Harness Weekly Update: Exactas add to profitable 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.

Sunday, April 23

At Oak Grove’s state-bred contests, we had one winner in four events, Iwon’t Backdown AS ($3.70, $2.10 n/s). Acoustic (60-1) and Disclosure (4-1) finished fifth, and Always Gonna B You got 10th.

Monday, April 24

The Yonkers series finals eluded our contenders. The Borgata choice was one of the race favorites, Dougs Babe A ($2.30). The Matchmaker choice, Lochinvar Art A (20-1), finished fifth.

Thursday, April 27

Our Mohawk Miles triptych of contenders hit the board. There was one winner, Dahlquist Hanover ($3.00, $2.30, $2.30 OK); one place finisher Nimah Franco N ($4.40, $3.10 [Exacta $19.50]); and a show payoff from Warrawee Yang ($2.40).

At Hoosier we once again addressed the TwinSpires-bonus play for the Late Pick 4. We came up with two of the P-4 winners: Madisons Angel ($14.60, $8.60, $4.40) and Always Amazing ($4.20, $2.60, $2.10).

For single-race exotics we offered a cold $7.40 exacta along with Always Amazing by completing the bet with a place finish from Vel What A Star ($3.00, $2.10). Off the board finishers included Sugar And Spite (40-1), Big Time Barbie (38-1), Riggins Time (9-2), and Pink Ruby (4-1).

Saturday, April 29

The Saratoga Power Plays Parlay failed with only the backside winner, the single, Octave ($4.50, $3.10, $2.30). The first leg also delivered Black Edition N ($5.80) third and American Wiggle (3-1) fifth.

The Vernon Power Plays Parlay produced single-race payoffs only. Grand Slam Hero ($2.10) finished third as the favorite in the opener, and Laws Of Motion (9-1) came in fourth. On the backside, Jericho Willie ($4.60, n/s) finished second and Bluesville (n/s) was 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). 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 51 active H2W horses (a 10% win hit rate and a 35% ATB [across-the-board] hit). Horses with asterisks before their names were tweets @FrankCotolo. Follow for late choices.

Winners

Triple Shot, $7.60, $4.80, $2.80, Rosecroft
Warrawee Nonsuch, $7.20, $3.80, $2.90, Saratoga
Golden Brit, $7.00, $3.80, $3.10, Vernon
Huntanover, $5.20, $2.60, $2.10, Pocono
Elises Delight, $4.70, $3.20, $2.40, Mohawk

Seconds

Hope Im An Icon, $6.80, $4.40 (Exacta $25,80), Northfield
Command, $4.20, $3.20 (Exacta $9.40), Meadowlands
Swan Hilluva Time, $3.00, $2.40 (Exacta $4.60), Northville
Dealin Duble, $3.90, $2.60, Western Fair
Changing Colors, $3.80, $2.60 (Exacta $22.80), Cal-Expo
Fiji, $2.50, $2.10 (Exacta $10.60), Buffalo
Leonards Legacy, $2.40, $2.10, Rosecroft

Thirds

Zappa, $5.90, Oak Grove
Mysweetboymax, $5.20, Meadowlands
Enchanted Mission, $3.00, Northville
Captain Romance, $2.80, Pocono
Bay Brute, $2.10, Cumberland
Dees Red Delicous, $2.10, Pocono

NEWS & NOTES

The $1 million Yonkers International Trot moves up from Sept. 23 to Sept. 9. Along with that change comes a post time switch. The Sept. 9 program commences at 12 p.m. (ET), and racing on Sept. 23 is at 7 p.m. The Sept. 9 program includes a six-figure Invitational race for older pacers, one for older trotters, and eight $225,000 New York Sire Stakes championships. There will no racing on Friday, Sept. 8.

The Dexter Cup, first stakes event of the season for soph-colt trotters, did not have elims at Freehold. The seven horses entered on April 26 advance to the Dexter Cup Final ($137k) on May 6. Those seven entrants are Candy Bomber, Designer Drink, Espresso, Khaosan Road, Met Your Request, Sevecheetah and Top Leader S. Designer Drink and Espresso are eligible to the $1 million Hambletonian on Aug. 5 at The Meadowlands.

Extraordinary extras

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