Stalking Woodbine Winter Series; Exotic Extravaganza At Yonkers; ‘Picks’ For Profits

 Coming off a top-profit weekend preview last week, we do nothing more than our best now to make the upcoming weekend better. Our plays again focus on selected features, including include Partners For Picks and Power Plays for TwinSpires account-holders to use for inspiration. An added few races at Woodbine include the second leg of the Blizzard Series. We continue to search for the plumpest payoffs available and our suggested contenders often include top dollar payoffs – that’s why you don’t read most of them from any public handicappers in print or on line.

Don’t pass up the ever-popular weekly H2W (the horses-to-watch) list. Do your own handicapping and then consider our H2W selections.

TwinSpires handicapping blogs for all racing breeds present the best wagering investments in the real of the cyber world.

PARTNERS FOR PICKS

Freehold / Race 2
Thursday, Jan. 25

Another $1.00 Pick 4 gets the week started with another quartet of outside contenders. Here are our suggestions for your ticket, horses that we can only assume the public will be too shy to support. Remember that each race also presents single-race exotic wagers.

Leg one, Race 2
Elle’s Boy deserves a chance to knock a lot of tickets out of the Pick 4 by winning. We can toss his Dec. 28 race out after a strong race at this level on Dec. 16. That was a minor step up but he was good because he was working up to that kind of a finish in the three races previous to it. He starts to the left of the morning-line (ML) choice and could get an easy trip as his main foe burns too much speed.

Leg two, Race 3
A straight $5,000 claimer collects some Freehold veteran pacers, including the rail horse, the ML choice. The ML has underrated another outsider, Pan Grad, it seems, since his recent two efforts at this level on this track were also poorly measured. He almost took the top two last week and he was 20-1. The week prior to that he showed speed twice and still made the purse grid at 9-1. He would add a huge edge to Pick-4 tickets if our first contender won and would knock out Pick-3 tickets (a Pick 3 starts with this race) if he won this.

Leg 3, Race 4
We have been waiting for Black Hammer to enter his first 2018 event and rather than put him on the H2W list, we’re going with him in this stream of multi-race exotics. He takes a small drop and shows two competitive moves in his three final races of last year. He is abhorred by bettors (because he is a Minnesota-bred?) but always races with some fire at Freehold. Also, Some Power would be on the H2W list from a loss last week but he shows up here as one of the ML’s top choices, so we include him.

Leg 4, Race 5
Another stream begins with this last leg of the Pick 4. It’s a 50-cent Pick 5 launched with a cheap conditioned trot. Two late-starting trotters go here but one, a four-year-old Glidemaster named Big Sky Glide, is the most dangerous. He broke in one of two pari-mutuel betting events after breaks forced three qualifiers before he made the required finishing time to start. In that one smoothly gaited race he left from post 8 at Freehold at 88-1 and finished third, making up close to 11 lengths. That was the race where we nailed a $135.00 cold exacta with the two horses finishing in front of him. Make note that we are adding the trotter finishing second in that exacta, Matza Man, as opposed to conflicting his presence by putting him on the H2W.

POWER PLAYS

Flamboro / Race 8
Thursday, Jan. 25

A Power Plays event in last week’s preview blog was cancelled due to lack of power. Seriously, it was not the weather, it was literally the power—the lighting system at the track tanked and caused cancellation of the program. With three of four horses from that race showing up, along with one from a cancelled race on Jan. 11, we’re right back with those four as choices. Here they are in post-position order.

Tenor Duharas returns after two scratches (judges and sick) and it puts him in a better spot since a poor trip in a drop-down race. This will escape most handicappers relying upon recent races to judge him. He will offer some dough if he is an upset win or involved in exotics.

Leonardo Da Lindy appeared once on the H2W then took around eight months off for health reasons, according to the officials. Instead of using his second turn on the H2W we are adding him here because he is fresh and his Woodbine qualifier was a good prep, with no intent to do anything but make the qualifying time to get back in action.

Hetties Commander was closing quickly in his recent effort at this level and has been knocking on the door heavily to get a score since dropping from battles with better.

BLIZZARD BETS

Thursday, Jan. 25, Woodbine includes a pair of $17,000 divisions in the second leg of its Blizzard Series for filly and mare pacers. In division one, Bettin Jackie may be overlooked in the betting since her first-division chart lines are deceiving. She shows up eighth on the chart. However, she raced the long way around the mile and finished fourth but was placed eighth as congestion caused judges to reorganize the finish for six of the nine in the race.

In division two, one of the three favorites in last week’s opening divisions was Big Chute. She had the toughest trip of the trio and deserves a big chance to win this, where she leaves to the left of division-winner Franschoek, who was an outside contender in her split.

FEATURES~FEATURES~FEATURES

Miami / Race 11
Friday, Jan. 26

One of last week’s profitable Power Plays involved Cas Art Apparel in a big exacta and trifecta. Entered in this race, we see no reason not to back Cas Art Apparel as the main contender. “Cas” was primed to do well last week. Her poor finishes at Dayton in December, before the circuit moved over to Miami, have solid excuses; she raced well and with some back class to testify she did well stepping up a bit and just as last week, there is a big chance she can even win this, even from the precarious second-tier 10 post.

FEATURES~FEATURES~FEATURES

Miami / Race 13
Friday, Jan. 26

Third to Cas, our choice in Race 11, Love To Roll also stepped up but did so after a pair of wins at Dayton. She was well bet in those and throughout the meet. We asked that the step-up factor be ignored and that worked out well. She shows up here with another contender of ours from that same race and both need to be considered for the win and in exotics.

The other is ME Radar Girl, who finished sixth at 9-1. Before that, she raced some tough miles at Northfield in and around this level. She has a sharp closing move, which may benefit her with this group. She went off high last time and may complement exotics as an element the crowd doesn’t back well.

SNOWSHOE IMPRESSIONS

Friday, Jan. 26, Woodbine features three divisions of the Snowshoe Series’ second leg. They’re worth $17,000 each for three- and four-year old pacers.

In division one, Gerado leaves from the outside but if he races anything like he did in the first leg he should wipe this field up. He was almost 11 lengths behind at 12-1 and finished second by ½ length to the race favorite. He could be a better price than his chances suggest.

In division two, My Teen Idol wound up finishing second despite a bad start due to broken equipment. It was such a freaky thing that bettors were given a refund if they used him. It was quite an impressive mile considering it was raced with a detriment. Beware of beaten favorite Lyons William. He should be a better price trying to make amends for a troubled trip that found him fourth-placed-seventh due to interference.

Division three leaves us with Snagnwiththedragon. At 17-1 in leg one, he began the mile 13 ½ lengths out of it. He made up significant ground with impressive pacing power, finishing third by a single length. Judge the offered price for yourself but don’t ignore this guy.

PARTNERS FOR PICKS
& POWER PLAYS

Yonkers / R8, R9, R10
Saturday, Jan. 27

Here’s action within action as we share our exotic features (Partners For Picks and Power Plays, with a Daily Double stuffed in there) with three races at Yonkers. Explore each race’s suggested contenders (three or four per race for the exotic(s) offered. The only difference in this blend is we list them in order of preference, not in post-position order. Still, never forget to consider win-place-show wagers on any of our suggestions that you find valuable in each or any race.

Race 8
There are four exotics here—exacta, trifecta, superfecta and Pick 3. Oh Jonny B Good N was hanged out badly last week and picks up a great starting point to get his first win of the year in a higher class. The ML favorite, a New Zealand import leaving from the rail, was great at Freehold, knocking on the winning door from post 8 at 21-1. Toatsmygoats has class enough to be in the exotics mix, as does Burning Shore.

Race 9
An exacta, triple and the first leg of a Daily Double are featured in the second leg of the Pick 3. Even from post 7, All Down The Line is tempting, with a great shot and a great ML, prepared to take a short step up and show his back class in time to pump up the exotic prices. Soto is a ML choice for a reason. He has a lot going for him and, if you recall, he was terrific here last year. Blood Brother should be around come late stretch but is bound to be in the top three choices.

Race 10
This is the capper for the Pick 3, along with an exacta, triple, superfecta and second half of the Daily Double. Bettor Rock On N is coming off a claim and among the classiest of this bunch. As usual, the heck with the post, put him in the tickets. Gypsy Leather was stuffed midway and had nothing in the traffic but is in a great spot to tag along and get in the picture. Rock N Roll Legacy is of this ilk and should get a piece to contribute to exotics at a good price. Do Over Hanover is an obvious fan favorite but could be beaten on the win side (see recent race). But a fourth makes him a part of that “super,” so consider including him.


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

Buffalo
1/27/18, +Northern Matador R1; Wartech R4; Ona Dream R4; +Chickenwithabanjo R5; Littlebitaclass R5; Cobble Beach R5; Jolt Of Whiskey R6

Cal-Expo
1/26/18, +Art Genta R1; +RSS Express R2; +Hot On The Pace R5
1/27/18, +Hello Sevens R1; +Senga Nitro R3

Charlottetown
1/27/18, +Cougar Gal R2; +Smiley Bayama R11

Dover
1/25/18, Pretty Boy Hill R4; Big Place R8; Forty Five Red R11

Flamboro
1/25/18, Gronk R6
1/27/18, Stargazing Cruiser R7

Fraser
1/26/18, +Prodigal R8; +Lildudepurrfection R12

Freehold
1/25/18, +Midnight Zette R7; Somewhereonthebeach R9; Hot Shot Hill R10
1/26/18, +Goldstar Legend R1

Hawthorne
1/25/18, +Scotter R5; +Fox Valley Eli R9
1/27/18, Lakeside MS Queen R7; +Miss MA Jones R8; +Beamer N Bud R8
1/28/18, Lougazi R6

Miami
1/26/18, +Brando R5; Firstup R12
1/29/18, +Karefree Kara R11

Monticello
1/25/18, +Granite State R6

Northfield
1/27/18, +My Caroline R6; +Million Dollar Mam R8

Northlands
1/27/18, +Johnny Gun R5; Senseless Beauty R7; Gray Zee R9; Take On The Boys R 11

Pompano
1/27/18, Garlandsandpearls R4
1/28/18, +Sucrose Hanover R6; A Fool For Mark R9

Woodbine
1/26/18, Reys NA Rocket R1; Upvote Hanover R5
1/27/18, McDave R11

Yonkers
1/26/18, +Western Bayama R7