Harness Weekly Update: $57 winner among 'Sporty' results

TwinSpires Staff

February 13th, 2023

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, Feb. 9

This week’s quartet of Mohawk Miles (MM) contenders and the rest of the program did not race when the evening’s races were canceled due to inclement-weather track conditions.

At Monticello we aimed at a Pick 5, and although we produced only two winners in our suggested additions to creating a ticket, one of them was a huge success. Sporty Redhot ($22.40, $6.30 and $3.20) won leg three, lighting the toteboad for the single-race exotics. He followed our winner in leg one, Rub Ofthe Green N ($2.20, $2.10, $2.10 OK). In leg two we were fifth with Coach Cal (4-1), in leg four we finished second with Thereisapaceforus ($2.80, $2.10), and Fear My Shadow (26-1) finished seventh in the final leg.

At Rosecroft we aimed at two longshots in the pair of opening events, and both lost. Twist Knot (16-1) finished fifth to one of the crowd choices, and Select Friday (20-1) finished seventh to a 14-1 shot.

Friday, Feb. 10

Power Plays at the Meadowlands suggested a quartet of contenders for single- and multi-race exotics. We offered the winner, American Halo ($9.80, $4.80, $2.60), and finished third with Always Beachy ($2.40), while favorite Super Girl broke and finished seventh. Into The Unknown scratched.

Reminder - MONDAY$MONEY for Feb. 13

Dover Downs
+JBN R10

Yonkers
Flow With Joe R5; Smokin By N R6; Italian Lad N R10

Miami

Get Around Town R14

SaratogaReign Of Honor R6; Our White Knight R7; Gavinator R8

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 44 active H2W horses (a 14% win hit rate and a 34% ATB [across-the-board] hit). Horses with asterisks before their names were tweets @FrankCotolo. Follow for late choices.

Winners

Botsaris, $57.50, $21.60, $5.30, Monticello
Baron Chancey, $39.20, $8.40, $5.40, Dover
Backstreet Player, $9.20, $5.20, $2.40, Dover
Filly Speaks, $4.90, $3.50, $2.40, Batavia
Bludhaven, $4.80, $3.00, $2.20, Freehold
Third Edition, $3.30, $2.70, $2.10, Saratoga

Seconds

Ideal Chance, $5.40, n/s, Monticello
Fromashestoashes, $2.40, $2.10, Cal-Expo

Thirds

Baba O’Riley, $5.80, Dover
Mongolian Hero N, $5.40, Yonkers
Priceless Shadow, $5.20, Meadows
Mikalob Ultra, $4.40, Rosecroft
Worthy Opponent, $2.40, Cal-Expo
Priceless Beach, $2.30, Yonkers
American Soul, $2.20, Monticello

NEWS & NOTES

Pocono Downs at Mohegan Sun Pennsylvania welcomes the trotters and pacers back to the northeast oval for its 58th season beginning Saturday, Feb. 18 and Sunday, Feb. 19 at 1 p.m. (ET). Pocono post time is 1 p.m. throughout February and March. The only change for the season comes Sundays in April through August, when first post will be 6 p.m.

The Pennsylvania Sires Stakes (PASS) season begins May 7 with Pennsylvania All-Stars events. The first PASS is on Sunday, May 21. Pocono hosts the $252,000 championships for all four of the two-year-old divisions on Sept. 2. Pocono presents its premier card, the $2 million-plus Sun Stakes. There are also $100,000 Invitationals on both gaits on the Sun Stakes card.

Congratulations to Dave Briggs, top dog at Harness Racing Update. Once again, Dave’s writing has won a major industry award. The veteran journalist won an O’Brian Media Excellence Award for Outstanding Written Work. The piece, titled “There’s still some magic left in the old game,” is another notable piece from Briggs, a winner of multiple John Hervey Awards for excellence in harness racing journalism over the past decade.

Dave Little from the Meadowlands reported some good information for bettors — current percentages of winning favorites at some of the biggest venues in progress (minimum 100 races, through Feb. 5): Harness: Meadowlands, 34; Woodbine Mohawk Park, 42; Northfield, 42; Dover, 46; Yonkers, 46; Monticello, 49; Freehold, 49. Thoroughbred (courtesy of Brisnet): Santa Anita, 29; Laurel, 33, Aqueduct, 34; Gulfstream, 35; Tampa Bay, 38.