Hopefuls For #Hambo19 Still In Play; Colts At Pocono Face Classic-Sidelined Contestants; Grand Circuit Fillies Flyin’

The letter (e) notes a Hambletonian-eligible horse. On Independence Day, July 4, there are just two #Hambo19 eligible colts racing in each $48,000 Indiana Sires Stakes (INSS) division. Sign In N Here (e), who goes in the first INSS, is the top money-earner in the field but merits attention mostly due to the fact that over the years some relatively unknown eligible trotters drop into the box. Unlike the eligible colt in the second INSS—Lite Years Away (e), who is zero for seven starts entering July—Sign In N Here is a main contender in this battle and could consider a trip to New Jersey for trainer Mark P’pool. So, judge value on your own and take a look at Sign In N Here in the less-than star-spangled crew of the first INSS split. Pennsylvania All-Stars in the form of glamour-boy trotters, go for $30,000 a division on July 6 at Pocono. The first field offers only six guys but only Goes Down Smooth is still aiming for August. The Ron Burke colt has won way more than the other five and raced with far better, mostly eligible, colts. In the short field he will be bet to smithereens and it will be up to you if the final offering is worthy of a wager. If you key him in exotics, though, you could get a decent payoff from Ake Svanstedt’s Night Hall if that one gets the place. The public that ignores Burke’s #Hambo19 possibility will also put some stock in Macmorris Hanover but to go deeper than an exacta and use him seems pointless. The second $30,000 split also has six on the gate. The eligible trio will focus on favoritism with Explosivebreakaway (e). From the rail, Fred Grant’s colt lays over these, including the two other #Hambo19 possibilities—Mass Fortune K (e) and Holiday Hanover (e). A serious challenge could come from Lindy’s Crazy Hall, who fits with the small group. However, he will be played in exotics and make a negative impact on their prices. For an exacta, DR Ackerman’s Holiday Hanover would be the only partner to Explosivebreakaway that could bring any worthy price. The nightcap division offers a field of seven. Practical Cat (e) is dangerous because trainer Per Engblom will be somehow involved in the #Hambo19 heats and this one is being raced lightly. Having two wins in three starts, he is best of the rest of the August hopefuls. Rock My Muscles (e) could help exactas and Chiplosive (e) must be respected to be in the mix for Trond Smedshammer and could be considered an upset possibility here. Final Claim (e) will get support, as Burke horses usually do, but probably too much to be considered for win value. Grand Circuit action at the Meadowlands on July 6 hosts soph-filly trotters in the W.N. Reynolds Stakes, worth $32,000-plus each. These are packed fields with 10 in the first division and 11 in the second. In the first W.N. Reynolds we find 10 of the fillies in the second tier of the division, many that have lost to the sharper bunch in the next division. The public may abandon the Hambo eligible fillies for Sensibility. She has the best bankroll and has been off the board only once in five starts. None of the gals here have won more than a single race, so Sensibility should stand out and could turn into the favorite. Not for us, though. We are going with Per Engblom’s Whispering Oaks (e). Post 9 should not matter to her, especially since there is speed in this group and even without “mistakes” there could be a lot of space left in the stretch to use the best of her speed. The second W.N. Reynolds is jammed with talent. Evident Beauty (e) is currently the cream of the division’s crop and should be supported with fervor even against some of these gals that may yet prove to be better. Certainly Starita (e) and Jazzy Fashion (e) are trotting on the bubble, not to mention Personal Paradise (e) from the always-dangerous Ake Svanstedt society. We like American Kronos (e), who has raced lightly and has been as serious a challenger to Evident Beauty as any of the other sharp fillies. The Julie Miller trotting contingent usually, and rightfully so, presents contenders. Hambletonian Trail TOP TEN July 1 1. Gimpanzee 2. Greenshoe 3. Green Manalushi S 4. Mr. Vicktor 5. Summit In Sight 6. Marseille 7. Osterc 8. Pilot Discretion 9. Forbidden Trade 10. Super Schissel Follow Hambletonian Trail action from this blog on Twitter #Hambo19 and @FrankCotolo in cooperation with the Hambletonian Society.