RACE 1 – (7) HIMSELF N was a very accomplished horse Down Under but just didn’t click in his 5 U.S. starts this
winter – he took two months off, added Lasix, and actually outkicked DESPERATE MAN in his Pocono qualifier –
pretty hard to NOT go with him tonight. (5) LYRICAL GENIUS returns to YR showing a mixed bag of starts out of
town – if he brings one of his better efforts, he’ll have a good chance to grab a decent chunk. (2) MARLBANK RO
AD caught a soft bunch last week and easily just outran ‘em – steps up a notch, but can grab a good piece against
these too. (1) DEMPSEY HANOVER was scratched lame here on 2/5 then had to be pulled up on 4/18 – he came
back to re-qualify at PcD a couple of weeks ago, and he has to be considered iffy (at best) right now. (3) CURBSIDE
PICKUP squandered a perfect trip last week, managing only a 4th – needs to find more to have a bigger impact here.
(4) PINK FLOYD HANOVER, like most of his barnmates, picks up a LOT more 2nds and 3rds than wins – always
ok to throw in underneath. (6) GLACIS figures to be coming from last – tough spot.
RACE 2 – (2) THAT DOG WILL HUNT had been knocking on the door in several recent starts and finally put it all
together with last week’s sharp front end score – he goes for another new barn tonight, but remains the one to knock
off. (4) FADE TO LIGHT had Post 7 off a bad date last week but was “sneaky sharp”, finishing with pace from an
impossible spot – decent value horse to consider as he moves inside while dropping right back in the box. (5) ON
DAYBOO debuted for the Dynamic Duo last week and raced well for 4th, despite a less than stellar trip – another
worth a look as he could be even sharper the 2nd time around. (3) URIEL BLUE CHIP definitely disappoints more
often than he delivers, often at short prices – not impossible, but better value with a couple of others. (6) HIGH ON
ROCKNROLL gave it a good try when 3rd last week, but he moves from the rail to Post 6 and he’s pretty camera
shy, in general – ok to use underneath. (1) HURRIKANE CHUCK gets a better draw, but has struggled in 2024.
RACE 3 – (5) CAPTAIN BATBOY is 2 for 2 at Yonkers, and that includes a sharp win in last year’s Messenger
Stakes – he’s been plagued by inconsistency, and his last start (at Chester) was obviously less than stellar...but we’ll
look for him to perk up quickly returning to YR, and reuniting with Stratton. (6) BLANK STARE is used to facing
(and beating) better – gets the worst of the draw, but still figures to be a handful if the top choice fails to deliver. (4)
MIND HUNTER has some good tries vs. better but he’s also 0 for 13 this year, and just 1 for 15 at Yonkers (over the
past 2 years) – still belongs in exotics, though. (2) BEEBEETEE had a few decent starts here earlier this year and
should be able to grab a small slice of this. (1) FOREVER FAV has struggled all year, managing just one 3rd from
11 starts – still waiting for any signs of life! (3) ICARUS FALLS N was distanced in his first start of 2024 – pass.
RACE 4 – (5) ITS A ME MARIO bypassed the pocket and took command from DUNKIN last week, holding that
one off to the wire to bring his 2024 record up to 9-7-2-0 – he benefits from drawing inside that foe tonight and
while there are other good horses in here as well, he still deserves top billing. (4) NAUTICAL HANOVER has been
solid in almost all of his starts this year, and was flying at the end of the mile last week – not sure what trip he’ll land
on tonight, but he can add some value to the exotics if it’s a good one. (3) PLEASELETMEKNOW hasn’t had any
“huge” tries yet this year but he hit board in all of his Borgata legs and rallied for 3rd in the Consolation – the classy
5YO has missed 30 days, however, and even his very talented trainer may have a hard time having him ready to
WIN off that kind if layoff. (6) DUNKIN inexplicably failed to seat ITS A ME MARIO behind him last week and
that may very well have cost him a victory (missed by a shrinking neck) – he’s as good as any of these, but the draw
may compromise his chances a bit tonight. (1) NIGHT HAWK has been sharp all year long, and should land on
another good trip from this spot – he does feel a notch below the top ones, however. (2) EVER HOPING A is a solid
performer but may find this crew a bit tougher than he’d like.
RACE 5 – (2) THRASHER isn’t blessed with a ton of early speed so these inside draws are very helpful for him –
he’s always very popular at the claim box and debuts tonight for a barn that seems to be coming out of some recent
doldrums...we’ll give him the edge. (3) MIGHTY SANTANA N came up short last week but may not have liked
chasing the hot pace – he’s pretty reliable against these types, and could land somewhere on the ticket. (7) UP THE
CREEK gets a terrible draw but he’s sharp right now, and that 10-1 ML price does give him some appeal – worth a
look. (1) HURRIKANEKINGJAMES picked up a long overdue victory last week – not sure it merited a class bump
to 40s, but the rail draw helps and he should be able to be in the mix. (6) SAN DOMINO A was surprisingly NOT
aggressive last week, leading to a tougher first over trip (and 3rd place finish) – gets a tough draw for tonight, and
that may limit him to a smaller share. (5) MOVIN ON UP was claimed for $60K on 4/1, making tonight’s sizeable
drop to 40s highly suspicious – wouldn’t want to take a short price with that red flag. (8) NOME HANOVER
couldn’t hang on vs. easier after cutting the mile last week, and now lands Post 8. (4) HEISMAN PLAYER seems
very ambitiously placed for the $40K tag.
RACE 6 – Tough race! (2) GREG THE LEG got caught in a “Bartlett/Bongiorno sandwich” early on last week,
resulting in a tough first over trip – he was still a very game 3rd, and goes back to Zeron for tonight (who steered him
to victory, vs. cheaper, 2 starts back) – maybe the trip can go HIS way tonight, and he can come out on top. (1) JUST
BET IT ALL worked out a two hole trip for himself last week (va. #3) and parlayed it into victory – steps up a
notch, but another easy trip could help him take another. (5) ROCK THE BELLES just missed in 3 of his last 4
starts and was parked the mile from Post 8 in the other – gets his best draw in a while, and looms a very legitimate
threat. (3) ROLLING WITH SAM shipped in off a field-circling win at Tioga and was just as sharp here, charging
home off a perfect trip to make it 2 in a row– add him to the list of possible winners (with the right journey) (4)
ULTIMAROCA flew home for 3rd last time but in a race where the front end caved badly – he’s capable of being
right there on his best effort, but he’s also not the most consistent horse around. (6) BENHOPE RULZ N gets a pass
for his last as he was caught behind a stopper – his overall current form is excellent, and the only real knock is the
draw. (7) VENIER HANOVER and (8) GROOVY JOE would both need things to really fall apart to reach from all
the way outside.
RACE 7 – (6) VENTURESOME ARDEN N had some early trouble last week then ended up in a bad spot, finishing
in stretch traffic with no real chance – he goes back to Bartlett tonight, and the pair recently hooked up for wins in
the 5th Borgata leg, as well as the consolation – we’ll stay on their team tonight. (1) EUPHORIA N finished full of
pace 2 back, then lacked room in his last – he’s looking at a good trip from this spot, and could land somewhere in
the exotics. (4) THIS IS THE PLAN can’t “bring it” every week at his point in his career, but the triple millionaire
can still deliver some sharp efforts (see last week’s victory in PA) – always a threat, but hard to take at short prices.
(7) BURNHAM BOY N is razor sharp for a barn that’s been scorching hot but it’s hard to see him landing on any
kind of decent trip from this spot – maybe he can still find a way to grab a small piece? (5) SANTANA HANOVER
is yet another sharp player in here, but MAY prefer to be facing a little easier – a good trip would help his chances to
land a share. (3) KOMODO BEACH has been unreliable for sure, but has come up with a couple of sharp efforts
this year – leaning more towards the more consistent types in here. (2) WALKINSHAW N was no factor last week
(off the bad date) and may need to be in a little easier, regardless.
RACE 8 – (1) TWIN B HEART THROB beat a NW20000 field not long ago and just 2 starts back went a BIG mile
in NW15000, taking a tough beat on the wire (collared by a razor sharp LOUS SWEETREVENGE) – should be a
big threat with the class drop, and the rail. (2) BRUTALLYHANDSOME N has been sharp with cheaper in NJ but
this level should still be comfortable for him – worth a look if the price is right. (5) HUNTING ZONE was caught in
a terrible spot last week and just had no prayer – he’s gone several big miles this year, and a live trip could put him
right there at the wire. (6) SAILBOAT HANOVER just didn’t fire 2 back but he does deserve a pass for his last
(caught in the back chasing a sizzling 1:51 mile) – on his best, he can do some serious damage here...but even then,
he’ll need to find a way to overcome the draw. (8) SEMI TOUGH is the “best horse” in here, but he’s also in danger
of landing on a pretty rough trip from Post 8 – be careful before accepting any kind of short price on top. (3) GOOD
INVESTMENT comes into this off a pair of first over victories but vs. much easier – has a lot to prove against these
types. (4) DELIGHTFUL DUDE N does have back class, but he also seems to need a bit easier these days – leaning
towards others (7) ALEX TYE has come up with some big time form reversals this year, but this is an unlikely spot.
RACE 9 – Tough race: (6) KINGSVILLE has turned in a trio of very sharp tries, only to come up just short each
time – certainly not an ideal post for tonight, but still worth a play if the price is fair. (1) METAL MAN was in tough
spots in both 2024 starts but now moves all the way inside – look for a big effort tonight. (2) DEETZY hasn’t been
the same winning machine in 2024 that he was in ’23, but he’s still a pretty nice horse – came up 2nd best in his last
pair, and would be no real surprise tonight. (7) CADILLAC BAYAMA used a fast start to work out a great trip last
week, and parlayed it into victory (over #6) – tougher spot here, but still sharp enough to be worth a look if the price
is good enough. (4) LEVINE is still winless on the year despite racing well in most of his starts – remains a very
viable horse to use underneath. (5) PURPLE POET used an inside trip to pick up 3rd at a big price last time – still
playable for 3rd/4th at what figures to be another good price. (3) CAPTAIN FANCY gets post relief but may not be
sharp enough right now to take advantage. (8) PETER PETRIFY N lands in a brutal spot for his Hilltop debut.