Harness Players Newsletter Season Two Vol. 13 presented by Go for Glory Stables
June 6, 2025
We took a week off from the harness players newsletter and podcast after a phenomenal Elitloppet, in which my pick (Humble Brag) Go on Boy, captured the Final for the French again with a sharp turn of speed after a solid elimination. The coverage from Edison Hatter in Sweden was tremendous, tons of sharp ideas on the livestream from Thomas Svensen and Kirsten Peterson that played out in real time two weeks ago.
If you aren’t a fan of Swedish Harness Racing, it is 100% worth checking out, especially for Elitloppet weekend every year at the end of May. The crowds and the excitement at Solvalla are unmatched at any American venue. The pools are huge so you can make a decent bet, and your odds don’t drop to the floor. This is harness racing at the top level, and I highly recommend checking it out.
No spot plays this week, but we have NA Cup Elim previews with Kevin Plowcha. John Rallis joined Ray and me for the podcast this week, and we look at these three-year-olds trying to qualify for the $1 million NA Cup. Many from the Burke barn are looking to build on last year’s phenomenal successes and speed.
I hope you all enjoy the Belmont weekend. Sovereignty again for me…..I know he skipped the Preakness, but he’s the horse to beat.
~Mikee P.
Kevin Plowcha previews the North America Cup Eliminations
Grand Circuit season is upon us! How do I know that? First, it’s June, and second, cards start to pop up like the one happening Saturday at Woodbine Mohawk Park, which features eliminations for the Pepsi North America Cup. 23 were entered for this year’s race, necessitating three eliminations. The top three finishers from each automatically qualify for the final, with a 10th horse being added from the fourth place finishers.
There will be no horse by horse rundown like there was for the Borgata. This time around, we’ll look at the main storylines from each elimination.
Race 4: Elimination 1
Can they beat (#7) Captain Optimistic? Well, probably not, but that speaks to the level of talent that he possesses. He was excellent last season, and I like that he got a race under his belt coming into this elimination. He got beat, sure, but he should step forward in this effort, and he got beat by a horse that already has two wins in the PASS. Overall, this elimination runs through him. So, who else?
The slight second choice on the ML is (#8) Swingtown, but he hasn’t been the most consistent type at this top level yet. That could obviously change this year, and he drew a weak division in my opinion, which helps, but if he misses the final? It wouldn’t shock me. (#2) Bourbon County and (#3) Joel And The Jets are familiar with the Mohawk oval, and could easily run down Swingtown if he’s not at his best. (#4) Fast Choice and (#6) Knockout Round are horses that need to class up, but they’ve danced enough dances to where it doesn’t seem impossible.
Race 7: Elimination 2
This is an extremely deep elimination. (#7) Fallout, your 2-1 ML favorite, got extremely good as last year went on, and has come back with two strong return efforts. He most recently got picked off by Louprint, but he is a wire to wire possibility.
(#6) Sippinonsearoc is another Burke colt with plenty of promise, and the tightener he got in his latest should only help him. I personally had a bias against him because I always wanted Louprint to beat him, but I can’t deny that he is an excellent horse and a top contender in the race and the division.
It’s “prove it” time for (#4) Lite Up The World, no? We know the speed and talent he possesses, and he was favored in the Somebeachsomewhere, but he got picked off in the late stages. He could have some big speed to chase here, but is he good enough? We’ll see. Same can be said about (#5) Crack Shot, who on his best day can win this race. He’s another that could have pace, and a helmet, to chase. (#8) Madden Oaks showed some extremely strong late speed in the Somebeach, but he draws outside now. With only the top three making it, we could see some horses leave who we didn’t expect. This is the deepest division and should play out as such.
Race 9: Elimination 3
The NA Cup runs through (#6) Louprint. I said it, and I’ll say it again. The NA Cup runs through Louprint. He was chasing Fallout who set a soft first half, and he still tracked him down in the late stages. He is an extremely impressive colt that will be tough to beat. (#1) Prince Hal Hanover will take his shot at him, though. He dug in super gamely to fend off a rival in his latest, and I think he’s so much better at three than he was at two. He will be heard from plenty this year and is a very strong candidate to make the final. That leaves… everyone else. (#3) Dandy Ideal comes off a bullet qualifier win and appears to have a lot of speed, but this is a tough test. We’ll see what he’s got. (#2) Making History is interesting given his big closing kick, as is (#5) Courts On Fire if he gets the right trip. Overall, it’s all about Louprint, but others can make their presence felt.
We usually harp on elimination racing overall, but these races are excellent and should provide plenty of action and excitement on Saturday night.
Harness Players’ Podcast | 6/5/25 | 2025 North America Cup Eliminations
In The Money’s Mikee P and Ray Cotolo are joined by harness racing handicapper extraordinaire John Rallis to look at the eliminations for the 2025 Pepsi North America Cup at Woodbine Mohawk Park on Saturday night (June 7). The three also touch on the eliminations of the 2025 Fan Hanover Stakes, 2025 Goodtimes Trot and the 2025 Armbro Flight.
Go For Glory Stable Opportunities…
Check out the Go for Glory Stable YouTube Channel for videos highlighting horses for which they have shares available. This week, Charming Princess was acquired, and Pedro Baez provided two videos to not only give the clients an idea of why she was purchased for the stable, a copy of her racelines and so video of her races, plus the races in which she will have an opportunity for her to earn $ in Ohio.
