Harness Weekly Update: Ringing in 2022 with across-the-board hits

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. 30

This week’s Mohawk Miles contenders included our support of the upset in the 10th race as Emmy Lou Hayes ($11.40, $5.70, $3.80) won the track’s sub-feature. Our other contender, Rose Above It (7-2), finished fifth to a 3-1 shot.

At the Meadows we finished fifth with Snap Call (6-1), seeing no excuse for not hitting the board.

Two Northfield features were in play. The better of the two was Payara ($9.40, $4.00) for the place and show. A few races later, Blacktree (9-2) burned out early in a duel as he and the rest of the field lost to a 24-1 shot.

Friday, Dec. 31

Power Plays for three of the Pick 5 races at the Meadowlands were not productive with our decisions. Only one hit the board, Way To Close ($3.00, $2.40), in a race won by a 4-1 chance, who also beat our Waves Of Fire A (47-1) in sixth.

In the other two we also missed hitting the board with Venier Hanover (13-1) and Park Line Jet (5-1), who finished fourth and seventh, respectively.

Saturday, Jan. 1

Cal Expo was less than chalky in our two features. We were second with the favorite Pridecrest ($2.10, $2.10 OK) and the contender we wanted to beat him, Mandeville ($2.10), finished third. The third choice at 7-2 won.

A 7-1 took our other feature at the Sacramento mile while our outsiders, California Rock (15-1) and Marced Magic (33-1), finished sixth and eighth, respectively.

Note: Selected features and Power Plays race losers appear in the following week’s H2W or repeat as cast members of another selected feature.

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 31 active H2W horses (a 13% win hit rate and a 48% ATB [across-the-board] hit). Horses with asterisks before their names were tweets @FrankCotolo. Follow for late choices.

Winners

Major Hooligan, $12.00, $5.20, $3.80, Pompano
L Dees Patrick, $7.20, $3.60, $2.70, Mohawk
Carbon Cider, $4.20, $2.60, $2.40, Pompano
Captainfabulous, $2.80, $2.20, $2.40 OK, Meadows

Seconds

Holy Grail N, $16.80, $11.00 (Exacta $63.20), Freehold
Ideal Chip, $6.40, $5.40, Philly
San Domino A, $5.20, $3.60, Meadowlands
Validus Deo, $4.20, $2.60, Meadows
Rockin Rambaran, $3.60, $3.40, Meadowlands

Thirds

You’re My Secret, $8.20, Northfield
Latest Desire, $5.60, Dayton
TJs Indy Pacer, $4.80, Dayton
Wise Image, $3.60, Dover
Run Oneover N, $3.20, Dover
Solosos Rock It, $3.20, Northfield

NEWS & NOTES

The Meadowlands for 2022 begins Jan. 7, with the first of 90 programs on the calendar. The track races 31 consecutive weeks on a Friday-Saturday basis until Hambletonian Saturday, Aug. 6. Post time is 6:20 p.m. (ET) with the exception of Aug. 6 at noon. There are three Thursday evening cards—June 30, July 7 and Aug. 4. After a three-week hiatus, racing returns for eight nights in September— Sept. 2-3, 9-10, and 16-17. There will also be two Thursday night cards, on Sept. 1 and 8.

The Meadowlands is dark until November, when all four weekends have racing. The final nine days of racing take place during December, every Friday and Saturday (except for Dec. 23 and 24) plus one Thursday program, on Dec. 1. That’s 42 weeks of racing, 36 which have two programs, and six that will have three.

The retiring class (14 and up) will frolic in the fields while Jan. 1 changed the complexion of racing divisions as twos turned three and threes turned aged. Jan. 1 is the official birthday of all racehorse breeds in the Northern Hemisphere, so young standardbreds take on mostly familiar foes from their 2021 divisions and those graduating into aged status meet millionaires and other wealthy, older pacers and trotters.

Extraordinary Extras

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