Meadows Holds Adios Elims; Saratoga Stakes-Heavy Saturday; Freshman Frolic With Full Agenda

 

Post-Meadowlands Pace weekend has a Saturday-heavy race menu for features. However, the action begins, as usual with this blog, on Thursday. Our TwinSpires exclusive harness feature, Freshman Frolic, begins July 19 and is jam-packed with betting suggestions. Again, other youngster events are included in the general coverage.

Glamour-boy pacers look for headlines in a pair of elims for the Adios Pace. Next week’s Meadows feature may well present many familiar names.
 
Our Hambletonian Trail blog will cover more sires-stakes events presenting eligible colts and fillies still within the window of competing in the August classics.
 
It would not be a full-fledged harness blogs without cherry-picking choices from the many races across North America where bettors find win, place, show and exotic pools available for play in the horses-to-watch (H2W) list, which goes through the following Monday. Explore these possibilities for use in any wagers of your choice. Do your own handicapping and then consider our H2W selections.

ADIOS AGENDAS

On July 21’s afternoon program, a pair of $25,000 elim miles contains soph-pacing-colt characters that battling for berths in the Meadows’ trademark Grand Circuit event, The Adios Stakes. Sixteen glamour boys make up the splits.

In the first elim, two from the second tier of three-year-olds in the Ron Burke barn get a shot at bigger purses than usual. One of them, GD Western Joe, has not won this year in eight starts. The other, No Easy Day, is bound to get a bunch of action. From the Meadowlands Pace, American History brings more classy experience. Though he finished last in the big event (he was given to an awful first-half trip) he was highly regarded in the wagering, going off near 5-1. Tony Alagna’s colt should become the public choice among this group.

The top earner, Done Well and Wes Delight, the second highest earner, leaving from the two outer posts, will also get action, adding to the spreading out of play in the win pools.

If these four share favoritism, Wes Delight may be worth it from post 8. He knows how to win, having five scores in nine starts, and he is very able to topple American History if that one fires early, as is expected.

In the second elim, the colt no one but the TwinSpires harness blog trusted would be a major part of the Meadowlands Pace’s three finishers—Dorsoduro Hanover—won’t go off anywhere near is 50-plus-to-1 in this eight-horse field. He will, however, be in a battle for the public’s first choice as Springsteen, the Max Hempt winner, gets the rail. Springsteen was the opportunistic winner of the “Hempt” when Lather Up gave up in the stretch and the race suddenly was a contest missing the top contender. Springsteen nailed Nutcracker Sweet, who bombed in the “Pace” and has yet to win a race this season, at the wire.

With luck, the betting majority will embrace Springsteen, laying off some fair odds for Dorsoduro Hanover, whose Pace was spectacular, coming home second by only bit as Courtly Choice used his reserve speed to close late.

Actually, Dorsoduro Hanover’s Pace was a much better performance than that of the winner and Thinkbig Dreambig’s Pace showing. It was also a sharper mile than Hitman Hill’s Hempt elim win. We hope, however, that Hitman Hill will also pick up some win bets that allow “Dorsoduro” to pick up some ticks.  

SARATOGA STASH

Lucrative New York Sires Stakes for glamour-boy pacers are on tap at Saratoga on July 21. There are splits for various levels of state-breds but we will cover the highest pursed events, each $59,000-plus.

In round one, six sophs go to the gate. Earning-wise, Real Surreal is the best, having 10 starts to have accumulated the bundle. Winning the most races so far this season is Ostro Hanover, who is bound to be the favorite with six wins, a place and five shows in 15 starts.

Some of the sextet were high on the division’s list of expectations but have settled for second-string status. This gives more than a good chance for Jersey Jim. This colt’s two wins in eight starts showed promise that is still to reach its peak and for this kind of money he should give his best and return his best prices for it.

In the second round, also presenting six colts, Rootin Tootin rides again. Coming in from Pocono against tougher on the track as opposed to in the purse, this guy seems to hover over the bunch and may go off a fair price, albeit low. Hopefully the crowd will embrace top money-winner My Delight with stronger support.

The last split, again with six, the dead-on choice of the public should be Trump Nation. However, he is no getaway winner, regardless of his impressive resume. Heavenly Sound will attract money for his second-most earnings and Mach N Cheese will have his fans betting as the third best earner.

We find the value contender Keystone Tenacious. In only five starts he has won two. Don’t be fooled by his best winning time if you are comparing such factors with his foes because he is apt to improve and with that will come faster winning times and, hopefully, good win prices.

JOE JUNIOR DASH

Saratoga’s homeland feature, the Joe Gerrity, Jr. Memorial, goes for $260,000 on July 21 and that purse attracts more than the usual New Yorker Open pacers. There are eight at the track for the big event and regular players should know them all.

Rockin Ron may be the most popular but after a swelling of fast wins early in the season he has not been able to hold court in the winner’s circle. Bit Of A Legend has made some mighty bucks from the best races in which he has performed. Somewhere In LA keeps adding to his bank account with strong finishes and Evenin Of Pleasure has been dangerous for all of the aforementioned.

From Yonkers comes Missile J, who has been soft in top company of late and recently lost at Yonkers against far less than he faces here. However, getting the rail here may make him feel like his old self again. His four-turn mile record is great and obviously he steps up into this fray because his connections know he can come through. The crowd will hail those we mentioned and perhaps even give Mach It So a shot from the 8 hole but the price from the public should be higher than the chances for Missile J to strike back in stakes again. 


FRESHMAN FROLIC

Two-year-old races at the beginning of each season are the most difficult events for handicappers to forecast winners, no less where their bets will have value. Every season’s start for us means extra work on sire productivity, so we can make wise wagers in freshman races. If you handicap the races below, be sure to respect those listed as contenders.

July 19
Saratoga
Natural Disaster R8
Hoosier
Intrepid Ivy R7; Sylvia Trench R9
Philly
Capital T Hill R4
Scioto
Ambitious Lillian R1; Betty Barley R2; Cornerd Beach R4

July 20
Hawthorne
Fox Valley Halsey R1
Scioto
Cumberland Gap R1; Box Cars R2; Well I’m Fancy R3; Wittyville R7; Feel Invincible AS R13
Tioga
Volare TZ R3; Simple Kaos R4; Crazyforlovinyou R5; Mr Vicktor R6



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
7/20/18, Double D Delvx R7
 
Buffalo
7/20/18, Story Book R5
 
Grand River
7/20/18, Helena Jimbag R8; Private Interview R9

Hawthorne
7/20/18, Want Me R6; Last Dragon R7
7/21/18, +Riley The Mooss R3; +Scary Harry R3

Hoosier
7/19/18, Daliocity R8; Rockin Billy R11

Meadowlands
7/20/18, +Apostle Of Pep R5
7/21/18, +Dealt A Winner R4

Meadows
7/21/18, +Warrawee Unique R11

Mohawk
7/20/18, +Shesonehotwriter R5
7/21/18, +Dance With Joe R2

Monticello
7/19/18, Love To Rock R3; Hell On Wheels R12

Northfield
7/21/18, +Who Says That R1

Northville
7/21/18, Danger Strike R5; Gabbys Being Bad R6

Ocean
7/19/18, +Rock King Deo R2

Philly
7/19/18, Rich And Miserable R7
 
Plainridge
7/19/18, +Vodkancaviar R1; +CJ Marshall R7
7/20/18, Buckeye N R4

Pocono
7/22/18, +Decoy R14

Red Mile
7/19/18, Ohmybelle R7; Gee Whiz R8; +Special Blend R10
7/21/18, Grace An Mercy R8

Running Aces
7/21/18, +Peekaboo Tattoo R3; Gravelsinmytravel R6

Saratoga
7/19/18, +Misplaced Rock R3
7/20/18, +Tough Get Going R2

Scarborough
7/19/18, Beer League R2; +Love Without End R3; Shes A Maverick R6
7/21/18, OK Icon R8

Scioto
7/20/18, +Friendalee R5; Caia R11

Tioga
7/19/18, Pleaspleaspleas R6
7/21/18, Party Like A Lindy R12
7/22/18, +Travis R2; Mittnage A Trois R12

Yonkers
7/20/18, Northern Credit R2; Agent Q R6
7/21/18, Abner The Great R4; Run Oneover N R6; Mach Time N R8