Red Mile Grand Circuit Week One Is Flowing With Bluegrass Stakes, Sprinkled With Easy-Pick Choices

 

The Red Mile opened its first week featuring harness racing’s Roarin’ Grand and we were on top of their trademark Bluegrass Stakes on the first three programs.

Here’s how our featured events played out:

Thursday, Sept. 27

The Red Mile’s Grand Circuit meet began, featuring two-year-old Bluegrass Stakes.(BGS). There were four on tap.

Only one favorite won in the quartet. We were third to that winner with Super Schissel ($4.20). A second choice won another split and we finished fourth as the favorite with a surprisingly poor effort from Prospect Hill (3-2).

Two other BGS events were won by longshots. We finished third in one with Wittyville ($3.60) and then fourth with Amico Mio Bi (8-1).

Friday, Sept. 28

Frosh-filly pacers and trotters shook up the program at The Red Mile in lucrative BGS events. Among four trotting events we were second twice, in one with Starita ($3.20, $2.40), which delivered a $6.60 exacta with big favorite The Ice Dutchess, and in the other with Special Honor ($3.00, $2.80) who lost to a 7-1 shot.

In the other trots we finished seventh with Mother Teresa (7-2) and ninth with Sister’s Promise (5-1), both defeated by the public choices.

With the pacers we also only came through with a place finish, although it produced a decently priced exacta. That $21.60 exacta was the result of the favorite winning and our choice, St. Somewhere ($5.20, $3.80), completing the combo.

A favorite beat us in another BGS split where we were fifth with High Reward (6-1) and a second choice from the public won the other mile where we finished seventh with Edge Of Eternity (48-1).

At Dayton the public surprised us in the Dayton Pacing Derby by making Donttellmeagain the favorite, no less that he won, beating our choice, McWicked ($2.80), who finished third.

The Dayton Trotting Derby was also a surprise when the public let Ariana G go off at 9-2. We thought she would be the favorite, so we went instead with the horse that finished second, Warrawee Roo ($23.00, $13.00). In real time, we may have struck hard with a delicious exacta featuring those two.

Saturday, Sept. 29

Two-year-old colt pacers were showcased in five BGS splits.

We won the first with Lyons Night Hawk ($8.00, $4.40, $3.00). In the second were were second with Captain Victorious ($12.80, $9.00). The favorite won the third split while we finished seventh with Actor Hanoer (23-1). Our choice in the next BGS, Major Deception, scratched. We were second in the nightcap with Love Me Some Lou ($3.20, $2.80).

There was a single soph-filly pace that closed the program. We tried to beat Kissin In The Sand but she was too good for them all and we lost badly, finishing seventh with Sansovina Hanover (64-1).


BREEDERS CROWN COUNTDOWN

On Thursday, Sept. 27, the “Countdown” attacked the Simpson Stakes for freshman-filly trotters and pacers at Philly.

There were three trotter stakes. In two of them, our fillies skipped and galloped. Shes A Bronxbomer (7-1) finished sixth behind the public’s third choice. Sky Is Mine broke and finished fifth to our second choice, the crowd’s first, American Kronos ($2.20, $2.40, $2.10 ok). Then, in the third split we finished in the show position with Cardinale ($11.80) as the race’s second choice won.

In the paces, we won the first with Renaissance Lady K ($7.80, $3.00, $2.80) and finished third to the race favorite in the second split with A Beach Cowgirl ($4.00).


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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 24 active horses (a 19-percent win hit rate and a 49-percent ATB [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

Winners

Outloud, $9.60, $5.60, $5.20, Hoosier
Betterlatethannever, $6.80, $4.00, $2.60, Plainridge
Carmens Best, $3.80, $2.40, $2.10, Pocono

Seconds

Gimme The Pacifics, $64.50, $8.10, Batavia
Meant Tobe Shooter, $4.20, $2.80 (Exacta $9.00), Pocono
Barry Hanover, $4.00, $3.50, Batavia
Love’s Angel, $3.40, $2.90, Saratoga
In Secret, $2.40, $2.10 (Exacta $16.00), Yonkers

Thirds

Cool Cates, $2.80, Philly
Aldine Hanover. $2.40, Meadows
Feel The Need A, $2.40, Yonkers
Cherokee Hiflyzone, $2.20, Plainridge


News & Notes

Yonkers Raceway announced the foreign participants for the 40^th International Trot. The million-dollar 1 ¼ -mile race on the four-turn half-mile New York oval is the fourth since the race returned after a two-decade hiatus. The 2018 edition goes Saturday afternoon, Oct. 13. The world-class trotters involved are Arazi Boko (Italy); Cruzado Dela Noche (Sweden); Dreammoko (Netherlands); Lionel (Norway); Marion Marauder (Canada); Pastore Bob (Sweden); Ringostarr Treb (Italy); Slide So Easy (Denmark); and Up And Quick (France). Ownership and/or sire determine each horse’s country of representation.

It’s time for another two driver-win-streak tests. The first one is for Guy Gagnon at Rideau-Carleton on Sept. 27. Guy raced in all 10 events on the program and won five straight. He brought home only one two-digit winner at $12.30; the other four were dead-on low-paying favorites. His total winning prices was $25.40. By the virtue of the $12.30 win, Guy was a flat-bet profit for the program, earning $5.40 over the $20.00 investment.

The second driver-win-streak test is for Drew Campbell at Plainridge on Sept. 25. Drew raced in eight events, winning six. He had one double-digit paying winner at $17.00; the others varied as favorites. His winning percentage was high; losing only two of eight races and the 7-1 victory assisted in the bettor’s success. It cost only $16.00 to play all of Drew’s drives. The return was $37.20, a profit of $21.20, giving Drew a flat-bet profit-driving status on the car.

The Raceway at Western Fair, one of Canada’s popular B tracks, kicks off another harness racing season on Monday, Oct. 1. The weekly schedule for Autumn features racing every Monday and Tuesday at 6:15 p.m. and Friday nights at 6:55 p.m. EDT. The wagering menu once again features a trio of guaranteed wagers. The Pick 3 will consist of a $2,500 guarantee, while a pair of $5,000 guaranteed Pick-4 pools and a pair of Super Hi-5 wagers are also on the menu; all are 15-percent takeout wagers. The Super Hi-5 races will be contested at a distance of 1 1/16 miles.
 
Extraordinary Extras

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

And check my monthly column, Alternative Actions, at Harness Racing Update