Super Score At Monticello pays $81; Cal-Expo Produces $39 Winner; Watch List Pays 54 Percent Across The Board

It was one of those great weeks for our suggested contenders, with solid numbers, a continuance of early-season high two-digit winners and across-the-board gems from our selected features, Power Plays and horses-to-watch (H2W) list. Let’s go over our success and failure from all of the suggested wagering. Thursday, Feb. 7 Monticello weather kept the track doors open and gave way to a weekend powder keg in our Power Plays. We scored with Histoire Eternelle ($81.50, $17.40, $11.80) and finished third with Six Roses ($2.60). Along with the race favorite, which finished in the place spot and was not in our threesome of contenders (Giddyallyougot at 5-2 finished sixth), the exacta came back $263.00. We never take credit for an exacta price with the higher payout atop a favorite (we always do the other way around), it is notable in this case with an extraordinary longshot pick winning. Also worth mentioning with a favorite in the mix, is having two of three in the triple that paid $779.00 and two of four in the superfecta (the fourth finisher was 17-1 and not in our trio), which paid $3,201.00. Under the lights at Yonkers, the public followed our support for One Of The Few ($4.70, $3.10, $2.40) in our selected feature. Friday, Feb. 8 A windy afternoon at the Meadows blew away our feature choice as a 19-1 shot (a former H2W winner a few weeks back) beat our pick, Doctor RJ (13-1), which finished poorly in eighth. Power Plays that night at Miami Valley produced only a third with Shakerattlenrock ($2.40), the favorite, while the public’s second choice won. Our others, JD’s Profiteer (16-1) and Hardts Or Bettor (12-1), finished fifth and sixth, respectively Saturday, Feb. 9 Our Meadowlands feature offered lots of exotics but the three public choices hogged the toteboard, leaving little to collect for courageous bettors. We had two of those choices, CC Big Boy Sam ($3.40, $2.20), second, and Ohio Larry ($2.40), third, but the favorite did not win, so we won’t take credit for the exacta. We were empty for the trifecta’s third element, the superfecta and the Hi-5, as our outside contenders were in the back of the field at the finish: Show Me Up (8-1) finished seventh; Mysharona Bluechip (33-1) finished ninth; and Dalton Did It (78-1) was last. 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 (an 18-percent win hit rate and a 54-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 weeks) It is up to you to follow horses that have not performed before this weekly review. Winners Perfect Pitch, $39.20, $15.00, $10.20, Cal-Expo Sprinter N, $21.00, $7.80, $5.40, Dover Feelin Red Hot, $12.60, $6.00, $4.40, Miami Massive Talent, $9.00, $8.60, $3.40, Freehold Anytime Anyplace, $7.40, $2.60, $3.40, ok, Pompano Blue Moose, $6.90, $2.50, $2.10, Western Fair Tiger Baron, $6.60, $2.80, $2.40, Dover Mothersday Miracle, $4.80, $2.60, $2.10, Northfield The Dark Shadow, $4.00, $2.80, $2.60, Miami Seconds Uncle Leroy, $17.80, $8.00, Meadows Centela Extreme, $16.00, $6.60, Cal-Expo Kick It In Kate, $9.40, $3.20 (Exacta $28.00), Northfield Hurricane King Kong, $5.00, $2.80 (Exacta $37.20), Pompano Archangel Three, $2.60, $3.60 ok (Exacta $15.40), Meadowlands Lanco Express, $2.60, $2.40 (Exacta $7.20), Freehold Babes Dig Me, $2.10, $2.10 ok, Yonkers Thirds Tidquist, $8.50, Yonkers Southwind Oynx, $7.70, Buffalo Woodmere Rondevous, $5.50, Monticello Magnifique, $4.00, Cal-Expo Freespin N, $2.60, Freehold Linnea, $2.50, Western Fair Pointblank Hanover,. $2.40, Northfield Bell I No, $2.20, Meadowlands Mykindachip, $2.20, Miami Hammering Haley, $2.10, Flamboro Johnny Chip, $2.10, Buffalo News & Notes It was not a surprise that Canadian Horse of the Year for 2018 is McWicked. The Casie Coleman-trained pacer stormed through the older-pacer division winning almost every major event, winning 12 of 19 races and more than $1.6 million, boosting his career earnings over $4 million, which makes him one of the richest pacers in the history of the sport. Not only did he beat pacers on both sides of the border, he also dowsed the hopes of the much-touted Australian import, Lazarus N, in the process. Some other O’Brien awards went to horses and horsemen that are no strangers to the TwinSpires harness writings through last season. Shower Play was the soph-filly pacing winner; Jimmy Freight took the soph-colt crown; and Will Take Charge won the prize for older trotter. Stag Party (also trained by Coleman) was the frosh-colt pacing winner. Trainer of the year is Richard Moreau. Driver of the year is Louis-Philippe Roy. Officials with the Meadowlands announced an update concerning the previous cancellation of the 2019 Governor’s Cup and Three Diamonds. Earlier in the week it was announced that the track was forced to cancel the traditional stakes races due to a financial exit of stakes sponsors. Then, Meadowlands operator Jeff Gural said that the two juvenile stakes events could be saved with other sponsorship. Several of last year’s sponsors indicate they will renew their support, so, the Meadowlands will accept nomination payments for the races while seeking more sponsors. A decision on the fate of the events will be made in March. On Feb. 6, Rosecroft Raceway in Maryland opened for a four-month meet. Rosecroft will race every Wednesday and Sunday in February and March. Post time will be 6:40 p.m. on Wednesday and 4:40 p.m. on Sunday. In April, Rosecroft will race each Wednesday and Sunday and will also race Monday, April 22 with a 6:40 p.m. post time. In May, Rosecroft will race on Saturday the fourth and 18^th with a 7 p.m. post time. After the Cal-Expo meet, the unofficial West-Midwest harness circuit will start and many of the horsemen on the left coast will hear for Minnesota to race in the 2019 Running Aces harness season. That meet will span from Saturday, May 18 through Saturday, Sept. 14. With the opening of Running Aces some years back, members of the shrunken California harness community parked their horses at the Minnesota facility, adding to local horsemen enjoying the first pari-mutuel harness track in the area. Extraordinary Extras Indulge in my monthly columns, Alternative Actions and Bettors Banquet at Harness Racing Update