Matrons At Dover Lead Weekend Stakes Action; Select Features In Ohio Aim At Double-Digit Winners; Pick-5 Fortune Forecasted

Dover Downs is open and that, of course, means the last series of stakes for the season go into motion. The Matron Stakes bring together groups of divisions for lucrative stakes and the freshman crews start the ultimate stakes wheel turning on Thursday, Nov. 9. Then, we offer another round of Partners For Picks (PFP), so a player may include what may be very valuable inclusions to his or her ticket in a selected Pick 3 through Pick 5. We finish off the weekend with some tasty overnight features in which we suggest horses that few to no other public handicappers select.

As the year wanes, there is still plenty of action to consider in our weekly H2W (the horses-to-watch) list. Do your own handicapping and then consider our H2W selections when playing your bets. Of course, remember to be fully armed with a plentiful TwinSpires betting account. Check it out along with all of the North America harness action covered below.

DOVER DELIVERS MATRONS

The one-time warm-weather series that took place in Florida for many years runs now in the chilly autumn atmosphere of Delaware. The Matrons quartet for two-year-olds takes place on the Nov. 9 program at Dover.

Frosh-colt trotters have seven going in their Matron, worth $203,900. If the public is sharp, the big money will flow into the pools led by Samo Different Day. A strongly supported Breeders Crown entry, Jimmy Takter’s Cantab Hall product had some trouble rising to the occasion but holds a distinct class edge here. Compare the price offering with I Know My Rights, who has not been off the board in his dozen starts, seven which were wins. All in all, there appears no upheaval here, unless Takter’s other entry, Wolfgang, improves greatly.

Eight two-year-old filly trotters fight for $173,000 in their Matron. Surfacing in this bunch is a “Crown” elim failure that we backed then and will back now. At 99-1, SMS Princess finished sixth in her elim but was regarded much better than that when dropping into the box by trainer Ave Svanstedt. And why not? She’s a Cantab Hall filly and they can hardly be dismissed, especially when a big class drop such as this offers a chance to prove she isn’t a dog. Her 99-1 loss was not a bad race, by the way, and she almost pumped up an exacta’s price but she did not seem to like the sloppy stretch at Hoosier.

Eight frosh-filly pacers adorn the Matron field worth $174,700 affair. Beyond believe, you will see a rain of dollars pelt Youaremycandygirl to become the prohibitive favorite. She woke up late this season and set upon a scourge of stakes featuring the division’s best and has not disappointed since. But here we will let her rest as our choice and support another Svanstedt filly—Python Blue Chip. This is a Roll With Joe filly and if you followed this blog for a season or two you know how we embrace that sire’s youngsters and not without reward. Python Blue Chip could become a sophomore star if she continues to improve, which we feel she will, and here she may send up that flare with an upset worthy of the long odds she should produce.

Youaremycandygirl should also beware of Aims Whisper, who comes off a win that reflected how she may have paced had she not been scratched in the Breeders Crown.

Another exciting blend of possibilities to ravage the division as sophomores is in the eight across the gate of the $211,300 Matron for frosh-colt pacers. One of them, which we endorsed in the “Crown,” gets our vote again here. Joe Holloway’s Closing Statement should be one of the top three public choices here but not the main one. In fact, favorite status may go to the Indiana-bred Shnitzzledosomethin, which is a good thing for bargain hunters, because Closing Statement’s odds will benefit from it. As well, Karpathian Kid, a hot Crown bet that drops in here, will mean trouble for the Hoosier, too.

FEATURES~FEATURES~FEATURES

Dayton/ Race 2
Friday, Nov. 10

Conditioned trotters usually make up some fine betting races and here we have one that may prove to pay off well. As opposed to the obvious choices (morning-line favorites), the track handicapper has given Power Of Justice a mere 9-percent chance to win and even by class-dropping standards that appears a gross under-statement of the gelding’s probabilities.

At Dayton, the Jeff Mc Nabb seven-year-old has had two miserable finishes, both accurately measured by the public at over 50-1. However, Power Of Justice was in way over his head and broke once. His last effort at tonight’s level found him second at 26-1. It was his second go at the level, which he dropped into from higher conditionals that he confronted at The Red Mile (where he earned some checks). He is, for all due purposes, in his best territory for a win.

Also on his side is the fact that the morning-line choice, Sum It Up, is a classy “Fair” horse that has not proven to be so wicked in pari-mutuel races and no horse in this field has raced with him at least the last 10 times.

This is the second half of the Daily Double, an Exacta, Trifecta, Superfecta and first leg of a Pick 4.

FEATURES~FEATURES~FEATURES

Dayton/ Superfecta/ Race 6
Friday, Nov. 10

If you want to build a 10-cent Superfecta ticket for this conditioned trot, here’s a quartet worth considering. We see a possible upset from Lady Edith, who is improving after stepping up one from a win at a strong 4-1. Last week’s failure at this level was a terrific race where she showed her best speed but moved wide early to take the lead and came up short from the push—at 63-1.

Also figuring to be involved in the Superfecta is outsider Blue Swan. Coming from Northfield and getting the 9 hole, he will still get some action considering super-driver Aaron Merriman can attract bettors and this drive attracted him, perhaps, because the well-bred Swan For All gelding has some back class and is showing up for his fourth race after a claim.

Add to them the obvious Saint Beth from the rail, a beaten favorite after a drop threatening to wire the field, and morning-line choice Banker Volo, who drops far here but comes from Dayton fighting Open trotters, and you may have a serious price to cash. Choose your positions in the top four, of course, but be aware that our positioning (as mentioned in the order above) is probably the biggest price available).

PARTNERS FOR PICKS

Here’s the feature we will be posting through the early 2018 season. The PFP suggests some outside contenders, as we foresee them, to use in a multi-race exotic (consider them for other bets, too). In this case, we present possibilities for a Pick 5 at Northfield on Saturday, Nov. 11. 

Leg 1; Race 3: Happy To Scoot started well at this level last week, after picking up some checks in it twice before that. Last week he was shuffled back and did a slingshot three wide to get up for fourth, a promising move that could translate to a better trip this time, perhaps to the winner’s circle.

Leg 2, Race 4: Shipping over from Dayton comes Rescue Team whose morning line would be a bargain at 12-1. Her most recent race was a step-down, where she was 3-1. Before that she was third at around the same odds. Both trips were negotiated on the outside and we can forgive her for last week’s due to outside traffic. She raced competitively at The Red Mile at that track’s upper level and is in fine fettle for this, though the crowd will lean towards the obvious cheap offerings.

Leg 3, Race 5: Raiders Last Chance goes a second time at this level. Her first shot at it, last week, found her second at 28-1 and she was cooking from the second tier start. She wound up best of the rest and could be a gem for the Pick 5 if she wins this. Also, Esteemed Members should play a role in the top three finishers. She has a strong brush and may use it to her benefit if the speed jumbles in turns two and three.

Leg 4, Race 6: This is also the start of a Pick 3. Annakate may not be a juicy price but considering the morning-line choices, 5-1 is a decent measure since she seems to have a better than 17-percent chance to win, as we see it.

Leg 5, Race 7: What happened when Just Nattie tried to wire the field in her Oct. 17 race—at 3-1—could be the catch that ends this Pick 5 with a boom. Her morning line is 25-1 here and that is too high. In this claiming race, her level for sure, she could get a ground-saving trip that paces down the speed on the final turn. Or, the four-year-old daughter of speedster Always A Virgin is on top and is unchallenged as she controls the fractions.


H2W Legend

Review our choices and follow the wagering at the prescribed track. These are possible contenders we have judged from reviewing races. The horses’ names are listed beneath the name of the track after the date they will be racing. The race in which they are entered (R and race number) follows. If a + is in front of a horse’s name it means it is appearing on the list for the second (and last) time because it failed to win the first time it appeared. An “ae” signals the horse is entered on the also-eligible list. If a horse is listed twice, refer to the entries on the night of the race since a horse may enter in more than one race. Types of wagering on any of the H2W listed horses are based on your judgment. If you have any questions, email us at TwinSpires.

H2W LIST

Bangor
11/10/17, Hooray For Nicky R1; +No Worries Mon R4

Batavia
11/11/17, +Christina Victory R2; Ontheclock Hanover R11

Cal-Expo
11/10/17, Ragins Flight R2; Skyway Jade R3; Fly Away R10
11/11/17, Tame The Dice R1; Be My Lucky Lady R3; One Chief R6; Tornado Henry R8; Lil Orphan Elmer R8; Nutmegs Desire R11;

Charlottetown
11/11/17, +Royal Native R6; Prettyndangerous R9

Dayton
11/11/17, +Dallenbach Hanover R13

Freehold
11/10/17, Tzar R2; Donatos Artist R6

Meadowlands
11/11/17. Lothario R1; +Prince Of Minto R5; Ocean Colony R7

Meadows
11/11/17, Dafinaty R8
11/13/17, Medusa R5

Northfield
11/12/17, +Diva Dejarmbro ae R8, +Bourbons Best R11
 
Northville
11/10/17, Fly’n Ellie R5

Philadelphia
11/9/17, Gural Hanover R10

Plainridge
11/9/17, Dream On Darlin R5
11/10/17, Wishful Desire R2; +Astrolgal R4; +Beachfront R5; Forced Passage R6; +Champaign Punch R7; Majestos R8

Pocono
11/11/17. +Mysharona Bluechip R6; Photobombr Hanover R10
11/12/17, +Luciano N R1; Manwithamission R12

Rideau-Carleton
11/9/17, +Heather Loves NY R3; Big Bad Mach R4; Shady Jack R5

Saratoga
11/9/17, Schwarzkopf R1; +Anja R3; Royal Heiress R4

Yonkers
11/11/17, Bungalow Bill N R6