Stars Return In Lucrative Soph Sires Stakes; Harness Action Aplenty On Kentucky Derby Day; Five Tracks Offer Top Events

Though the pari-mutuels wagering world focuses on Churchill Downs and TwinSpires on the first Saturday in May for the Kentucky Derby, the event simulcast at tracks for every breed. Harness meets participating in the broadcast and wagering of the “world’s greatest two minutes in sports” are active day and night. For us there are numerous fronts to attack, as well as we begin our exclusive Hambletonian Trail blog, analyzing the glamour-boy trotters’ Dexter Cup and the Lady Suffolk for the glamour girls at Freehold. TwinSpires exclusive horses-to-watch (H2W) list continues to pile the punting possibilities with serious considerations for bettors to use in any wagers they engage. If you know the program then go to it—do your own handicapping and then consider our H2W selections. PASS FILLIES AT PHILLY Friday, May 3, the sires-stakes season takes flight at Philly with Pennsylvania Sires Stakes (PASS) soph fillies. Two divisions are worth $83,240 each. As last seasons frosh chapter graduates, familiar names and new stars emerge. In division one, the focus is upon Warrawee Ubeat, a frosh star meeting unknown foes if based upon earnings and accomplishments. None of the other seven have made more at two. In fact, she eclipsed all colts, too, becoming the top frosh earner of 2018. This is her debut at three. We will focus on the prospective soph challengers and in the PASS lot, specifically, fillies other than “Ubeat,” by Sweet Lou. Ubeat’s first race must cross the path of Louphoria. She has raced twice at three. This daughter of Sweet Lou just missed the top-50 list of frosh earners, coming in at $90,000 plus. She is one of three from the Ron Burke barn. Burke was high on Sweet Lou progeny, even though the sire’s soph season on the track was not his best. Since the crowd may lean into Ubeat and Afraid Not Hanover (for early ’19 record), we will take Louphoria. Division two delivers a similar situation with Sylph Hanover (Somebeachsomewhere). She debuts at three in this PASS episode and does so facing another Sweet Lou gal, She’s Allright, another Burke trainee (he sends four fillies in this eight-horse field). “Sylph” won around $319,000 at two, best of this bunch, but her brand won’t help us with a great price. Looking ominous is a filly from the top sire of soph-pacing gals this season—Captaintreacherous. Philly Hanover earned $111Gs plus and is two for two already this season for trainer Ron Coyne, Jr. She may be tons better than last season and it could start here with a big win against the Burke brigade and the excess betting it bears. OHSS SOPH FILLIES Miami Valley offers soph-filly pacers and trotters in their first legs of Ohio Sires Stakes (OHSS) action, each field worth $50,000. The pacers’ divisions go first. A familiar five from Miami action already on the books go in the first pacing event. Two from Burke will get majority attention at the windows but we will go with High Reward. The Brian Brown filly is coming back from a well-earned frosh campaign and in the small field could still go off a fair price considering Avaline Hanover’s current Ohio accomplishements. The second pacing event could belong to Queen Of The Pridel but we won’t back her this time. Brown has two here, as does Burke but Final Offer is our contender that could deliver a strong price in a small field with expected improvement. In the first of the trotters’ duo, nine compete. Another pair of Burkes surface but the two from Chris Beaver deserve the most attention. Of those two, Stone In Love is attractive for price and purpose. There is no evidence she is not better than Beaver’s other entry—not yet, at least, so she gets our vote. Beaver sends a trio in the second trot division, including the probable favorite, Pure Chance. Again, another in his care sends us to the windows. That filly is Aunt Rose. Her speed mark or earnings thus far being below that of Pure Chance should not penalize her. She is a major contender in the entire OHSS series until she proves otherwise. Get her now at a price. VAN ROSE INVITES At Pocono, on their evening program of two, nine big ole pacers go in the Van Rose Memorial Invitational for $50,000. Familiar horses come to Pennsylvania from the “Levy” series to meet again along with a few others in the ranks. The Levy champ, Western Fame, is here and bound to be the choice of the betting public. Also of note from the Levy come Bettor Memories and The Wall. Returning to battle this season is Filibuster Hanover, a danger in any field. He will have to open the year with aggression, leaving here from post 9 against a battery of bulldogs. Last week, Highalator won the Golden Receiver at 1 1/8 miles handily at the Meadowlands and is on the invite list here with a great shot at a repeat, at a price. As the favorite he mowed down the extra distance and 11 foes and is in no danger of bouncing from that to beating the likes of Western Fame, his main enemy here. GLAMOROUS PACING The glamour boys of pacing are in full regalia at the Meadows on Saturday, May 4 in three PASS splits worth a bit more than $58,000 each. Division one sends out three of the top frosh money-earners of 2018, headed by Proof from Brian Brown. Along with De Los Cielos Deo (Burke), Proof debuts at three in this nine-horse field. The other in the trio is Sugar Factory, who has one race with no placing. The “now” colt is Prince Of Tides, who we nabbed last week at the Meadowlands for double digits in the “Wiggle It” final. Two others, mild earners last year, have each won a race thus far. Proof may be the best and most likely the favorite but his soph ability is yet to be displayed. Prince Of Tides will get decent support as well, driving his price down. This leaves us with Loutenant, a Sweet Lou product with two races under his saddle belt and no placings. He may be the best of Burke’s duo and if he can prove that here, where no handicapper can safely predict improved performance or the strength of past performance, a rare high price on a Burke winner is possible. In the second PASS split, Brown sends two for their soph debuts headed by Air Force Hanover. The colt made the most of this group at two. How he is accepted remains to be seen. For sure, however, Captain Malicious, one for one and a son of the productive champ Captaintreacherous, will get plenty of support. So will Burke’s Yacht Week, a player at two. A pair in this field has won some races, though not at the PASS level. Wild Wild Western has won five of eight starts and Revelry has won two or two, leaving arguments about class, per se, since the soph season is so young. Where does this leave the bettor? Given the spread of probable support for those mentioned, Yacht Week could be the bargain bet, going off higher than his chances. Could Burke horses pay well in two of these affairs? Why not? In the last of the PASS colt trials, the top frosh earner was Love Me Some Lou, another from the sire Sweet Lou. He is one for one and yet the crowd could wander to Captain Hill, five for six in the money (two wins) and a strong representative of sire Captaintreacherous for Paul Corey. Burke’s duo here include another by sire “Captain,” Captain Victorious, in his debut at three. Also, Brown’s Caviart Stetson has yet to be beaten in two races. Where is the overlay? It is hard to tell as we write, so we hope it will be Captain Victorious. He is the second highest earner at two racing in this field and maybe the crowd will shy from his first race at three, giving us a price we may never get again if he turns out to be very good from here on. TITAN TROTTERS The 1-1/8 miles Arthur Cutler Memorial is a dozen stalwart older trotters opening a long season. The purse is $175,000 at the home of the race created by Meadowlands’ owner Jeff Gural for his late friend. The cast is a ton of trotting talent, including the season’s debut for Cruzado Dela Noche and Guardian Angel AS. Others already back but beginning the division’s wealthy events include Pinkman, Sortie, Will Take Charge, Yes Mickey and last week’s pick here, Top Flight Angel, who finished second to Pinkman. This is the most difficult race to handicap so far this season and not just in the stakes department. Indeed, when you get to measuring this class of trotter you have to support a scenario that you feel best affords any certain member of the field. We like the one where Top Flight Angel comes off of fast quarters to catch the wire first. This means Pinkman will attempt a trot-away strategy, only to be challenged once or twice or be shuffled back in a raging desire for the engine from X, X and X (you choose them). GRADUATE GUYS Two $50,000 divisions of the Graduate series for four-year-old pacers are also on the Meadowlands program May 4. The distance is 1 1/8 miles. The first division will be highlighted by the return of Lather Up and Dorsoduro Hanover, former soph foes now in the ranks of the wider, stronger older pacing division. The come-off-the-pace scenario works well here, especially for The Downtown Bus. Hot off the Levy series, Jeff Gillis’ rowdy pacer will leave from the second tier. The two new four-year-olds will be gunning, perhaps with a duel ensuing along the way. Captain Deo, certainly a short price here, will have some traffic to battle when the closing counts (unless he, too, wastes the first two panels. The Downtown Bus should be able to kick back most the way and swing around the cooling speed dogs to make a path that will wind up faster than he can race under any other circumstances. Following “Bus” for late glory should be Heavenly Sound, who made up lots of ground aggressively to get third last week at 17-1. Round two also offers a dozen big boys, including the new men on the block, first and foremost Courtley Choice, then Done Well, American History and Thinkbig Dreambig. We have to let all new members of the division get a race in, especially an extra-distance race, and look at the “now” horse for value. That status falls upon Chris Ryder’s I’m A Big Deal. Last week, Ryder’s pacer was super against a strong conditioned field and should not be tossed for the step up here. I’m A Big Deal was headed at the half and had no trouble turning the threat into another reason to pace harder. It may have cost him a step but he looked terrific holding on to the lead to make it wire to wire as the favorite. 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 5/3/19, Keystone Apache R3; Holla At Ur Boy R4; All This Commotion R6; Kings Treasure R9 5/4/19, Back To Motown R8 Flamboro 5/2/19, Better Earl R1; Sin For Credit R7; Tuxedo R9; Honor Roll R10 Freehold 5/4/19, Power Dreaming N R2; Mike’s Powerhouse R8 Harrington 5/6/19, +Bobbies Power Play R4 Hawthorne 5/3/19, Lilac Laurey R3; Windsun Brooklyn R4; Fox Valley Hijinx R7 Hoosier 5/2/19, ER Sam R9; Voom Or Bang R10; +Dontcloseyoureyes ae R13 5/3/19, +Elite Awards R2; +Stratham R8; +Just N Ace R8; +Freaky Feet Pete R10; Manhattan Beach R13 Meadowlands 5/3/19, Halliama R1; Warrawee Shipshape R6; Betterthanbrie R8 5/4/19, +Donttellmeagain R5 Meadows 5/4/19, Spectrum R1; Cool Your Heels R2; +Doctor Jimmy R7; Character Art R9; Reggie Raider R11 Miami 5/3/19, +Jimtastic R5 5/4/19, +DI’s Big Elvis R8 Mohawk 5/2/19, Kickin Cowgirl R1; Sauble Delightful R5 Monticello 5/2/19, +Somkinda Hanover R$4; Chappy Hour R6 Northfield 5/4/19, +Scoot-n-nya R4; Johnny G’s Star R7; Love Forbidden R10; Miss Defiance R12 Northville 5/3/19, Calm As Can Be R4; Crystal Rei R9 5/4/19, +Stoneborough R1 Philly 5/2/19, MVP Hanover R4; Shared Interest A R7 5/4/19, +Don’t Think Twice A R6; +Apple Bottom Jeans R6 Plainridge 5/2/19, Tease Hanover R3 5/3/19, +BJ Rowdy R1; Dancin Yin R3; Ugly Stik R10; +Guiltywithanexcuse R10 Pocono 5/4/19, +Pier Ho Exotic R5; +Dontcallmefrancis R8 5/5/19, +One To Draw To R5; Crazycat R8 Saratoga 5/2/19, +Autumn Estelle R10 Scarborough 5/4/19, Mister’s Daughter R2; Emperor Montana N R4; Southwind Rex R6 Vernon 5/3/19, Painite R2; Island Adventure R4; Friskey Joe R9 5/4/19, Brady B Brave R1 Western Fair 5/3/19, Puddin Pye R5; Eataams Trauma R8 Yonkers 5/2/19, Donna Victoria R2; Burning Midnight R3 5/3/19, +Doctor Butch R6 5/4/19, Wind Blast R2; +Tact Tate N R3 5/6/19, +Blue On Black R1