Harness Weekly Update: Double-digit winner tops results

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, Dec. 9

Thursday’s Mohawk Miles contenders included place-horse Just My Shadow ($3.40, $2.60) and Compass Rose DC (23-1) finishing sixth to a 39-1 winner.

Three features in a single program at Yonkers were all defeated by favorites. Best of the trio was Edge Of Eternity ($5.10) in third, while Breezing Prayer (71-1) and Major Battle (9-2) finished fifth and sixth, respectively.

Friday, Dec. 10

At the Meadows our contender Sweet Beach (44-1) was coming off a fine second the week before and yet he was unsupported here. He had no chance to prove he was a wild overlay since he broke so badly off the gate that he had to be pulled up and did not finish. His prospective contender, Cal ($2.40), finished third to the favorite and third choice.

A strong favorite took down our Cal-Expo trio, though Changing Colors ($2.20) came in third. Joltin Joe (23-1) finished fifth and Cals Hope (48-1) seventh. The latter had a tough trip; watch for him next week (see H2W list).

Saturday, Dec. 11

We went with two selected features at the Meadowlands and scored big by backing the hottest trainer around the oval these days, Edwin Quevedo. Our top selected contender was a winner, Inforce ($29.40, $13.00, $6.40). The second choice contender, Deedenuto A (7-1), finished fifth.

A favorite beat our other M-lands feature while we finished fifth and seventh, respectively, with Galactic Galleon N (4-1) and Gypsy Leather (15-1).

All selected feature horses that did not win appear in next week’s H2W unless they become bet backs in other selected features that week.

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 41 active horses (a 5% win hit rate and a 27% ATB [across-the-board] hit). Horses with asterisks before their names were tweets @FrankCotolo. Follow for late choices.

Winners

Carolina Beach, $10.80, $4.40, $2.20, Meadows
Delaney R, $3.40, $2.10, $2.10, Northville

Seconds

Bound To Score, $8.80, $3.60, Northville
Locatelli, $6.50, $3.40 (Exacta $31.20), Mohawk
A Special Moment, $4.40, $2.80, Oak Grove
Justa Bandit, $3.50, $2.50, Mohawk
Libbys Idea, $3.40, $2.40, Northville

Thirds

Cool Blues Man, $4.80, Meadowlands
Baba O’Riley, $2.60, Dover
Goo Doo Doll, $2.20, Philly
Rock My Soul, $2.10, Meadows

NEWS & NOTES

Aside from Dec. 30’s Preview blog we will additionally post our 2021 review, featuring our 2021 TwinSpires Harness Players’ Horse of the Year (the horse with the highest win price) along with a list of our winners from features and the horses-to-watch list (H2W) that returned 4-1 or up.

Jim Morrill Jr. and Jennifer Giuliani are the top driver and trainer of the 2021 Batavia Downs meet. Morrill had this title wrapped up at the halfway mark and finished with 365 starts, 116 wins, 71 seconds, and 46 thirds. The 64% in-the-money finishes earned his connections $714,074, making him the top earner as well. Giuliani was in a tight race all year but came out on top with 41 wins, 24 seconds, and 22 thirds out of 146 starts, producing $207,379 in earnings. Her horses hit the board 60% of the time.

The Indiana Horse Racing Commission approved dates for both Indiana racetracks. Harrah’s Hoosier Park is set to open the longest meet in the 28-year racing history of the track. Racing begins for the 160-day racing meet Mar. 25 and extends through Dec. 10, 2022. First post will be 6:30 p.m. with racing on Tuesday through Saturday. Tuesday racing is picked up in June and ends in September. The track will also host holiday racing May 30, July 4, and Labor Day.

Extraordinary Extras

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