Six Pack, Atlanta, Win Kentucky Futurity Gigs; $22 On Mare Trot Upset Is Best; Six Partner Exactas; $19 Show Pick Pumps Prices

Here’s how our featured events played out:

Thursday, Oct. 4

An attempt to beat the big favorite at Hoosier in a sires-stakes final failed in our sole feature. We finished fourth with Lion Safari AS (68-1).

Friday, Oct. 5

International Stallion Stakes (ISS) at The Red Mile for frosh fillies in two divisions lined the program.

For the trotters there were five splits. We had a single winner with Special Honor ($4.60, $3.20, $2.20) as the public’s second choice, while our second choice, Starita, failed as the favorite and finished fifth. We finished second with Global Pageant ($3.00, $2.40) for a $14.40 exacta with the favorite winning. Another top choice beat us when we finished third with Stone In Love ($3.00) in another ISS.

We were off the board in two of the five, finishing fifth to a 9-1 with Taylor Swift (11-1) and sixth with Lindy Pearl (22-1) to a favorite.

In four splits featuring frosh-filly pacers, we won with Annie Hill ($6.80, $4.00, $3.00) and then lost to first and third public choices with Beautyonthebeach (5-1) finishing fourth, High Reward (31-1) finishing fifth and Margret Hill (33-1) who broke and finished sixth.

Nothing panned out in our Indiana Sires Stakes two-year-old finals selections. We were beaten by a 40-1 shot in one of three finals. Our choice, Tellitsassymore (9-1) finished fifth. We were fourth in another with Sophia Lia (11-1) and at 9-2, Im A Real Ladys Man galloped, ending the mile eighth-placed-ninth.
 
Saturday, Oct. 6

The penultimate program for this Grand Circuit season at The Red Mile brought us some success in the freshman ranks. ISS colt pacers. We handed readers three winners in the quintet of fields. In order of win mutuels, we nailed Captain Trevor ($14.80, $5.80, $4.00), Mangogh ($6.00, $3.00, $2.40) and Workin Ona Mystery ($2.20, 2.10, $2.10 ok).

We lost on another stinker from Captain Ahab (7-5) as he finished fourth. That race was won by a 99-1 shot. Our other loss came from Captain Victorious (6-1), who finished fifth.

The soph-filly Tattersalls duo of stakes found both of our choices at a loss to finish in the money. Dance Blue (5-1) broke past the first quarter and was eliminated—a 9-1 surprised the favorites in that mile. Alexa’s Power was fourth as the obvious favorite won.

The Allerage Farms Open Trot and Pace were both victories for the public choices. In a speed-record mile for the trotters we finished third with Pinkman ($3.00). In the pace we backed off of McWicked, who won as the favorite over Lazarus N, which was our correct call, but we aimed for an upset with Heaven Rocks A (12-1). He was strong for a half mile and then faded to finish eighth.

Sunday, Oct. 7

The final day at The Red Mile for Grand Circuit stakes featured the filly and open Kentucky Futurities and a host of other top-dollar stakes for pacers and trotters. Here’s how we did for the day:

We opened big winning the Allerage Mare Trot with Ice Attraction ($22.80, $8.60, $4.60) but in the Allerage for mare pacers the favorite won and we finished seventh with Blazin Britches (13-1).

The first soph-colt Tattersalls split was a blanket finish with our choice, the favorite Courtly Choice (1-1) finished fifth, nosed out on both sides by four horses. In the second split we were among the only public handicappers contributing to a triple and superfecta when our outsider choice finished third. Odds On Lauderdale ($19.40) pumped up the exotics but good.

The Filly Futurity elim heats both went to 5-2 co-choices. We finished sixth in each with Courtney Hanover (18-1) and Looking For Zelda (39-1).

The main event belonged to Six Pack, who won two heats, taking the 2018 championship. We were third in both elim heats with Crystal Fashion ($2.10) and Met’s Hall ($2.10).


BREEDERS CROWN COUNTDOWN

On Thursday, Oct. 4, the “Countdown” covered three International Stallion Stakes (ISS) at The Red Mile for two-year-old colt trotters. We nabbed two of the winners.

In the first ISS, our sole choice, “Crown”-eligible Kings County ($5.00, $3.00, $2.40), won the $90,000-plus event as the race favorite.

In the second ISS we beat the favorite with Super Schissel ($13.00, $10.00, $3.60), also Crown-eligible and, perhaps, poised to visit Pocono for the championship series.

We lost the third split to the public’s second and first choices, respectively, with Wittyville (27-1).


TwinSpires Harness Blog:
Severe Handicapping For Harness Bettors


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 35 active horses (a 17-percent win hit rate and a 57-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

The Bay Front, $6.90, $2.80, $2.30, Flamboro
Tenor Duharas, $4.20, $2.40, $2.40 ok, Flamboro
Livinginthedream, $4.00, $3.00, $2.40, Freehold
Tactical Landing, $3.60, $2.40, $2.20, Red Mile
Jimtastic, $3.40, $2.60, $2.20, Dayton
Ghost Dance, $3.20, $2.70, $2.20, Yonkers
 
Seconds

Meant Tobe Shooter, $11.40, $4.60 (Exacta $32.60), Pocono
Jacksons Image, $7.60, $5.60 (Exacta $28.40), Plainridge
Doc Semalu, $5.60, $3.60 (Exacta $15.60), Harrington
Classy Guy, $5.00, $2.80 (Exacta $12.00), Philly
Blue Swan, $3.60, $2.60, Yonkers
Noble Legend, $4.40, $2.30, Batavia
Daiymir, $2.60, $2.10 (Exacta $7.60), Harrington
Pops Pool Room, $2.60, $2.10 (Exacta $9.20), Plainridge
Ladys Bag Man, $2.10, $2.10 ok, Monticello

Thirds

Stonebridge Bonus, $5.40, Vernon
Fashionwoodchopper, $5.20, Red Mile
Financial Impact, $3.70, Saratoga
Upto A Dream, $2.90, Vernon
Venier Hanover, $2.10, Meadows



News & Notes

Six trotters have arrived in New York from overseas for Saturday, Oct. 13’s $1-million Yonkers International Trot. The half-dozen that flew from Belgium were placed immediately in quarantine facilities. They include: Arazi Boko (Italy), Lionel (Norway), Pastore Bob (Sweden), Ringostarr Treb (Italy). Slide So Easy (Denmark) and Up And Quick (France). Some, if not all, are expected at the raceway Oct. 8 to begin their training for the 40th International Trot. A pair of $250,000 Invitationals on the program augments the 1 ¼ -mile classic. There’s also a special all-stakes Pick-4 wager with Yonkers and Belmont.

Marion Marauder will participate in the “International Trot” on Oct. 13 as the Canadian representative in the field of world-class trotters. The five-year-old has made his $3,080,380 in only 48 starts (20 wins, 15 seconds, 5 thirds), with six of those wins and four seconds this season ($544,680). His Yonkers resume reads three wins, including the 2016 Yonkers Trot and a pair of seconds in five starts. Marion Marauder enters the International 22 days between races, the last a come-from-behind win in Hoosier’s Trotting Classic. A year ago, Marion Marauder was second in the International, some 5 ½ lengths behind Twister Bi.

Meadowlands harness returns for a short Autumn meet on Oct. 12. Harness programs are presented Fridays and Saturdays through November. In December, the programs are on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays with the exception of Dec. 15. The meet ends after the night of Dec. 29.


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