Wednesday Empire Report

RACE 1 – (2) LADY BLUE JAY paced a strong final 3/8ths in her local return (despite missing a month) then

paced another sharp final half last week, finishing with good pace from an impossible spot (first time Lasix) – she

gets a better draw, avoids ZUMA BEACH, and may be able to deliver an upset if some trip luck comes her way. (3)

PUSSYCAT DOLL GB was a close 3rd in her U.S. debut (in NJ) then a close 2nd here last week – very logical threat

for top connections. (4) IM A BELIEVER had to chase hot fractions in her first start of the year last week and

wasn’t bad at all – she should be tighter now, and a legitimate player here (6) PAIGE PERFECT shows several lines

out of town that suggest she’ll be a good fit with these– the bad draw may limit her to a smaller piece, though. (8)

PLEASE BE YOU has done nothing but promising things in her short career, and comes off a maiden-breaking

victory – she’s also shown no gate speed (so far), and seems a bit vulnerable from this spot as the ML favorite (1)

BE YOUR BEST ships in sharp from Stga. but has likely been facing easier – we’ll see how she stacks up against

the locals. (7) SELI NAS CHOICE gets a terrible draw for her first start of the year – good week to just observe. (5)

COURTSIDE KAREN is another shipping in sharp from Stga, that will get a quick class test tonight.

RACE 2 – (2) HILLOOKIN’s last line doesn’t look all that sharp but he was racing off a long layoff, had a less than

stellar trip, and wasn’t far off finishing 2nd or 3rd – should be tighter now, and could be tough in his 2nd start back. (3)

IHAVEADREAM DE VIE was also making her first start off the year last week and can be forgiven for coming up a

little short in the stretch – eligible to be tighter tonight, and a potentially live player. (5) BAR KEEP DE VIE was

well meant in his last, leaving hard from Post 8 but making a break on the first time – he’ll likely be handled more

conservatively tonight, but that 20-1 ML price does give him some appeal. (6) HL OLMAYA has some ability but

also gets a bad draw with her trainer on board. (7) HIPPIE SHAKE has become a steady player in this class but gets

his first poor draw in a while and that figures to hurt. (1) ACT ACCORDINGLY hails from solid connections but

her 2 qualifiers suggest she may not quite be ready for prime time. (4) WISTERIA HANOVER hadn’t been a

serious threat in some time.

RACE 3 – Well matched field: (7) WOODMERE HARRIET has been racing well start after start, including efforts

vs. better than these – she gets the worst of the draw but may still be able to find a manageable trip...worth a play if

the price is fair. (5) IRIS SEELSTER suddenly found her game in February and has been sharp ever since – she can

handle a variety of trips, and we’ll see if her new pilot can coax another strong mile from her. (2) EBONY LADY

wasn’t at her best when 2nd last week, but her overall form is still solid – she draws inside her main foes, Marohn

stays with her, and she should be in the hunt from start to finish. (6) AT THE HOP has taken 3 of her last 4 starts,

and raced well in the lone loss (too far back) – hard to predict her trip from this spot, but also hard to leave her off

your tickets. (3) BROOKDALE JESSIE is rarely (never?) a threat to win, but her overall form isn’t bad and she’s

always capable of grabbing a small piece, with an easy trip. (4) SUNBURNT is another that seems unlikely for a top

spot, but who could grab a slice if things go her way. (1) VEL IM A WINNER debuts for a barn that’s starting to

win some races again – still think she may be a bit overmatched with the locals, though.

RACE 4 – (3) THRASHER had a new trainer listed in NJ last week, was hammered at the windows despite Post 10

and was able to deliver the victory – he hasn’t had any local success in some time but he catches a very soft field

tonight, and has to be seen as the one to beat...though that even money ML listing assures that he won’t be offering

any value. (1) MIGHTY SANTANA N was a solid 3rd last week and draws the pole tonight – he’s as camera shy as

they come, but he also accumulates a ton of 2nd and 3rds – good chance for another tonight. (2) PRETTY HANDSO

ME had a couple of recent excuses so it was no surprise to see him race much better from the pole last week –

another good draw should put him into play tonight, as well. (4) BARON MICHAEL hasn’t been a threat lately but

a decent draw and Gingras could be enough to help him take home a small piece. (5) DONTTELLMENOW now has

8 local starts and just one 3rd to show for it – needs to be better. (7) MEMPHISTENNESSEE N seems to need an

inside draw to be any kind of player these days. (6) MOONLIGHT SHADOW is really struggling right now.

RACE 5 – (6) ANTOGNONI S is 3 for 4 since coming to the U.S., the lone loss being a 2nd to OPEN trotter

SOUTH WIND COORS – willing to hop right on board for his local debut. (4) PURPLE LORD was 3rd in his only

local try here this year (TIPSY MONI won that race), and he returns from Pocono after hitting board in his last 3

starts – no reason he shouldn’t grab another big piece tonight. (2) NOTTINGHAM got a no-chance drive last week

so don’t hold his 4th place finish against him – a better trip could make him a bigger player. (3) CHIPPER DALE

jogged as the odds-on choice in his last pair, but vs. much softer – may be at least a bit vulnerable stepping up in

class tonight. (5) THE THING IS landed on perfect trips the last 2 weeks and used his late kick to win both times –

he’ll have a tougher time making that rally count against these, though. (7) WIN TOGETHER S had some sneaky

trot finishing from well back last time – ok bomb for 3rd/4th. (1) ENERGY KING seems a bit below a few of the

main players in here – we’ll see if the rail draw can help him take home some minor spoils. (8) DRAW THE LINE

hasn’t found her best form in 2025 and tonight’s draw isn’t going to help her cause.

RACE 6 – (6) BLOCKCHAIN had shown plenty of ability for a 3% barn so it was no surprise to see him sent off at

1/10 last week after moving to the leading barn in the nation...and certainly no surprise to see him dominate the

competition – will be tough to beat at another very short price. (5) FIRST LADY TRIO IT had some success racing

in Italy and qualified nicely at PcD last week – could prove the main danger in her first U.S. start. (1) PAPA JOE

LOZITO was handled aggressively last week and turned in his best performance so far in 2025 – logical player for

exotics tonight. (2) CHASING CRYSTALS used a very easy trip to squeeze out a 2nd last start – another easy trip

could help him land somewhere on the ticket. (3) DEVILLE HILL gets some post relief for his 2nd local try – we’ll

see if that helps him grab a bigger slice. (4) BARN CREDIT came up empty from the final turn in his seasonal

debut. (7) JAKEY JUMPUP draws Post 7 after finishing way back in his seasonal debut last week.

RACE 7 – (2) ROCKINBILLYSDREAM may have beaten the 15s in his local debut but he did it in a way that

suggests he can handle the 20s as well– we’ll give him a shot to repeat for his new barn (4) RECORD YEAR is

riding a 3 race winning streak, and was just re-claimed by a barn he won for back in January – very legitimate threat

to extend his streak tonight. (3) ON THE VIRG has been almost unbeatable in 15s but has struggled to match those

efforts when in for $20K – can’t “love” his chances here, but can’t count him out either. (1) VESPA N’s good efforts

have been sporadic at best – maybe an easy trip from the pole can help him pick up a piece here. (6) IM THE PRIN

CE just hasn’t clicked since being claimed for $30K on 2/10 and drops below that price tonight – feels risky, at best.

(7) STRAIGHT UP COOL had success here in the past but his current out of town form makes him hard to endorse,

especially from Post 7. (5) OZARK struggled in his last 2 PA starts, albeit vs. better – sticking with others. (8) WAR

DAN DELIGHT N seems unlikely to ever get close to the action from out here.

RACE 8 – (2) CRAZY BROTHER came into his last start at Pocono having missed THREE months but still only

lost by a length – he’s won here in the past, and is getting a fairly significant driver change tonight...he’ll likely be

overbet, but still has to get top billing. (6) EUGENIO RL IT made a break on the 2nd turn in his 1st U.S. qualifier but

showed plenty of speed before that miscue, and then after he landed – he added trotting hopples for his last qualifier

at PcD, and behaved in a sharp 1:56.2 victory...could be very dangerous here IF he minds his manners. (3) FAST

APPROACH was a little disappointing last week but he’s 7-1-2-2 here this year and figures to make his presence felt

at some point – belongs in exotics. (4) STOCKHOLM HANOVER picked up 3rds in his last pair and remains

playable underneath. (5) NAUTILUS B was 2nd in her last pair and could grab another piece tonight, if the trip goes

her way. (1) KELLYS GREATEST drops back to an easier level but this is still a strong field – leaning towards

others. (7) GAMING QUEEN failed to impress in her 2 local tries.

RACE 9 – (3) MACH N CHEESE got looped and then parked last week by an ultra-well-meant winner but never

stopped trying, somehow still finishing 4th (and beaten only a couple of lengths) – he’s gone some big recent miles,

his barn remains strong, and he could be a good value play tonight. (1) MUSIC HALL failed to threaten in 2 starts

since moving up to 40s but he had 8 holes both times – he moves all the way inside, and did recently rattle off 3 in a

row – look for a much bigger effort tonight. (5) SCRIBBLERS found untapped gate speed last week (Yannick will

do that!) and looked super delivering an easy front end score – legitimate threat to repeat, though unlikely to catch

‘em off guard this time. (2) ITALIAN LAD N is still winless on the year but usually provides a solid effort– remains

a viable candidate for exotics. (6) KOPI LUWAK was 2nd to #5 last week but wasn’t particularly sharp for his new

barn – tonight’s draw won’t be easy to overcome. (7) MIND HUNTER has been stuck on smaller pieces lately and

could be looking at a similar fate tonight. (8) C BET HANOVER is actually good right now, but faces an uphill

battle trying to reach from out here. (4) MOVIN ON UP used an easy trip to grab 3rd last week – he’ll need to be

sharper if looking for a similar (or better) result tonight.

RACE 10 – Lot of sharp ones in here! (2) KARLOO BRADLEY N had some issue on 2/26 but he re-qualified and

bounced back with a nice 2nd last week – with a few other live players in here, he MAY end up getting a patient

(winning?) trip...at a decent price. (4) LAZ loves to win races and may have done that last week if not for heavy

stretch traffic – he’s another that could benefit from some up front action tonight. (8) SADDLE UP looked like he

may be going a bit sour recently but he quickly turned things back around, and is hitting on all cylinders right now –

major threat, even from Post 8. (1) PRINCE OF TIDES has taken three straight in this class and draws the pole

looking to extend that streak to 4 – other than a possible short price, he’s hard to knock! (3) HAMMERING HANK

disappointed in his last pair but he drops to 30s, and his best effort puts him right in the mix with the others. (5) SAN

DOMINO A pulled off an upset 4 back but he’s probably facing too many good ones in here to pull that off tonight.

Both (7) MASONS DELIGHT N and (6) YNOTTHISHOS would be surprises in this tough field.

RACE 11 – Tough finale: (5) IM J BEE N has been tough to predict from start to start but he wasn’t bad last week,

and catches a suspect field tonight – his chances for an upset go up if the normally unaggressive Buter elects to go

forward at the start. (4) ROCK THIS WAY was no factor for the 3rd straight week last time but did look ok at the end

– if things get a little testy up front, this guy has won his fair share coming from the back. (1) ALOTBETTOR N has

been struggling lately but he’s also been known to reverse form on a dime – he won 21 races here in 2023-24, and

may be in a spot where we should look for a wake up call. (3) GINGER TREE PETE was scratched lame on 2/26

but qualified back just 9 days later – he’s another that likes to win races, and can never be counted out. (2) SMOKIN

BY N was handled aggressively last week but not up for it at all – insist on a good price if looking to give him a

chance to make amends. (7) HELSINKI was sent off at even money off the claim last week but faltered badly vs. the

20s – drops back to 15s here, but that may be offset by the draw. (8) SHAKE IT got good for a few starts but his last

few haven’t been that good – drops, but 8 hole. (6) DEEDENUTO will try it without Lasix tonight, but it seems

unlikely to be the cure that he’s looking for.