 2021 award-winning Trotter of the Year, made his seasonal qualifying debut a winning one on April 13 at Spring Garden Ranch in Florida. Driven by Mike Wilder, Jujubee led a quartet of trotters through a half in 1:00.2 and then kicked it up a notch through three-quarters in 1:28 and opened up a three-length lead to win in 1:56.1. A winner of 14 of his 18 soph starts and nearly $1 million, the son of Creatine won a Breeders Crown at three.

Desperate Man, a big winner for TwinSpires harness followers in 2021’s North America Cup, prepares for his four-year-old season. One of his first tests comes in the inaugural Charles Juravinski Memorial Cup (formerly the Confederation Cup) at Flamboro on May 22. “He has been training well," said trainer/co-owner Kathy Cecchin. "He has grown. None of his equipment from last year fits—and he was already a big horse … We've been in 2:05 and hope we're on schedule."

Extraordinary Extras

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