Monday Empire Report

soaofny • October 31, 2022

The Empire Report - Monday, October 31, 2022 - Race Analysis

RACE 1 - Good opener! (4) MARLBANK ROAD was having a pretty "meh" kind of year before picking

up sharp front end scores in his last 2 starts - he steps up to face tougher once again, but the main players in

here do have some question marks, and this guy is obviously feeling good right now - maybe he can make

it 3 in a row? (1) WICHITA LINEMAN didn't look all that great when he dropped down to 50s three back

(finished 3rd) and was claimed that night - he was empty in his next, but did come up with a much better

effort when a close 3rd last week - could be very dangerous from this spot if close to 100%, but he does

figure to be overbet. (8) LEVINE charged home to almost win from last in his first try off the qualifier 2

back, then was 2nd best last week after sitting the pocket to a sharp one - if Zeron can get him into play

without using him too hard, he could prove to be a very live longshot tonight. (2) SHANWAY N is off 3

weeks and may prefer to be in a little cheaper but he's good enough to be a player from this spot, especially

if a couple of others don't bring their best. (5) MYSWEETBOYMAX reminded us how good he can be

when "in the mood" 2 back, but also reminded us the very next week about how unreliable he's been all

year - possibility, but not worth a short price. (6) JB MAUNEY N is just 1 for 11 at YR this year and draws

poorly returning from PcD- maybe he can grab a minor piece? (3) AIR GUITAR was a "trip 2nd" last week

vs. cheaper, but seems a bit overmatched against these. (7) LIKE CLOCKWORK fits well enough, but also

figures to have a hard time getting involved from out here.


RACE 2 - (4) BRACKLEY BEACH saw his 2 race winning streak snapped last week when 2nd best to

SOUTHWIND ONYX - he was claimed that night by connections that returned to the scene recently and

transformed SAILBOAT HANOVER into an absolute beast...so we'll see if they can do the same for this

guy. (1) SOUTHWIND ONYX was a sharp front end winner last week (over #4) for a trainer/driver combo

that has been heating up lately - would be no surprise if he was able to take another from this spot. (2) KEN

RICK N took 3 of 4 before a tough 8 hole trip (up in class) slowed him down a bit last week - gets major

post relief here, and could be a much bigger player as a result. (6) SULLIVAN usually doesn't like the lead

so that last effort was actually pretty good - his overall form has been excellent and while the 19 days off

could be an issue, he's still worth including in exotics at that 15-1 M price. (3) REAL LUCKY N has 7 wins

here this year but he goes for a new barn tonight (off a sick scratch) so he's definitely a bit iffy - can be a

player if he's 100% for tonight. (7) ROLL WITH JR can be a solid 30 when right, and does land in a top

barn after last week's claim - hard to say if he'll be able to overcome the draw, however. (8) LYONS

JOHNNYJNR hit board in 4 of 6 since arriving from Canada but may be tailing a bit, and the poor draw

may offset the class drop he's getting - maybe he can pick up a minor piece? (5) OHOKA JOHNNY N has

been good at the Maine Fairs, but did struggle here for most of 2021 - prefer others.


RACE 3 - (5) SHERIFF N has won 9 of 19 local starts this year including his last 2 - he was quickly

reclaimed last week by a barn that he's thrived for, and his usual big effort is expected for tonight - the one

to beat. (1) MACINTOSH N is still doing good work at age 13, and has already gone over $106K this year

- he came up 2nd best to the top choice last week, draws another rail and may prove to be the main danger

once again. (3) CAVIART SARGENT reverted to his preferred off the pace tactics last week and was able

to charge home to beat the 40s - moves up another notch to take on the 50s tonight, but he's sharp enough to

be a player here too. (6) GENTLEMANJIM II IE came up 2nd best in his last pair to two sharp winners,

and is definitely on his game right now - he gets no luck with the draw, however, and will need some trip

luck to be a threat from Post 6....would still include in exotics if the price is right. (2) BLUEBIRD RECON

came up a little bit flat 2 back then was scratched sick from his last - hard to know how close to 100% he'll

be tonight after missing 3 weeks. (4) MOONLIGHT SHADOW was able to cash in dropping to 40s two

back but hasn't clicked in a pair of starts at the $50K level since then (for a new barn)- needs to find a better

effort. (7) LONG WEEKEND A and (8) MANKAT can be players in this class from good spots, but both

figure to struggle tonight thanks to the unkind draws.


RACE 4 - (2) NOWHERE CREEK A only got beat by about 3 lengths last week despite sitting last while

racing off 3 weeks (sick scratch) - this is a pretty wide open race, and he'll likely be the best price of the

main contenders...and that makes him worth using. (6) ILL DRINK TO THAT was racing off 39 days in his

last start at Chester and that mile should have him ready for business tonight - he's beaten better than these

here in the past, and will be very dangerous if Siegelman can work out a good trip for him. (1) SAVE ME A

DANCE has struggled since returning off the layoff in late August but he did turn in that front end victory

(vs. better) 3 starts down - can't rule out the possibility of a similar wake up call for tonight. (4) ALWAYS

ROCKIN ships in from Hoosier and is a little hard to gauge class-wise - seems like he belongs on your

tickets, but also figures to be overbet against a few pretty classy rivals. (3) HEISMAN PLAYER has been

in and out lately (more "out" than "in") and would need to really find his best for a shot to beat these - a

minor award seems far more likely. (8) WALKINSHAW N figures to be sitting too far back to rally for

anything more than a very small piece - wait for a better spot. (5) REAGAN BLUE CHIP was a pocket

winner vs. much easier last week, but figures to struggle against this much tougher crew. (7) HICKF

ROMFRENCHLICK wired a NW7500 field 2 back but draws Post 7 off 3 weeks against much better now.


RACE 5 - Tough race: (3) SEMI TOUGH drops out of the Open and down to the level where he recently

picked up an easy win, and hard used 3rd from Post 7 - we'll give him top billing, but he's just a little too

unreliable to accept a very short price in a very competitive field. (8) SPEED MAN N should be pretty tight

with 3 starts since the layoff and has several wins vs. Open company this year - IF Zeron sends him out of

there, he'll have a shot to pull off an upset tonight...but that's a BIG "if". (1) ALWAYS AND AGAIN is

having a strong 2022 season and could be looking at a very good trip from this spot - might be a little on

the cheaper side, but the right trip could make him a legitimate threat. (6) CARLISIMO didn't fire his best

shot in his last start (in the Open), but was very sharp for weeks prior to that - looks pretty tempting at that

12-1 ML price. (4) BENHOPE RULZ N continues to climb the class ladder thanks to a long run of sharp

efforts - not sure he's classy enough to beat this tough group, but his fine form makes him reasonable to at

least consider. (5) PEACE OUT POSSE was a very sharp in last week's front end score and can handle a

variety of trips - another one stepping up that's worth a look if the price is juicy enough (2) PACE N PRIDE

N was really good 3 back, just "ok" in his next then no good at all last week- just too many other sharp ones

to look his way this week. (7) THE REAL ONE is listed at 20-1 ML and will be coming from last....he's

also dropping from the Open, and not impossible IF things get wild up front.


RACE 6 - (5) L DEES JACK LOPEZ went a big first over mile 2 back only to get nipped late by the razor

sharp, better-trip winner - he was very good again last week, raging with pace in a fast mile but never

finding the room he needed up the cones for a chance at the victory - he's in career form right now, and may

be able to pull off the upset. (4) ROLLING WITH SAM showed life dropping to this level 2 back, then was

a pretty easy winner vs. a bit cheaper in last - the step back up shouldn't bother him, and he has a decent

chance to pick up another win. (1) ROCK CANDY has had a pretty inconsistent year, but he's beaten even

better than these when on his game - qualified back nicely off a 2 month break, draws the pole with Bartlett

and could be a serious threat. (6) PRETTY HANDSOME is another that's capable of big miles, but who has

been plagued by some inconsistency - tough spot even if on his best game tonight, so make sure to get a

good price if using him on top. (2) HES ELECTRIC has been pretty good for a while now, and has even

remembered how to win races at Yonkers - not sure he can beat a few of these, but an easy trip could easily

land him somewhere in the exotics. (3) BELTANE A seemed a little off form even before last week's major

dud - would need a major wake up call tonight to be anything more than a minor threat. (7) UNCLE JORD

A disappointed after grabbing a pocket trip last week and may just prefer to race from off the pace - he'll

likely get that opportunity tonight, but may find himself too far back to really threaten. (8) SARANAC

BLUE CHIP turned in a big one last week, even if helped by a very slow half, and no traffic on the rim -

he'll be hard pressed to replicate that effort from this tough spot.


RACE 7 - (1) CHANGE STRIDE N perked up with a nice 3rd dropping down to 50s three back - dropped

to 40s after that and was sharp the last 2 weeks, picking up hard used 2nds each time - maybe the 3rd time's

the charm? (5) MACH DORO A can be a little in and out but he's still managed to pick up 9 victories here

over the past 2 years - drops a notch to 40s tonight, and he'll be a very dangerous player if he brings his best

game. (3) TOWNLINE ALL GOOD has raced well from tough spots in most of his starts since the 9/2

claim, oddly enough coming up short the one time he actually left the gate and landed on a two hole trip -

he may just prefer to race from off the pace, and he definitely appears to have a better chance tonight than

his 9-1 ML price might suggest. (4) AMERICAN BOY N was a winner 5 starts back but really landed on a

perfect trip that night - he's done little since then, but he moves inside and his barn seems to be heating up a

bit - would hardly be a surprise. (7) BENJIS BEST really disappointed as the odds on choice dropping to

40s two back, but did finish alertly for 4th from well back last week - definitely prefer a few of his inside

rivals tonight, but would hardly be shocked if he was able to improve enough to take this (2) ASTON HILL

DAVE hasn't been bad, but does seem to need a bit easier right now to be a serious player - we'll see if the

move inside helps here. (8) LATE MAIL N draws poorly yet again - wait for a (much) better spot.


RACE 8 - (2) NANDOLO N was a little disappointing when he came up 2nd best in this class two back (at

1/5), but winner BUDDY HILL came back to race well twice in the Open since then - not ready to call him

a cinch in here, but he's definitely the one to knock off. (4) DON DOMINGO N has been razor sharp for a

long time, and even held his own in the Open last week - he can handle any trip, and owns several upset

wins since August - chance to grab another? (1) FOREVER FAV has struggled to WIN races this year but

last week's 2nd place finish did put him over the $100K mark for the season - he's looking at a good trip

from this spot, and a spot in the exotics is well within reach. (3) PYRO was a game front end winner 2 back

and fought hard a long way before grudgingly weakening to 3rd last week - another with a solid chance at a

board spot. (6) ROCKAPELO really wasn't bad at all last week racing off the layoff - don't really see him

threatening for a top slot in here but he may be able to pick up a small piece with an easy trip (8) FORTIFY

is 9-3-3-2 here this year but note that the one off-the-board finish was when he drew Post 8 (two starts

back) - guessing he'll be handled conservatively here, leaving him in a tough spot. (5) SHADOW CAT

generally prefers to be in a little easier - will need an easy trip just for a chance at a minor share. (7) WIND

SUN RICKY has been away for 3 weeks and lands Post 7 - will look at him in NW20000 next week.


RACE 9 - (3) SMOKIN BY N has been very consistent for the past 5 weeks (once his current barn got him

figured out) - faces a solid field of 75s tonight, but his overall recent form earns him the narrow nod. (1)

MIKEY CAMDEN had to take back to 7th last week and never had a prayer - he's a different horse when

close to the lead and that's where he figures to be tonight - look for a strong effort here. (5) BARBADOS

was beyond sharp for weeks but took a month and half off after just missing on 9/5 - hard to know if there

was some issue to cause the layoff, or if the 100s just didn't fill, and they had no class to race him in - the "x

factor" for tonight! (6) MACH N CHEESE continues to outrace his odds most weeks - lands yet another 6

hole, but "first time Bartlett" has been a potent angle this year - good value horse to consider. (2) OUR

CORELLI N was on a nice roll before coming up a bit flat last week - hard to know if that was just a blip

or if he's ready to go the other way, and seeing a new trainer listed just adds some more question marks -

tough call. (4) THE REGULATOR was very sharp for a few starts but just didn't even function last week -

there was a time when horses were forced to re-qualify after a mile like that, but now the public can only

GUESS about the horse's current fitness....suppose the fact that he's right back in the box is a positive sign.

(7) WHITECOOKIE was a dead game front end winner returning from PA 2 back but fell apart in the lane

last week despite a :57.4 opening half- another one that's tough to predict for tonight (8) B LIKE CRUISER

is very good right now, blocked with pace 2 back, then a solid 2nd last week - Boyd will have to find a way

to overcome Post 8 tonight, however.


RACE 10 - (2) PURPLE POET ships in very sharp from Pocono, lands in a very high % barn and gets

Bartlett at the controls - we'll give him a shot to handle the locals. (3) ARTIST BEST may have gotten too

hot last week, and hurt his chances significantly - he has plenty of good starts recently, and may be able to

rebound tonight at a nice price...use in exotics. (1) ONE OFF DELIGHT A lagged at the back all the way

last week but grabbed a pair of 2nds just prior to that - look for a big rebound mile tonight with the move

inside. (4) TIN ROOF RAIDER A hasn't done much winning this year but he picks up his fair share of

pieces - ok to include underneath. (5) ALOTBETTOR N has been good for several starts, but does draw

outside a few of his main rivals - may have to settle for a smaller piece tonight. (6) MARCO BEACH had a

couple of rough outings but quickly righted the ship, and comes into tonight off a 2nd and a win - would

have been rated higher up if not for the tough post. (7) GINGER TREE PETE is good right now, but just

may have too far to come with the move back outside. (8) PROVOCATIVEPRINCEN will be hard pressed

to work out a manageable trip from out here.

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