Harness Weekly Update: $56 exacta, 49% in the money

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, June 16

This week’s Mohawk Miles selections both finished fourth. Rockinmydream (18-1) and Roy Rogers (5-1) were also both beaten by 5-1 shots. 

At Vernon we were with everyone in the Empire Breeders Classic (EBC) for soph-filly trotters, backing Joviality S ($2.10, $2.10, $2.10) but didn’t match the exacta with Seven On The Rocks (45-1), finishing sixth.

Friday, June 17

We were third in the colts EBC split with Cool Papa Bell ($4.00). Justice (4-1) was first and the favorite, Branded By Lindy, was second. See below for our first top 10 list of Hambletonian contenders of 2022.

Saturday, June 18

At Mohawk, The North America Cup was a boring affair as the public slammed home its first choice first and second choice second. No upsets this year, certainly not with our outside contenders—Ario Hanover (12-1) and Ron (48-1) did not hit the board.

The Goodtimes went to the favorite, as predicted, Fast As The Wind ($2.90, $2.20, $2.10) while we failed to beat him with a third for Pretender ($2.80).

In the Fan Hanover, surprisingly, the crowd made our prospective outsider, Sea Silk (8-5), a co-favorite but she faded badly to finish seventh while the public’s first choice won.

The Roses Are Red found value with our exacta partner, 14-1 Fire Start Hanover ($6.40, $5.90), who was beaten by the most-likely winner, public choice Test Of Faith. That exacta paid $24.30, a good one for the huge favorite winning.

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 45 H2W horses (20% win-hit rate and a 49% ATB [across-the-board] hit). Horses with asterisks before their names were tweets @FrankCotolo. Follow for late choices.

Winners

Machine Team, $13.20, $6.20, $5.60, Monticello
Lickcreek Speedway, $12.20, $4.20, $2.60, Running Aces
Rogerthat Bluechip, $8.40, $4.40, $3.00, Pocono
Pitt Panda, $7.80, $4.60, $3.00, Northfield
Saylor, $5.60, $4.00, $3.20, Mohawk
Pinot Blanc, $5.40, $3.60. $2.60, Northville
Hall It Off, $5.00, $3.00, $2.40, Meadows
*Western Rosie, $4.80, $3.20, $2.10, Northfield
Cinderella Delight, $2.80, $2.10, $2.10 OK, Northfield

Seconds

*Official Treasure, $12.40, $3.80 (Exacta $56.60), Northfield
Better Moonon Over, $4.90, $3.50, Saratoga
Kiss On The Lips, $4.80, $2.80, Running Aces
Pembroke Regal, $4.80, $3.40 (Exacta $24.20), Plainridge
Dunkin Beach, $4.10, $2.70 (Exacta$15.20), Saratoga
Fifty Flat, $4.00, $2.60 (Exacta $15.80), Hoosier
Slick Artist A, $3.20, $2.70 (Exacta $8.20), Yonkers
Publicity Seeker, $2.70, $2.10, Yonkers

Thirds

Create, $6.40, Philly
Purpose Blue Chip, $4.40, Vernon
Luc Rocks, $3.80, Philly
Secret Or Not, $3.20, Northville
Fashion Winner, $2.80, Philly

NEWS & NOTES

Trainer Ross Croghan has been missing in action due to a post-operative infection suffered during a procedure to repair broken vertebrae in 2020. Ross needed eight additional surgeries due to complications. He was unable to train his 28 horses and has lost all except for one. Croghan, a native of Australia whom we know from racing on the Western Harness Racing circuit in the ‘80s, moved east to become a leading trainer at The Meadowlands in 1999, 2000, 2006, 2007, and 2008.

It’s time for us to begin our rankings for the 2022 Hambletonian winner. The following top 10 list will be updated in each of our Update editions until we cover the August classic.

1. Pretender
2. Fast As The Wind
3. King Of The North
4. Joviality S
5. Periculum
6. Look Like Moni
7. Raised By Lindy
8. Branded By Lindy
9. Rebuff
10. Temporal Hanover

Extraordinary Extras

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