Hoosier’s $108 Winner Tops Week’s Wins; 43 Percent Watchers Hit The Board; H-Trail Favorites Hot

Another three-digit winner came through the horses-to-watch list (H2W), making this season the healthiest in our history of blogs to give out as many high-two and three-digit winners before June. This is the rundown for our weekend features: Thursday, May 9 At Hoosier the favorite in a feature series final won, while we finished third with This Peach Rocks ($2.60). Friday, May 10 At Hoosier this night, the favorite won a series final and we raced miserably along with Special Luke (29-1), finishing eighth. Saturday, May 11 In the Grand Circuit sophomore-Reynolds divisions at Yonkers we did best with the filly pacers, winning the first split with As Time Goes By ($13.00, $6.60, $3.00). The expected favorite won the second event, leaving our probable upset, Abigail Dawn (n/s) to finish third. The colts we supported in their Reynolds miles were both disappointing. Our first contender, though he wound up the favorite, raced badly. World On Edge (3-5) finished sixth of six. More distress came for our other colt, who was also made the race favorite. No Mas Amor (3-5) broke at the start and was eliminated. The second leg of the Golden Receiver was more misery for our choices as an expected strong mile from Rough Odds (79-1) was barely a walk around the Meadowlands mile, though he had a fine view of the entire field throughout. The big favorite won easily. At Pocono the PA All Stars, for us, were reduced to a pair of races as our first contender, Caviart Stetson scratched. The second choice won the second event and the favorite won the third while we finished seventh and eighth, respectively with Costello (29-1) and Spectrum (37-1), two disappointing Ron Burke entries. HAMBLETONIAN TRAIL Fillies were on track at Yonkers in New York Sires Stakes (NYSS) on Tuesday, May 7 with three lucrative divisions. Our best attraction was division three, where the huge favorite won and we were second with Pilgrims Lass ($18.00, n/s), contributing to the exacta worth $102.00. In division one we finished second with Sweet Chapter ($3.90, n/s), beaten by a 5-1 shot. In the middle division we were fifth with Helen Goldstein (20-1), beaten by a 4-1 shot. Friday, May 10, a quartet of $42,000-plus Pennsylvania Sires Stakes (PASS) divisions for soph fillies was on the Philly program. We were given the favorite in the first split, winning with Millies Possession ($4.20, $2.60, $2.40). In the second round our pony , Jazzy Fashion (30-1) broke, finishing seventh. The third of four PASS episodes went to the public choice while we were third with Southwind Casha (($3.00). In the last split the big favorite broke and was eliminated, allowing an opportunity for a 49-1 shot to find a clear path and win. We were third to the huge price with Mimi’spearlofindy ($5.60). Saturday, May 11 at the Meadows there were three $50,000-plus soph-colt PASS events. The anomaly of the trio was the first division, where the huge public choice lost to a 26-1 shocker, a situation based on the quick and competitive first three-quarters. We finished seventh with Whirl Winds K (15-1), who played a role in the burnout session. In the second colts division the Dexter Cup winner, Osterc, dominated the field, including our upset hope HL Revadon (14-1), who ended up on the grid fourth. Then, our only board appearance was second to the favorite with Chiplosive ($2.60, $2.20) for a meager exacta worth $7.40, H2W LIST RESULTS The H2W results list across-the-board prices. Also, exactas listed are included when a H2W horse finishes second with a race favorite or the first two finishers making up the exacta are H2W horses (an asterisk appears when both horses were listed to complete a cold exacta). The note “ok” determines that prices published are correct even when a show price exceeds a place price or any or all of the prices are the same. This week, there were 68 active horses (a 13-percent win hit rate and a 43-percent ATB [across-the-board] hit rate). Please note that some H2W results reflect win, place, show and exotic results occurring by press time but some horses race after the blog is posted (we list them the following weeks) It is up to you to follow horses that have not performed before this weekly review. Winners ER Sam, $108.00, $25.20, $20.60, Hoosier I Know My Chip, $6.20, $3.60, $2.80, Hoosier Keystone Apache, $5.20, $2.90, $2.60, Buffalo Justin Credible, $4.90, $2.60, $2.40, Saratoga As Seely Promised, $4.80, $2.80, $2.20, Northfield Fiftydallarbill, $4.20, $2.10, $2.10 ok, Meadowlands Dakota Ole, $3.90, $2.90, $2.30, Saratoga Something Fine, $3.20, $2.40, $2.20, Freehold Will Take Charge, $3.10, $2.30, $2.10, Yonkers Seconds Reidio Star, $11.20, $5.80, Northville Louphoria, $6.80, $4.00, Meadowlands Shared Interest A, $6.40, $2.80 (Exacta $13.00), Philly Chappy Hour, $4.60, $2.80 (Exacta $12.40), Monticello Honor Roll, $4.00, $3.20 (Exacta $19.00), Flamboro Crazycat, $3.80, $2.60, Pocono Juxta Cowgirl, $3.80, $5.00 ok, Pocono Heavenly Sound, $3.60, $2.40, Meadowlands Kings Treasure, $3.20, $2.70 (Exacta $13.80), Buffalo Stratocaster, $3.20, $2.60 (Exacta $9.40), Plainridge Lazzaro, $2.60, $2.20, Meadowlands Thirds Rockin Deo, $6.80, Northville Back To Motown, $4.70, Buffalo Sir Pugsley, $4.00, Plainridge Twinkle, $3.80, Yonkers Island Adventure, $3.40, Vernon Eataams Trauma, $2.80, Western Fair Mateo, $2.80, Meadowlands Morning Shadow, $2.60, Meadows Scandaliscious, $2.10dh, Yonkers News & Notes McWicked, Horse of the Year for 2018, made his 2019 racing debut after a sharp late-April qualifying mile at Pompano. McWicked sat third and floated to the front and cutting a :57 half and 1:24.2 three-quarters, pulling away to win in 1:53.1 by more than 10 lengths. Making his first appearance as a four-year-old, trotter Alarm Detector, a Hambletonian finalist last year, raced best late, turning for home to win by 9 lengths in 1:58.2. Scott Zeron drove in 10 Yonkers races on May 9 and won six, giving his backers a slight flat-bet profit of $6.00. It was close turning a profit of 30 percent with Scott’s highest paying winner returning $6.70. Scott, known best for his Hambletonian-champ Atlanta, has made the Empire State half-mile track his headquarters, so driving 10 races a night is not unusual. So, over the long Yonkers race week, Scott would have to have many more nights with six winners or bring home some higher prices to be a good flat-bet-profit investment. Speaking of Atlanta, her return to the racetrack was a feature of the closing program at Miami Valley on May 6. Having switched connections since her championship sophomore season, she has not been handled by Scott Zeron. Now a member of the Ron Burke barn, Atlanta is driven by Yannick Gingras. It was he who drove her to a track record 1:50.4 win in Miami Valley’s $100,000 Distaff Open Stake over four local mares. Swandre The Giant, a highly touted Hambletonian contender this season, recorded his first charted line for Ron Burke on May 9. Swandre The Giant is the sole son of sire Swan For All that is eligible to race in the August trotting classic. In his debut at three he qualified at the Meadows with a win in 1:56.1. Swandre The Giant dominated the Indiana Sires Stakes at two. He was narrowly defeated in his season-ending Super Final. A break in stride in the final of the William Wellwood Memorial at Mohawk was his only off-the-board finish in 2018. Extraordinary Extras Indulge in my monthly columns, Alternative Actions and Bettors Banquet at Harness Racing Update