On the weekend of North
America’s richest race for pacers, the trotters are prepping in the Earl Beal
Memorial eliminations at Pocono and the finals of the Elegant Image and
Goodtimes at Mohawk.
The $530,000 Elegant Image
draws an all-star group of sophomore gals on Saturday, June 16.
Check Me Out (H-Donato
Hanover) is absolutely the best horse in this field. Unless luck does not ride
with her she will romp yet again and prove she can take the boys in the
$1.5-million Hambletonian. Also eligible in the final are On The Bright Side
(H-Cantab Hall), Win Missy B (H-Conway Hall), Maven (H-Glidemaster), Sand
Violent Blue (H-Tom Ridge), Superstar Hanover (H-Cantab Hall), Valdonna
(H-Andover Hall), Miss Paris (H-Kadabra) and Personal Style (H-Yankee Glide).
Anybody can tell you that
Check Me Out is a great key, so here are some ideas for exotic wagers. With
their outside posts, Miss Paris and Personal Style are the two best bets to
complete the triactor (crisscross them in second and third positions).
Miss Paris was closing late
in her elimination to pass Win Missy B and finish second to Maven. She should
be able to close once again from post 9 and pump up the triactor price.
Personal Style loves to
close. Its how she won the New Jersey Sires Stakes and how she was runner-up to
Check Me Out. If the pace is fast or slow, I guarantee she’ll be in the top
three.
The Goodtimes has a final
on Saturday and a consolation on Friday, June 15.
The eligibles in the
$50,000 consolation are Littlejack Hanover (H-Donato Hanover), Midfield Magic
(H-Kadabra) and Southwind Warsaw (H-Chocolatier).
The consolation seems to be
the race where non-eligibles have the best shot. Reckon Im Ready trotted a game
mile in his elimination but came up short after the closers got to him. He took
the lead and held it till the half, where he dueled with Beer Summit (H-Cantab
Hall). He faded and finished seventh by 8 lengths. As long as he gets a better
trip, he’ll be fine.
The $351,000 Goodtimes
final looks to be the most competitive in the last couple of years. Eligible in
this race are Lindys Jersey Boy (H-Cantab Hall), Il Mago (H-Kadabra), Knows
Nothing (H-Kadabra), Market Share (H-Revenue S), Scary Good (H-Cantab Hall),
Beer Summit, Guccio (H-Yankee Glide) and Gym Tan Laundry (H-Yankee Glide).
The two elimination
winners, Market Share and Knows Nothing, are the likely two to receive
favoritism. Guccio and Beer Summit will look for redemption after finishing
second in their eliminations.
Guccio trotted a game first
over mile to come up short in the stretch and Knows Nothing took that
elimination. If Guccio can get cover or a pocket trip, he’s an easy winner.
Beer Summit went first over
and brushed to take the lead. He lost it in the stretch to Market Share and
settled for second. He also needs a better trip to triumph in the Canadian
final.
Also for glamour-boy
trotting colts this weekend is the $50,000 Earl Beal Jr. Memorial eliminations
at Pocono Downs. This also attracted some familiar faces.
In the first elim, Modern
Family (H-Cantab Hall), Solvato (H-Donato Hanover), Magic Tonight (H-Andover
Hall), Frost Bites K (H-Broadway Hall), Highland Yankee (H-Muscles Yankee) and
Little Brown Fox (H-Muscles Yankee) are eligible for the August classic.
Frost Bites K will likely
be ignored in this elimination. He romped in the Currier & Ives at the
Meadows in his last start. Although it was a field of nobodies, he still showed
much talent in that mile. He has not been getting the respect he deserves
lately, so he should be equally as good this week and an overlay to boot.
The second elimination
features a lot of very classy glamour boys. Eligible in this elim are Stormin
Normand (H-Broadway Hall), Lightning Storm (H-Donato Hanover), My Mvp (H-Cantab
Hall), Uncle Peter (H-Cantab Hall), Money On My Mind (H-Cantab Hall), Dandover
(H-Donato Hanover) and Nothing But Class (H-Andover Hall).
Uncle Peter is the likely
favorite. Stormin Normand and My Mvp will give him a race for the money.
Stormin Normand was second to Uncle Peter in the Pennsylvania Sires Stakes a
while back. If he gets the right trip, he’ll be able to pass Uncle Peter at the
wire.
My Mvp won a Pennsylvania
Sires Stake, beating Goodtimes hopeful Beer Summit. If he gets a perfect trip,
there will be spoils for the choices in this elim.
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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