Overnight Omnipotence

As we approach the end of another year and the equine age upgrades that define next season’s division, we are still swarmed with standardbred action across the board. Deep December offers your TwinSpires account many great opportunities across the continent. You may not be as familiar with the participants as you have while following the division stakes most of the year but you will not be sorry that you took these overnight races as seriously as you have all the other races.

In this gap between the high, mighty super-breds comes your primary source for overnight harness action here at the TwinSpires harness blog. We have our eyes on many tracks and many horses and along with the continuation of our horses-to-watch list (H2W) during this time we will suggest more profit possibilities than you can find for harness racing anywhere on the Internet. So be sure your TwinSpires account is armed to the hilt.

Each Thursday blog will offer our own choices of feature races at various raceways. We will analyze them as deeply as we look into the six-digit affairs that highlight each season. We hope to continue to have the success seeking, finding and sensationalizing upon valuable contenders that we have displayed through the years at TwinSpires. Don’t even think about a hiatus—we aim to profit every week,

Our TwinSpires Harness Betting Horse of the Year will soon be announced, along with a detailed report on our highest wins of the season from this blog and other successes that remind you we are your best partner and TwinSpires is your best platform for betting harness racing on the Internet, stable or mobile.

Follow tweets at @FrankCotolo, @Twinspires and @HarnessRaycer all the time for great late-minute action from harness ovals everywhere.  

Feature Race
Dec. 19, The Meadows
Race 7

This is a commonplace conditioner, a “non-winners of” at a lower range but it offers a few possible approaches to horses that probably will be contenders but not be heavily wagered upon.

While the public focuses on a big drop down from Sam’s Princess, who is coming off a qualifier after failing at Hoosier and who was not particularly good as she was stepping down from August races here, we have two prospects destined to offer some strong prices in Quantum Glidingby and Promisemethis.

“Quantum” played around in claimers for two races and now comes back to where she was 5-1 and just missed at this level. She belongs here at this point but will not be supported well. The crowd has other, more obvious options that we don’t trust on face-value class. The crowd also may stray from Promisemethis, due mostly to post 8 because this twice-beaten favorite in this class does not show reason to be a morning-line 6-1. Indeed, overcoming the 8 hole could be easier in this group and along with our first choice could rack up a grand exotic. If you are brave enough to keep Sam’s Princess off the board, use Sara The Spy as the other element for trifectas.

Feature Race
Dec. 19, The Meadows
Race 9

The $18,000 Preferred Handicap puts a premium on post and that could be an edge for someone looking to cash in on a lot of talent for this level, especially if they get the inside posts.

In this field, the morning line for Magic Wheel is 8-1 and if that becomes the offering, it can be a wise investment. The top contender, Anaffairtoremember, defeated “Wheel” in this event last out and so did Whata Donato, the other entry handicapped on the outside and a top choice as well. But Wheel left and became hanged for three calls, losing ground rapidly from there, finishing sixth. The race before that in this company she held well racing outside from the half onward finishing third to the same pair. Here she may clear the top early and make them all work too hard to beat her.

Feature Race
Dec. 20, Charlottetown
Race 3

We love looking deeper into past performances than most handicappers and by deep we mean at least six recent races because trouble, breaking and the betting can deliver a perfect contender that is overlooked by the public. With Jk Hustler in this conditioned even, we read through the lines and see he was a favorite in a local stakes race on Oct. 18 and finished second. Then he loses in the final with a sweeping move too late to beat Southfield Shadow (second choice in that final and lining up two outside of “Jk” here). Two breaks ruin decent attempts after the final (the first at 5-2 and the second, a step up, at 9-2).

Jk qualifies fine and then comes back to race entirely on the outside in a race with some traffic (he is placed fourth after finishing fifth). The morning line is 12-1 and he does not seem to deserve that, which we hope will be the case for a win bet because undeserving odds are rife for winners that pay well.

Expect heavy play on Pleasure Girls solely on class and I Aint No Lady, which will be impressive with the public because of a win at this level two back. 

Feature Race
Dec. 20, Meadowlands
Race 11

Johnny Z has been around awhile and is a professional racehorse, earning his keep year in and year out (he is eight now). He comes across the river with Yonkers closing for the holidays and brings a fine resume to take on this group of five-digit claimers. He has a dual style and in this event he may come from off the pace after some shuffling goes on for the lead. He could lose some value if Gingras drive, since he is such a crowd favorite, but it’s a big field, so who can tell where the big support will land?

Feature Race
Dec. 20, Northlands
Race 4

Here’s a bright little claimer from the Great White Northwest for you late-night eastern punters. Scads of money will go onto Summons here but just to his left is a contender that won’t get anywhere near the kind of attention the obvious choice will get. Hollywood Hotel was best at this level a few back, beaten by the public’s probable second choice, Cabo Real, but since then “Hotel” had seen better horses and did not shame himself. Here he will be a decent fourth choice or so, with good odds and he should have great positioning early to save ground and come on late.

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

Cal Expo
12/20/14; +Hiho Legacy R13
12/21/14, +Persuade Me R4; +Little Nicky B R9; Lust R13

Charlottetown
12/20/14, My Uncle Pete R2; Beckenbauer R14

Dayton
12/19/14, +In The Grippers R3
12/20/14, Cyclops R4; Luke Henry R5
 
Dover
12/18/14, +Tavranga R14

Flamboro
12/18/14, Laura Mae R11
12/19/20, Magic Love Potion R1; Last Lecture R4; Euro Man R11

Maywood
12/19/14, +Freshman Phenonom R13

Meadowlands
12/19/14, +Mistery Woman R6; Clementine Dream R8
12/20/14, +Bettor Believe It R12

Meadows
12/19/14, +ER Gypsy R2; Maurel N Hardy R3; +Martini Twist R10
12/22/14, +MacKemp R2; Just Trouble R5; Artista K R6;

Northfield
12/18/14, +Stormy Ghost R13
12/19/14, +Bonita Rocks R1; +Felicia Hall R1; +Pantsuit Hillary R13

Pompano
12/20/14, Waldy Jimmy R3; Vroom Hanover R8

Scarborough
12/20/14, Western Rival R1; Northern Regent R6; Claremont Hanover ae R6 ae R11+Dragon Power R11 

Sports Creek
12/19/14, +Lucky Yim R4; +Sf Donttellonme R5
12/20/14, +Abs Jesse Hall R1; Bubba Skinner R8; Devil Rei R11; Halfa Century R13

Ray Cotolo contributes to each edition.