Win-Heavy Watch List Presents $22, $25 Toppers; Miami ‘Short’ Score; Hi-5 Help At Meadowlands

Favorites ruined some big possibilities but our horses-to-watch list (H2W) rolled out the winners with some smart prices. Here are the results of our successes and failures from the past week. Thursday, Feb. 28 As Saratoga took the spotlight as our feature with a Power Plays event with single and multi-race exotics, the public favorites devoured our contenders and all probable hearty prices. We were fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively, in the first leg of the Pick 3 with Under The Bus (14-1), Awake My Soul (83-1) and Double Joy (9-2). In the second leg, our solo contender, Pittstop Emerald (9-1) finished fifth, and in the third leg, our solo contender, Xenia Onatop (18-1), finished sixth. The pubic’s top choice won legs one and three, while their second choice won leg two. Friday, March 1 Please make note of an error in our posts at Miami Valley in one of our three features following The Short List, our spotlight on top-trainer Adam Short’s stock at the current meet. We posted there were two Short horses on Friday and one on Saturday when in fact there was only one on Friday. See the Saturday section below for Short List results. Mosee Terror was the big favorite in our first feature and he failed, finishing fourth and succumbing to a 51-1 shot. Saturday, March 2 The Short List trio at Miami was one for three. The third contender, Cyclone Kiwi N ($5.40, $3.00, $3.00) was the winner. The other, Dateline Hanover (3-1), finished eighth, beaten by the public choice. At the Meadowlands, our Power Plays delivered two of the Hi-5 elements while having no involvement with the other single-race exotics or the Pick 3. The race favorite won. Of the quintet on the Hi-5 ticket, we contributed Delightful Offer (7-1), finishing fourth, and Yupper (53-1), finishing fifth. Our other contenders were, in order of their finish positions, Griffon Hanover (16-1) sixth, Incredible Shark (4-1) seventh, and Solo Story (5-1), eighth. In the second leg of the Pick 3 we were third with Billy Badger ($2.80) and in the third leg we finished eighth with the favorite, Castle Flight (2-1). 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 55 active horses (a 18-percent win hit rate and a 38-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 Ever Again, $25.40, $14.20, $3.40, Meadowlands Outlaw Gunpowder, $22.80, $6.10, $3.50, Mohawk Show The Fashion, $9.30, $5.00, $2.90, Yonkers Giacometti, $9.20, $3.40, $2.60, Monticello Rock Fame, $6.80, $3.90, $3.00, Buffalo Race Me Rocky, $5.00, $2.80, $3.20 ok, Pompano Sicily, $3.80, $2.40, $2.40 ok, Dover Il Mago, $3.60, $2.80, $2.40, Freehold Gators Ben Winning, $3.40, $2.60, $2.40, Freehold Who Dat Love, $3.20, $2.20, $2.10, Cal-Expo Seconds Yeahnah, $5.70, $5.70 ok (Exacta $18.60), Yonkers Sir Jack, $5.60, $3.80 (Exacta $36.80), Meadows Worth Considering, $4.60, $2.80 (Exacta $14.20), Pompano Jeramaya, $3.40, $2.60, Freehold Whos Better, $2.70, $2.50, Yonkers Thirds Bugatti, $20.70, Buffalo Soccer Hanover, $9.20, Pompano Western Phil, $4.20, Mohawk Beyondthesilence, $3.20, Yonkers Storming D Odds, $2.80, Cal-Expo Shambala, $2.10 News & Notes The Meadows has expanded its wagering format as of March 3. Every race on the card now offers superfecta wagering with a minimum wager of 10 cents. The superfecta will continue to have a “rolling carryover” if it is not hit in any race. Then, 80 percent of the net pool is carried to the next superfecta pool. In addition, a second Pick 4 and Pick 5, each with carryovers become regular parts of the betting menu. The Super Hi-5 wager continues to be offered in the last race of the program with a 20-cent minimum wager. All wagers are still required to roll up to a $2 minimum. Sponsors rallied around the Grand Circuit stakes program at The Meadowlands to save the traditional Governor's Cup and Three Diamonds freshman stakes. An official press release from The Meadowlands said the track “is grateful for the support of those who stepped up to assure the entire slate of stakes will continue this season.” As a result, the events will be raced as scheduled in November of 2019. How did we miss this one? Thursday, Feb. 22, a 72-1 shot named Some Gold became Yonkers Raceway’s highest win price of the season. Driver Matt Kakaley was aboard the longshot to win the $16,500 pace by a neck. It was the horse’s first finish on the board in five seasons. The $2 wager returned $147.50. It is possible that no other son of Somebeachsomewhere raced so long without hitting the board. To confirm that as a fact, we hand over the situation to Hollywood Heyden. Woodbine Entertainment counts 82 three-year-old pacers are nominated to the 2019 edition of the $1-million Pepsi North America Cup. This year’s event is scheduled for Saturday, June 15 at WoMo (Woodbine-Mohawk Park). The eliminations for the final take place on June 8. The number of nominations to the “Cup” is up by three over last year’s total of 79. To noone’s surprise, the group is headlined by Stag Party and Captain Crunch. Both are mutiple stakes winners at two; the former earning $669,489, including the Metro Pace at WoMo for trainer Casie Coleman. The latter is trained by Nancy Johansson and won $628,642 at two. The countdown continues to Yonkers Raceway features for older pacers, features that start the 2019 stakes season. Older pacers once again battle it out on the four turns. The males go in the George Levy Pacing Series and the mares go in the Blue Chip Matchmaker Series. The legs and finals have been our headlining races for more than a decade, first on the defunct YouBet and then, as this year again, on TwinSpires. Extraordinary Extras Indulge in my monthly columns, Alternative Actions and Bettors Banquet at Harness Racing Update