Sophmores Stampede At Hoosier; Classic Kids In Combat At Meadowlands

 

The Breeders Crown winners are in the books. This weekend, though, some may be back because as November enters, the harness racing calendar is not want for more big events. On the penultimate weekend for Hoosier Park, 2018 there are several feature events open to top sophomore-and-aged pacers and trotters still campaigning for the season. As well, freshman colts and fillies on both gaits duke it out in Kindergarten finals at the Meadowlands. Yes, the stakes season is not over quite yet.

And the never-ending horses-to-watch list (H2W) ensues, with our great wagering choices. Explore any and all horses we post for use in wagers of your discretion. Do your own handicapping and then consider any and all our H2W and frosh selections.

TROT AT THE CROSSROADS 

On the Hoosier agenda of stakes Friday, Nov. 2, soph-filly trotters line up for the $137,000 Crossroads Of America. Hands down, Custom Cabtab will get the big win money bundle but that doesn’t close the deal for her. Those 11 of 15 wins brought in only twice what was earned by Seviyorum. Julie Miller’s filly has only a single win this season but here the filly is up against far less than most of her stakes appearances. Her place and show record comes from miles won by the best of the division and, of course, the Millers (Andy drives) have not been frightened away from any major events regardless of talent.

SHIP AHOY FILLIES

Next on the program is the $113,000 U.S.S Indianapolis for soph-filly pacers. The obvious star is Youaremycandygirl. Ron Burke;s filly was worn down—racing on the inside—in a Breeders Crown duel with Kissin In The Sand—first over—and faded badly while “Kissin” kept second to the 50-1 shot winner the duel produced.

Youaremycandygirl faces very little here she cannot beat on a decent night. The question is: how much did last week’s duel take out of her? We have to bet a lot, so we could find a feasible upset possibility. (Kissin In The Sand is not in this field.)

Burke has five other fillies in the 10-horse field: Baron Remy, Majorsspeciallady, Strong Opinion and Double A Mint, three of them that failed in the big-duel race that was won by another Burke filly, Percy Blue Chip (not in this field).

Outside of the Burke battalion there is hometown-campaigner Voom Or Bang. She clearly became involved often racing in Indiana’s stakes for this division and put to the test against national competition may race as well, if not better. And she will be offering a price worthy of attention in our scenario.

ERSKINE’S ENTRIES

Soph-colt trotters roll in the $256,000 Carl Erskine on the Nov. 2 card, also. Ten leave from the gate, with lots of eyes on Helpisontheway. Linda Toscano’s colt is nine for 15 and has the second biggest bankroll in this group. The first, of course, goes to the Millers’ Met’s Hall, who should be the dead-on favorite. However, “Help” could allow “Hall” to go off higher than fair, which we would enjoy a lot. Fans may also back Jimmy Takter’s pair on brand as money may support two Burke entries as well.

If all of that noise occurs, Met’s Hall may be a wonderful price, even as a favorite. There is no doubt that he is among the top few of a hot crop this season and demands ultimate respect.

TREACHEROUS THREESOME

The $190,000 Monument Circle presents three soph-pacing colts that will engage in what could be a more exciting race than this division’s Crown final. The winner of that final is here. Dorsoduro Hanover was a big winner in that event but there are two elements in this race that make it a tougher event to conquer.

One is Lather Up. His Crown mile was as dynamic, if not more so, than the winner’s mile. And the week before, Lather Up made the final after a break, in another super race.

Another is Fox Valley Gemini. Not eligible for major stakes in the division nor able to find the money to supplement, “Gemini,”—who we voted to be top sophomore pacer of the year in the USTA’s expert’s poll published in Hoof Beats at the beginning of the year—dominated the division in Illinois (never losing) and came to Indiana (losing) after Hawthorne closed. Though he is a notch below the talent of the other two, there is no way to leave him out of the mix here, especially since he will go off his best price ever.

We like it this way—Lather Up, with Gemini and “Dorsoduro” sharing place and show spots. For a triple that should amount to the best price using the three top contenders, that’s a key wheel, 6/7,8/7,8. (Make note that Rockinbeach, in this race, appears in the H2W for the second time.)


KIDS’ STUFF

The Meadowlands features on Saturday, Nov. 3 consist of four Kindergarten Stake Finals. Two-year-olds on the brink of turning into sophomores, go for big bucks.

Colt trotters chase $221,540 in the first final. Five of the 10 are still maidens. Lucky Weekend tops the win column with five of nine starts and Seven Hills is perfect with four wins and the best bankroll.

We will support Brett Pelling’s Divine Spirit. Brett’s colt shows a lot of sophomore potential. The colt is a Father Patrick that has three wins in seven starts and looks as if he will get better as the season’s wanes—and a fair price should be on hand.

The filly trot offers $236,060. Noel Daley’s Princess Deo is the well-known high earner, though just a tad over Linda Toscano’s Global Pageant. Toscano also sends Sister’s Promise, who failed us recently but is still a strong contender, and Hanna Dreamgirl. This is a tight affair where the best price for contenders may come from Jimmy Takter’s Can’t Touch It. Arguably the best bred, the crowd should not be so concerned with this one, yet it is a great spot for her to shine, as well as get a decent price (and perhaps the last chance) on a Takter frosh.

The $148,700 filly pace follows with a spot-on top choice, Treacherous Reign (for us, at least). She is one of two Captaintreacherous fillies in this group and may find a strong challenge  from the other, Michelon’s Filly. Also able to get involved is a Sweet Lou product, Odds On St Lucie. The crowd might have a problem singling any of these, so we will go with Treacherous Reign, hoping that the public spreads out the dough.

The Kids’ nightcap, colt pacers, is worth $173,800. Again, Tony Alagna holds the cards with a son of Captaintreacherous—Waterway. We will also go for a son of Captaintreacherous but not one trained by Alagna. We like Pelling’s entry, Flameproof Hanover, who is bred as well but should be dismissed by the public. This race is hard to imagine, so why not imagine we have a winner at a good price, considering we have as good a colt?

 

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 LIST


Bangor
11/2/18, +Sachertorte R1; Terem Up Louie R1

Batavia
11/2/18, +Lake Shark R3; +Lucky Guess R5; +Southern Palms R7

Dayton
11/2/18, +It’s a Miracle R9; +American Girl R9

Dover
11/5/18, Dash To Freedom R7; +American Rage R9

Flamboro
11/1/18, +Fork R11

Freehold
11/3/18, Piece Of The Rock R6; JK Pridenjoy R8; Ideal Deal R10

Hoosier
11/2/18, Piranha Fury R1, ae R7; +Rockinbeach R11

Meadows
11/3/18, Brooklyn Flight R7; +Fantasy Rocket R12
11/5/18, +Jet Aviation R12

Meadowlands
11/2/18, +Modesty R5; +Samis Rolin Stone R6; I’m Trigger Happy R7
11/3/18, +Samis Triple Crown R4

Mohawk
11/1/18, Think Again R3; Sports Charm R4
11/2/18, Lady Orb R1; Thecrowdiswatching R3; +Winning Lyric R6

Northfield
11/3/18, Unicorns N Glitter R6; Bad Girl Vegas R8

Philly
11/1/18, Fashionwoodchopper R5; +Nike Franco N R8

Plainridge
11/1/18, +Angel Assault R6; Candy Lane R8; +Cyclone Artist R11

Pocono
11/4/18, +Ideal Rocky R5

Pompano
11/1/18, Commentary R4

Saratoga
11/1/18, Bonamassa R7
11/3/18, +Pantheon Hanover R10

Scarborough
11/3/18, +On First R2

Yonkers
11/2/18, Caviart Cherie R4
11/3/18, Border Control A R4; Pacing Major N R6; Gratian Hanover R7