Outside Contenders Partner With Favorites For 10 Exactas, Two Trifectas; Scorching World-Record Pacers At Pocono

We were back on Twitter for Buffalo Raceway on June 22 battling the barrage of favorites on the program in races 6, 7, 9 and 10. We only took a show price in Race 7 with Rock That Look ($4.20). Our other attempts at prices left us with Voltina (16-1), seventh; Scarlet Starlet (29-1), fifth; and Makes her Mark (45-1), seventh-placed sixth.

On various Wednesday nights we tweet for TwinSpires Twitter members from @FrankCotolo –retweeted by @twinspires—and the raceway involved. Losers from each week will appear on the next week’s horses-to-watch (H2W) list unless they race before that blog is published, so watch for them returning to the races on days in between blogs. Watch for special tweets from raceways on various Wednesdays.
 
The weekend features were cluttered with public choices, some of which we managed to pad with exotic partners. Most of the profitable action came this week, however, from the horses-to-watch list (H2W), where we presented two large paying elements to assist the public choice in a triactor worth $348.90 at Mohawk (see results below).

At the Meadowlands on Friday, June 24 we completed the AJ Cutler exacta with Flanagan Memory ($4.80, $2.60), second to the favorite for a $22.00 ticket.

At Yonkers that same night we struck out on a pair of sires stakes. In the first division, our choice, Ideal Kiss, scratched, while favorite Missile J (who we tried to beat) was third. There was no show betting. In the second split we were sixth with Beaches De Vie (115-1).

Saturday, June 25’s big program of eliminations at Pocono added clouds of chalk to the wet mountain air as the top-wagered horses destroyed foes. In the first of two  Max Hempt elims, we had all three finishers, Control The Moment ($3.60, $2.20, $2.10), Boston Red Rocks ($3.00, $2.10) and JK Will Power ($3.60). That trifecta paid a mere $11.60. The second “Hempt” elim was won by the favorite and we completed that exacta with Katies Rocker ($3.60, $2.40), which paid $7.00.

The first of two James Lynch elims was a wild swing to beat the public choice but the first two choices finished one-two and we were sixth with Princess Fabulosa (113-1). Then, we were third to the top choice in elim two with Darlinonthebeach ($2.10).

There were three Ben Franklin elims, two producing World Record speed miles. In the first one we completed the exacta with the favorite, Wiggle It Jiggleit with State Treasurer ($4.00, $2.40) and that combo paid a lousy $7.20. Division two of the “Franklin” was a wing-and-a-prayer shot based on a particular scenario that did not surface in any way, shape or form, leaving our choice, Alexas Jackpot (229-1) finishing sixth while Always B Miki won in a World Record mile of 1:47. Then, we supported a choice we felt towered over his foes so boldly that any attempt to beat him would be futile. Such was the case for the winner, Freaky Feet Pete ($2.20, $2.10, $2.10), who produced a World Record mile in 1:47.1.
 
HAMBLETONIAN TRAIL

The only upset on the Pocono elim-stakes program June 25 was in one of the elims for the Earl Beal, Jr. Memorial. The huge choice, Hambletonian-winter-book-choice Southwind Frank ($2.10 $2.10 ok), was beaten by an 11-1 shot, while our choice to upset “Frank,” Lagerfeld (21-1) broke stride mid-race and was eliminated.

In the first “Beale” elim we completed the exacta with the favorite, second with Brooklyn Hill ($3.00, $2.80). That combo paid $8.00.

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 60 active horses (an 12-percent win hit rate and a 37-percent in-the-money 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 week) It is up to you to follow horses that have not performed before this weekly review is posted.

Winners

Real Shiny, $13.40, $3.00, $2.60, Plainridge
Hot Art, $12.60, $7.40, $5.60, Hoosier
Rock Shower, $7.40, $4.10, $3.10, Century
Shadow Place, $7.20, $3.80, $2.70, Mohawk
Western Rocker, $7.20, $4.00, $3.00, Harrington
Angel Speak, $3.60, $2.10, $2.20 ok, Harrington
Easy Again, $3.40, $2.40, $2.40, Meadows

Seconds

Jeffers Party, $13.20, $5.00 (Exacta $37.80), Philadelphia
Delightful Hill, $8.20, $5.50 (Exacta $21.00 **Triactor $348.90), Mohawk
More Red Wine, $5.00, $3.00 (Exacta $27.40), Plainridge
The Rev, $4.60, $2.30, Century
Hopetown Dora, $4.40, $2.80 (Exacta $33.00), Charlottetown
Pilgrims Edsel, $4.20, $5.20 ok (Exacta $14.40), Ocean
Leviathan, $4.00, Ocean
Gangham Style, $3.80, $2.70, Charlottetown
Al Raza N, $3.70, $3.20, Yonkers
Bold And Lazy, $2.90, $2.50 (Exacta $5.60), Buffalo

Thirds

Wildcat Magic, $13.90 (*Triactor $348.90), Mohawk
Divas Dragonfly, $6.50, Century
Astrid The Axe, $6.20, Century
City Sight, $4.20, Scarborough
Lyons Meandragon, $3.40, Meadows

News & Notes

We are never crazy about speed badges but when a horse we backed some time ago suddenly wakes up and sizzles to a track record. This horse is Go Daddy Go, who won a four-year-old Open Handicap on the Yonkers half mile in 1:50.1. He joined three other pacers—Crombie A, Forty Five Red and Limelight Beach—to tie the all-age record as well as his own mark. Go Daddy Go was one of our glamour-boy pacing hopefuls that did not live up to his promise in that division.

The Canadian province of Alberta is entertaining requests for another raceway. The Board of Horse Racing Alberta accepted applications from six companies interested in owning, constructing and operating a horse racing facility in the province’s capital area of Edmonton. Early in August, Horse Racing Alberta will make recommendations to its board of directors concerning which applicants to invite further applying for a track license.

Next week’s Ben Franklin Final at Pocono Downs will include trainer Rick Zeron’s Shambala. The lucrative final for older pacing horses will present a 10-horse field, rare for a stakes final on a five-eighths track. Zeron talked with TwinSpires harness-blog contributor Ray Cotolo about Shambala’s ambitious stakes schedule this season. For that story, click here.

The 70th season of harness racing at Batavia Downs in New York opens on July 25 and concludes on Dec. 10. The 2016 season at America’s oldest night-racing harness track features 70 race dates with includes six matinees and three twilight programs. Racing will be presented on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday nights to begin the season with a post time of 6:15 p.m. Sunday afternoons will replace Monday nights beginning on July 31. Holiday matinees include Labor Day (Sept. 5) and Columbus Day (Oct. 10). All matinee post times are 1:15 p.m. A special Breeders' Cup program on Saturday (Nov. 5) begins at 3:30 p.m.

Extraordinary Extras

Indulge in many standardbred topics at my Hoof Beats blog titled Vast Performances.

Ray Cotolo contributed to this blog

For Thom Pye cartoons, informative harness history and more, click here ~