Harness Weekly Update: Splendid prices from features, H2W list

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, Mar. 3

This week’s Mohawk Miles contenders were beaten by first and second choices. Tymal Tiggs ($4.30, $2.90) finished second and Lyons Princess (8-1) was sixth.

In the Mohawk feature, the Ontario Girls Series, leg 2, Just Daisy ($2.10, $2.40) finished in a dead head for second; Bottomoftheninth (7-1) was fifth.

Friday, Mar. 4

The Ontario Boys Final brought us a big win with Hesincontrol ($25.30, $9.90, $3.90), though exotics were missing since Mustang Beach (11-1) finished seventh.

A 17-1 winner ruined our feature at Hawthorne while we were third with Perseus Seelster ($4.80). Feeling Like A Ten (7-2) finished fifth.

Saturday, Mar. 5

A terrific cold exacta worth $23.40 surfaced at Pocono with our winner, Cyrus Peak ($9.00, $4.00, $3.20), and a second by Father Sarducci ($3.20, $2.80).

Meanwhile, at the Meadowlands, the favorite won our feature while we challenged with big odds. Still, we completed the $54.60 exacta with Ocean Ridge N ($10.80, $720).

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; most prices are for $2 exactas). 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 H2W horses (a 16% win-hit rate and a 41% ATB [across-the-board] hit). Horses with asterisks before their names were tweets @FrankCotolo. Follow for late choices.

Winners

IC Caviar, $19.40, $8.60, $4.80, Miami
Sullivan, $8.60, 3.80, $2.60, Pocono
Rocks Fantasy, $3.70, $3.10, $2.50, Monticello
Always A Joy, $3.40, $3.00, $2.40, Dover
Kyuquot, $3.40, $2.80, $2.40, Meadows
Brooklyn Windup, $2.60, $2.10, $2.10 OK, Cal Expo
Rose Run Whitney, $2.60, $2.10, $2.10 OK, Meadows

Seconds

Striking Genson, $14.00, $7.10, Yonkers
Puddin Pie, $11.40, $6.50, Monticello
Razors Edge, $6.60, $3.60 (Exacta $18.60), Dover
Blank Stare, $6.20, $3.60 (Exacta $18.40), Miami
Keene William, $4.40, $3.60 (Exacta $17.40), Hawthorne
Keep Rockin A, $3.40, $2.60, Meadowlands

Thirds

Fox Valley Hoss, $17.20, Cal Expo
Aint It Fun, $4.80, Pocono
Bombshell Hanover, $4.30, Saratoga
Crockets Cullen N, $3.80, Saratoga
Winning Is Sweet, $2.80, Pocono

NEWS & NOTES

The 2022 season at Harrah’s Hoosier Park Racing & Casino begins on Mar. 25. The 160-day meet runs through Dec. 10 with a nightly post time of 6:30 p.m. (ET). Racing takes place on Friday and Saturday on opening week; Thursday, Friday, and Saturday the second week; and Wednesday through Saturday before adding Tuesdays on June 7. The season at Harrah’s Hoosier presents the $300k Dan Patch Stakes on Aug. 12.

Hoosier’s opening night features the return of the Claiming Challenge (CC), a championship-style series. The Claiming Challenge will offer purses in excess of $200,000 total for horses ranging from $5,000 to $30,000, and will feature an elimination and final for each division. The CC is open to all claiming horses, regardless of where they were foaled or have raced.

Rarely does every horse in a field appear in a finish-line photo but on Feb. 28 in the fifth at Yonkers Raceway the camera captured all eight in a photo for win. Four horses stretched across the track at the wire, with Cyclone Banner winning the conditioned pace by a nose over Nvestment Bluechip with Kerford Road A third by a head, Brackley Beach fourth, a half-length back. A length behind that was a second line of four horses, each separated by only one-quarter length.

Extraordinary Extras

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