Harness Weekly Update: Double-digit winners, $51 exacta

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, May 8

Our Mohawk Miles trio included one winner, Djimon ($3.60, $2.80, $2.40); a fifth for Thundering Jim (16-1); and a refund for Deadly Delight due to breaking off the gate.

At Hoosier we once again addressed the TwinSpires bonus play for the Late Pick 4 and won the first two legs with Pure Luck ($10.80, $7.40, $4.00) and Vel What A Start ($3.60, $3.00, $2.60).

In that second leg the exacta partner with our winner was Go Viral ($9.40, $6.20) for a payout of $51.60. In leg three, It's Corona Time ($5.40) finished third, and Maddie's Jet Lady (3-1) was sixth. In the last leg Momentstruth (13-1) finished fourth.

Saturday, May 10

Power Plays/Personal Parlays using three races at Saratoga failed on two of the races. Ali (7-2) led the field for a few turns and tanked, finishing eighth. Anarchy Hanover (8-1) took fourth, losing to the race favorite. Treasure Mach ($3.50) got the third spot in a triple.

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 47 active H2W horses (a 17% win hit rate and a 45% ATB [across-the-board] hit). Horses with asterisks before their names were tweets @FrankCotolo. Follow for late choices.

Winners

Play Me Rock, $18.80, $7.00, $4.40, Hoosier
Im So Groovy, $15.20, $6.30, $4.50, Yonkers
Unusual Clarity, $12.00, $2.30, $2.10, Vernon
Marlas Got Legs, $7.80, $4.20, $3.20, Hoosier
Black Edition N, $5.80, $2.90, $2.70, Saratoga
Buckeye Cash, $5.20, $3.40, $3.00, Meadows
Shotgun Persuasion, $3.60, $2.80, $2.10, Freehold
Shes A Comedian, $2.70, $2.10, $2.10 OK, Charlottetown

Seconds

Jumping The Line, $14.20, $7.00, Scioto
Pax Hanover, $9.40, $4.20 (Exacta $41.20), Meadows
Heaven Hanover, $3.50, $3.40 (Exacta $10.40), Meadowlands
Betternotmachme, $2.40, $2.10 (Exacta $8.30), Charlottetown
Diamondsnpearls, $2.40, $2.10 (Exacta $5.00), Pocono
Capt Daryl Dragon, $2.40, $2.60 OK, Meadows
Kashed Up, $2.40, $2.60 OK, Pocono

Thirds

Hope Im An Icon, $6.60, Northfield
Beach Crazy, $4.00, Meadowlands
Enchanted Mission, $3.20, Northville
Ardent, $2.60, Monticello
Oakwoodnitownit, $2.50, Yonkers
PJs Fancy Danver, $2.20, Tioga

NEWS & NOTES

Vernon Downs may close for good by the end of 2023 because it “cannot continue operating without the increased agent commission – the portion of net win paid to casino operators as compensation for running a gaming facility.” The upstate New York track runs in league and alongside a casino. Legislation is pending to receive “modest tax relief” and save the businesses along with hundreds of jobs,

In Ohio, Scioto Downs took over as Miami Valley’s season ended. New for the season is an Early and Late Pick 5 with a 100% carryover to the next day’s Early or Late Pick 5. The Pick 5 has a takeout of 15%. The Early Pick 5 starts in race 3, while the Late Pick 5 starts in race 8. The 90-day season offers Tuesday through Saturday cards with a first post of 3:15 p.m. (ET) on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and 5:50 p.m. for Thursday-Saturday.

Extraordinary extras

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