Thursday, May 31, 2012

Battles over each borders for soph trotters

H = Hambletonian eligible.

As June dawns, a few major events host glamour boy and girl trotters, many pumping for the August classics. At Mohawk on June 1, two divisions of the Casual Breeze host fillies.

Back in America that same day, a pair of elims for each sex will set the fields for the lucrative Empire Breeders Classics (EBC) next week at Vernon Downs.

New Jersey Sires Stakes finals at the Meadowlands are the features Saturday, June 2.

In the first Casual Breeze division, worth $79,519, Win Missy B (H-Conway Hall) looks to bowl over this group in her debut at three. However, more interesting to us is the return of Miss Paris (H-Kadabra), who we successfully tabbed at two.

Miss Paris looks ready to show her age, so to speak, and her maturity after a strong qualifier at the Meadowlands. She is blue-blooded material and should be a major player this season. Why she is 7-1 on the morning line is a mystery but a joy if it comes true.

The second split, worth $81,020, suggests a three-way favorite pool featuring Idonette (H-Donato Hanover), Lovely Vacation and Frisky Strike (H-Striking Sahbra). However, if Idonette is offered as the third choice of this trio, value is blossoming.

We gave you her when she won at the Meadows and there is no reason she will let up from that kind of performance here. She is quite a classy character and her Meadows win was quite impressive, no less compared to the efforts of this group thus far.

At Vernon, the EBC elims are only worth $12,500 each but they are worth the effort to get into the lucrative finals the following week.

In the first colt division, No Frosting (H-Credit Winner) will settle for second or third choice to Flyhawk Jester (H-RC Royalty) and that would make him the bet. Don’t worry about his speed offerings, they are moot at this point; he deserves the respect to improve and we would like to cash in on that before the public joins the club. (Getting George Brennan in the bike is a strong plus, though it may affect the odds.)

The second split is one tough affair. Delano (H-Credit Winner) is the default favorite but by no means a trot-away winner here. Coraggioso (H-Conway Hall) may not get the respect he deserves and topple the field. He has to contend with more than Delano, however, with Southwind Austin (H-Conway Hall), Archangel (H-Credit Winner) and Royal Shyster (H-RC Royalty) impossible to dismiss. 

In the filly elims, Anandamile (H-Credit Winner) scored with power in her state-bred outing at Saratoga and needs a lot of attention here, certainly at her morning-line offering.

The second elim for the gals may also produce a bargain bet in Cowgirl Hall (H-Cash Hall). She is on a specific roll and can make this a romp.

Saturday’s NJSS finals at the Meadowlands are each worth $150,000. The colt’s division is an early test of much talent, with a field of 10 strong cases.

Barring any breaks, this mile could require a bit of shuffling, as a premium may be placed on the speed factor. Which of these guys does not want the lead as a tool to win? Value-wise, it seems obvious that Gym Tan Laundry (H-Yankee Glide) strikes a betting position, which is good (10-1 morning line), especially since he could be the one to take advantage of shuffling and speed duels, should they ensue. That is the best scenario for taking on this group in a mile that could spark some jumping and traffic. 

The fillies don’t look as competitive as the colts and a score of miscues make it difficult to trust many of them. Still, all things being equal, Vanity Treasure (H-Muscles Yankee) and Sassy Syrinx (H-Yankee Glide) stand out for us.  

The former won last week by only a neck but that doesn’t mean she got lucky. When flat, Vanity Treasure has more talent than luck and is a contender under most circumstances. As for the latter, the lightly raced Sassy Syrinx has proven that she is serious about this season and can put on the gas with square-legged swiftness.  

Get to TwinSpires for wagering all of the great races leading to the Hambletonian and “Oaks” and read all the result stories at Hambletonian Society’s exclusive “trail” section.


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