NA Cup Fulla Favorites; Ramona Hill Rides Again

And now, our weekly report of results from features in the TwinSpires Harness Preview blog, along with those from our horses-to-watch list (H2W), and our News & Notes section, which reports and remarks on the states of our sport.


Thursday, Aug. 20

At Philly, in sires stakes splits, we were second with Lyons Sentinel ($2.10, n/s). Party Girl Hill scratched, making our choice the favorite. In the second episode, the crowd’s big choice won and we were fourth with Ideal Woman (27-1).

Hoosier’s sires stakes for colt trotters found us at the end of the superfectas in both splits. First, we lost to the second choice with Anchors Away (8-5). Then, the favorite won over our choice, Bluebird Deacon (42-1)

Friday, Aug. 21

Hambletonian ilk returned in the “Zweig” for colts and fillies at Vernon. This time, Ramona Hill ($2.40, $2.10, n/s) beat her own division with Hypnotic AM ($3.40 ) second, making for a $5.00 exacta.

We looked for an upset with a fresh member of the divison in the colt Zwieg, but the pair of Hambo place-and-show finishers were best. We will keep an eye on Chaptiana (28-1) as the season ensues.

Saturday, Aug. 22

The North America Cup elims also lived up to the public’s expectations. We could not keep up with the big favorite; we finished fifth with Tatoo Artist (7-1). In the second split we chose the favorite, Allywag Hanover ($2.10, $2.10 ok), who was beaten by the second choice in the betting.

The Fan Hanover elims went exactly as the public requested, with both miles won by the favorites. Our first attempt broke, leaving Nectar (19-1) struggling to come back and finishing fifth. Then, we were second with Lady Lou ($3.10, $2.80), completing the $6.60 exactor.

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). 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 36 active horses (a 5-percent win hit rate and a 22-percent ATB [across-the-board] hit rate).

Winners

Lindythefourteenth, $9.00, $5.60, $3.80, Pocono
Crook Boyzz, $4.80, $4.20, $3.80, Hoosier

Seconds

Canthelpbutwin, $9.00, $6.20 (Exacta $31.60), Hawthorne
Titanium N, $6.60, $2.30, Yonkers
Miss Explosion, $5.60, $2.80, Northville
Stay In Your Place, $3.20, $2.80 (Exacta $17.80), Northfield

Thirds

Bettor Jet, $10.60, Vernon 
Mapua Magic Ten, $4.20, Running Aces

NEWS & NOTES

The Hambletonian key-race rally (HKRR) has begun. Horses from the elims and/or final of the Hambletonian are eligible to win solely on the fact that they were the cream of the glamour-division crop. Ramona Hill, the Hambo winner, won the filly Zweig (as above). Ready For Moni won the colt Zweig. Sister Sledge (the other filly in the Hambo final) came back to win a sires stakes. Amigo Volo was third in a sires stakes.

From the final field of the Hambo, Big Oil and Rome Pays Off were out of the money in the colt Zweig but still in play for bet-back action. As of this post, four colts from the final’s field await a return race, including Third Shift, Hollywood Story, Threefiftytwo and Capricornus. The next time any of these horses race in any event other than a major stakes (sires stakes excluded), they will be considered “dropping in class,” and immediate win bet-backs. That is how the HKRR works.

Last week at Ocean we backed trotter Goorilla, Maryland Sires Stakes entry by the trotting sire Googoo Gaagaa, a world-champion at three. Googoo Gaagaa’s sire is pacer Cam’s Rocket (his mare is a trotter). It is an odd “star-crossing” of gaits. GooGoo Gaagaa did not make it past three races at four due to a major breathing problem. He was retired and sent to stud. He produced a number of graded winners in Sweden and is, in our opinion, the best Maryland Sires Stake stallion producing progeny to wager upon.

We will never advise you passing a win bet on an H2W entry because it has an outside post, especially the 8 post on two- and three-turn tracks. However, you should be aware that our records indicate a very low percentage of H2W entries win from that post. Across the board, outside post positions are better bets to place and show, often paying very well due to the outside post and, of course, contributing greatly to higher prices in exotics.

Extraordinary Extras

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