Running Aces’ $62 Slam Tops String Of Double-Digit Win Prices; Lather Up Storms To North America Cup Victory; Stakes Favorites On Fire

 

The huge Canadian harness program on Saturday, June 16, offered a slew of top harness horses in pacing and trotting divisions with glamour-boy pacers in the spotlight for the $1-million North America Cup. We contributed to some of those exotics, as well as we rode along with a few of the public’s choices, but our top dollars came from the ever-so-hot horses-to-watch list (H2W), including our biggest win, which came on Sunday, June 10, a day after we posted our most recent Update. Check out the H2W percentages below.

Also in play were the Hambletonian Trail events.

Here is how it all worked out:

Saturday, June 16

First on the Woodbine/Mohawk (WoMo) stakes program was the imbalanced field in the Armbro Flight Final, featuring Hannelore Hanover. As expected, she towered over her foes, winning as the 1-9 choice. We suggested a pass or an exacta, which we tried to pump up using Southwind Tesla and Ice Attraction but the 6-1 second choice of the public soaked that payoff.

The North America Cup Consolation was a walk over the mile for the big favorite, Courtley Choice (4-5). But we were there to complete the $37.70 with our choice, Babes Dig Me ($11.70, $6.10). The other exotic choices we recommended for possible pricey payoffs were Whos Better ( ) and Summer Travel ( ) who finished XX and XX, respectively.

The Mohawk Gold Cup was upset by an 8-1, with the 3-5 shot second and our contender, Jimmy Freight ($4.10) finishing third, going off at 9-1.

We don’t care to deliver obvious winners but there is little doubt that in the mare-pacing Roses Are Red Final we had to key Shartin N ($3.50, $2.90, $2.50), who won sharply for all the chalk bettors. We did not have any of the exotic followers, finishing badly with Blazin Britches (4-1) 10^th, Tequila Monday (9-2) fourth and Nike Franco N (27-1) sixth.

In the Fan Hanover Final our choice, Kendell Seelster (13-1), paced into some trouble late and wound up off the board, though she would not have beaten Shower Play, the public’s second choice, with her best trip.

The main event North America Cup was a perfect target for the 3-5 public choice, Lather Up, and the colt fired big time to make two moves and still pace away to win in :48 and a piece. Our upset possibility, Nutcracker Sweet (22-1) raced well, though first over, chasing Lather Up but losing steam as a few other contending colts closed—Done Well (5-1) and Lost In Time (17-1), who were second and third, respectively. Our exotic addition, Hitman Hill (99-1) finished far back.


THE HAMBLETONIAN TRAIL

Left over from last week’s Update are Hambletonian Trail-blog events recorded on June 12 are four Pennsylvania All Stars events for the fillies.

In division one we were third with Velvotter ($2.60), while our second choice, Megadolce (33-1), broke in a trouble tangle of horses and finished ninth-placed-eighth.

In division two, a pass or swing-for-the-fence event, no one was surprised to see Manchego ($2.10, $2.10, $2.10 ok) win again. Our upset choice was  fourth-place finisher Vivacious Allie (23-1).

Division three saw all sorts of jumping, affecting the field into a situation where a 124-1 shot won. Our first choice, Follow Streak (9-1) finished fifth, while the obvious favorite, What A Knockout (8-5) was part of the breaking crew, finishing seventh.

In the final division we were third with Hey Livvy ($2.80) as the public choice won.

On June 15 there were three colt divisions of the New York Sires Stakes at Tioga. In division one we finished fourth with Winning Shadow (22-1) as the first and second favorites won.

In division two we wound up with the favorite, Cruising In Style, only he got into a tussle with another horse and was diverted, finishing eighth while the 7-2 public choice went on to win.

In the third division we completed the paltry $5.70 exacta with Southwind Chrome ($2.80, $3.60 ok).

At the WoMo “Cup” program, the big public choice won the Goodtimes Final while our longshot choice, Missile Hill (99-1), lost a lot of ground trying to get a paying spot in the stretch by weaving in and out to find a closing path.


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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 50 active horses (a 22-percent win hit rate and a 44-percent ATB [across-the-board] 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

Onemorenwallgohome, $62.00, $13.80, $11.60, Running Aces
Five Cent Deposit, $39.20, $20.60, $3.00, Bangor
Beach Blast, $25.20, $8.60, $5.60, Philly
Tinhorn Creek, $23.40, $5.20, $3.20, Running Aces
One Swan For All, $13.20, $5.20, $2.60, Plainridge
Showboat, $11.80, $3.80, $3.20, Scioto
Yankee Joanie, $7.40, $2.60, $2.20, Hawthorne
Katkin And Coke, $6.60, $4.60, $3.60, Northville
Ruthless Call, $4.60, $3.00, $2.20, Hoosier
Slick Tony, $3.60, n/p, n/s, Harrington
Chapter Too, $2.20, $2.10, $2.10, Yonkers

Seconds

Hot Cakes, $6.00, $3.80, Bangor
Becky Badger Baby, $3.00, $2.10, Running Aces

Thirds

Heart Of The Ocean, $8.60, Hoosier
Mshindi, $5.60, Hoosier
Mullet Blue Chip, $4.60, Ocean
Major Hanover, $3.60dh, Northville
Pridecrest, $3.00, Running Aces
Andover The Cash, $2.80, Philly
Beyond Delight, $2.60, Meadowlands
Bullseye, $2.10, Bangor
Our Jerry Lee N, $2.10, Ocean
Real World Goal, $2.10, Plainridge


News & Notes

Two-year-olds continue to hit the tracks, mostly in morning qualifying sessions. At Philadelphia on June 12, a Somebeachsomewheree colt, Union Station, won in 1:54.4 for trainer Joe Holloway. A filly winning in 1:56.3 was a product Captaintreacherous. Sea Princess won handily for trainer Joe Columbo. Another Somebeachsomewhere product, a colt called V O Joe, recorded a 1:58.4 triumph for trainer Sam DePinto. Trotters were qualifying also. A Possess The Will colt, Windchill Fashion, blew home in 2:00.2. The trainer is Jim Campbell.

At Gaitway Farm in New Jersey, frosh races presented a slew of babies. Female pacer Warrawee Ubeaut won her first qualifier on June 11 at the farm. She is a daughter of Sweet Lou and won her mile in 1:56 for trainer Ron Burke. In other qualifiers Burke sent out 21 of the rookies and won six. The remaining three qualifiers were won by trainer Julie Miller. She’s Allright, a daughter of Sweet Lou, won in 1:54.3. It was her second qualifying effort; she went off stride last week. Pace Baby Pace, another Sweet Lou product, won in 1:56.3 and Semi Tough, Somebeachsomewhere, won in 1:54.3.

Make note that as the 2018 freshman crop lines up for pari-mutuels action, our annual feature, Freshman Frolic will return to our preview blog. Each racing season, TwinSpires harness blog’s Freshman Frolic feature presents probable profit-making novice pacers and trotters based upon breeding statistics. Exclusively prepared for TwinSpires harness bettors, we cover two-year-olds at multiple North American tracks. Over the years, many double-digit winners have come from this section as we share our experienced edge with bettors.

The Meadowlands’ Dave Little updated the Meadowlands Pace Top 10 prior to the North America Cup, keeping Stay Hungry atop the list. Following that one in order, Little chose Dorsoduro Hanover, Lost In Time, This Is The Plan, American History, Thinkbig Dreambig, Nutcracker Sweet, Babes Dig Me, Captain Deo and I’m A Big Deal. We disagree. Our Meadowlands Pace Top Ten looks like this: Lather Up; Nutcracker Sweet; Wes Delight; Stay Hungry; Done Well; Hitman Hill; Lost In Time; American History;
Thinkbig Dreambig; Hayden Hanover.


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