Friday Empire Report

soaofny • February 28, 2025

The Empire Report – Friday, February 28, 2025 – Race Analysis

RACE 1 – (4) STREET GOSSIP probably doesn’t win as often as he should be he also faces a bit better most weeks

– there may be several looking to take shots in here, and that may help him if things get a bit testy – one of several

with a chance in tonight’s opener. (1) CAL MILES N SHELL moves up TWO classes tonight but he’s definitely

sharp and draws the pole – not impossible IF he trips out. (5) YANKS DUGOUT is no longer the most reliable

performer but he has a strong local history, hails from the leading barn in the nation and does deserve respect in

here. (6) TUSCAN PRINCE couldn’t make it last on the lead last week but did finish 3rd behind a couple of

millionaires – he’ll need some trip luck from this spot, but a live flow could see him right there at the end (at a good

price). (2) WINDSONG PIONEER was a good 2nd behind the oft-winning TIPSY MONI 2 back, and his overall

form is ok too – he’s another that will rely on the right trip to be a player this week. (7) FERRETTI was handled

more aggressively off the class drop last week and was a good looking winner – he fits with these for sure, but the

draw may leave him looking at a more modest piece tonight. (3) TACHYON has been inconsistent for a barn that

has also been inconsistent to start off 2025 – insist on a big price if using on top. (8) EMBRACE THE FUTURE is

moving up substantially while also drawing Post 8 – that 4-1 ML price seems way too low...even for this team.


RACE 2 – (2) STEALING has been buried with horrible posts (vs. much better) for most of his recent starts – this

certainly feels like a spot where he’ll have a chance to strut his best stuff – we’ll try him tonight. (1) MOHATU AS

had no chance from Post 8 last week but was a close 2nd (from the pocket) 2 back – look for a mile more like that

one tonight. (6) RITSON has definitely fallen well off the form that saw him finish a close 3rd in NW20000 not all

that long ago – he’s eligible to pop off a winning mile at any time down at this level, but we’ll stick with the inside

rivals tonight. (4) PERRON was racing ok with better prior to being scratched injured on 2/13– he’s missed 3 weeks,

but his barn is definitely thriving right now – still, feels iffy at the moment. (3) HOOFBEATS DE VIE shows a dull

qualifier after being away since September (and was 0 for 20 last year). (5) TOWN VICTOR seems absolutely

buried upon arrival from Monticello.


RACE 3 – (4) ULTIMATE SPEED had been struggling for some time before last week’s very impressive victory –

she faces a much tougher field here, but that last mile suggests she may be ready for it – chance to make it 2 in a

row. (5) MAN DONTFORGET ME was clearly a bit short in her first start since October but she wasn’t beaten that

badly, and could be much tighter tonight – this field is well within her comfort zone when on her game. (1) MIGHT

HAVTIME N was a solid rallying 4th (in NJ) in her first start of 2025 and she was 3-1-0-1 here at Yonkers last year –

rail, Bartlett, and a possible player. (7) EASY TO PLEASE is being allowed to take a significant drop after racing in

last week’s Open and she figures to appreciate that – she also draws horribly, and really hasn’t been at her very best

lately...would want a pretty good price to play her from out here. (6) TRICK OF THE LIGHT was no factor at all

last week but was racing off a bad date – she drops right back in the box, and may have a bigger say here. (2) TWIN

B SUNKISSED easily wired much cheaper at Pocono last week – she can be a hard horse to guess with, but we’re

leaning more towards others tonight. (3) IDEAL COVER landed on an awful trip last week and deserves a pass –

she’s pretty good right now, but the class jump may hurt her chances tonight. (8) SILKY STRIDE was a sharp front

end winner last start but tonight’s class jump and 8 hole will be tough to overcome.


RACE 4 – (5) THE LAST CHAPTER left from a bad spot last week and was predictably parked – he may be able

to shoot right to the top vs. these, however, and this is definitely a field where a wake up call is possible. (1)

MUFASA AS is in a logical spot but he really had no excuse NOT to be 2nd last week, and it’s also hard to overlook

his 3 for 70 record here (last 3 years) – be careful about falling in love at a very short price! (2) TEA LAKE wasn’t

close off the barn change last week (in NJ) but she had Post 10 and was off 3 weeks – she goes 2nd time Lasix

tonight, and may be able to deliver a much better effort. (3) BLACK TIE BASH was dull to end 2024 and looked

short in his first start of 2025 as well – waiting for better signs. (6) VALI HANOVER had a dramatic dropoff from

2023 to 2024 and the new year is off to an even rockier start – wouldn’t shock if he had a wake up call vs. these, but

you’ll want a pretty decent price to try him right now. (4) YO CHEYENNE arrive from Stga. and just seems a bit

cheaper.


RACE 5 – (5) FULL STRENGTH was sneaky good 2 and 3 back so it was no surprise to see him a well-backed,

easy front end winner last week– he steps up a bit, but seems sharp enough for a chance to beat these too. (1) CHUL

O is a little tough to gauge off his Canadian form (and he’s missed some time) but we’ve seen too many of these

ship down to our leading trainer under similar circumstances and thrive right off the bat– have to respect. (6) TOM

SWIFTY was caught wide a long way last week but kept trying and was almost 3rd – a better trip could result in him

being much closer at the end tonight. (2) B NICKING has been stuck settling for smaller pieces – sticking with

others on top, but he’s playable underneath. (3) GOLDEN COMPASS was a solid winner in his local debut (off the

barn change) but tired in his next (used hard) then broke in his last – mixed feelings about his chances for tonight.

(4) ATTA GIRL DANI was a decent 3rd two back and her barn has been sending out lots of live ones...her 0 for 15

local record makes her hard to consider on top, though! (8) ABRUZZO can throw a big one at any time (see last

week) but he does seem pretty limited by tonight’s draw. (7) LADY JETER was winless in 2024 and not looking all

that good (so far) in 2025.


RACE 6 – (7) WALKIN ON SUNSHINE has certainly delivered as advertised in her 2 local starts, winning as the

odds-on choice both times – she remains the one to knock off, but be careful about taking too short a price here (she

figures to land on a bad trip one of these nights). (6) LLOYDS LOVES blossomed as a 4YO, winning the lion’s

share of her $216K right here at Yonkers – she hasn’t missed a beat in 2025, hitting board in all 3 starts (and racing

very well each time) – could be the main danger. (2) TONYS MOM hit an extended rough patch but recently started

to turn things back around in NJ – she’s stepping up a bit for her Hilltop return, but she could still have a big say

with inside draw. (3) ARIZONA has done plenty of good work out of town, but failed to hit board in either local

start last year – we’ll see if she fares better this time around. (4) FRONT PAGE STORY picked up her first win at

this level last week, but was helped by the rail draw and pocket trip – may have a tougher time with what figures to

be a much more difficult trip. (5) TURN THE PAGE N had no chance in her only Yonkers try last year (8 hole) but

she did excellent work out of town and is clearly a quality mare – hard to say if those 2 qualifiers will have her ready

for a contending effort tonight. (1) MALUKA MISS N has really thrived in her 3 Yonkers starts but she’ll have to

prove that she can hang with these mares too.


RACE 7 – (5) WARRAWEE YANG swept through last year’s John Brennan Trotting Series....and with the

exception of a few starts, was never the same for the rest of the year – that being said, it would still be hard to

imagine him not finding a way to beat this basement bunch. (1) BARRY BLACK hasn’t been a player in some time

but he draws the pole with Bartlett and that’s a recipe for a wake up call – look for a much better effort from the 14

year old. (4) PSALMSFORTYSIXFIVE really wasn’t bad last week as he found himself trying to rally from well

back into a solid final half– he’s another that could bring a more competitive effort. (6) BIG CHARLIE MORAN

was no match for the runaway winner last week but did a nice job holding 2nd – the move outside may cramp his

style a bit tonight, though. (3) ENERGYSOURCE hasn’t done much this year but to be fair, he’s had some bad posts

– maybe he can be a bigger player with the better draw? (2) FULL RIGHTS ended last year in weak form and the

new year hasn’t brought him any better luck (so far).


RACE 8 – (1) JENDEN STRIKE A can be a little unreliable and she’s had trouble finding the winner’s circle here

at Yonkers...but she finds herself in an excellent spot tonight, and may finally be able to get her picture taken. (3)

KAI RAKICONFIDENTL N started her U.S. career off strong but then really tailed off – she seemed to be coming

around a bit recently, and her last was her sharpest in a while – playable right now. (2) PRIDEFUL disappointed (at

a short price) debuting for her new barn here on 2/14 and was just in much tougher last week – gets a good draw, a

drop in class, and we’ll see if she can do any better the third time around. (7) VILLAGE JADE raced “ok” for 3rd the

last 2 starts but will need to be better for any chance at the top prize starting from Post 7. (6) FREESTARFLIGHT

drops from 50s but just hasn’t been on her best game lately – wouldn’t shock, but leaning more towards others. (5)

CRUISE ALERT is one of several from her barn that has been in a rut – waiting to see some better life before

endorsing. (4) ELLAS REASON A gets the same barn change as CHULO (Race 5) but this mare hasn’t raced since

1/10 and was 1 for 35 last year...will need a major pick-me-up from our leading trainer to get this one to the

winner’s circle tonight. (8) SUGAR BRITCHES hasn’t been any good lately and now land Post 8.


RACE 9 – (1) EPOS OSTERVANG DK was handled conservatively for a couple of starts after the layoff but was

well backed last week, hit the top and was a sharp wire to wire winner – he steps up a bit, but this is a level well

within his comfort zone when sharp...chance to take another. (2) THE HAZLETON can handle much better than

these when sharp, but he’s been a bit slow to come around so far in 2025 – a little risky right now, but he’d hardly be

a surprise in a spot like this. (4) BEERTHIRTY K hasn’t won in a while but he hit board in 3 of his last 4 starts and

is more than eligible to take home another decent chunk tonight. (6) HAND DOVER DAN had some life finishing

the last couple of weeks, and gets a drop in class – would have liked his chances a lot more from a better post, but

he's still not a bad one to include in exotics. (3) RODEO HILL remains winless at Yonkers (0 for 16) but he did hit

board in 6 of those starts and an easy trip would help him grab some minor spoils. (7) MYCROWNMYKINGDOM

continues to draw poorly, but he did pick up a win at this level 2 back (for a barn that’s been winning races lately) –

will need lots of racing luck to get close tonight, though. (8) DWS POINT MAN is another that’s racing well now,

but may need to wait for a (much) better spot to be a serious threat. (5) NO DRAMA PLEASE picked up back to

back wins here late last year but vs. easier – may find this spot just a bit tougher than he’d prefer.


RACE 10 – (1) COACHELLABOUND N isn’t nearly as consistent as she’s been for most of her Yonkers career,

but she reunites with Bartlett and the pair teamed up to win in a similar spot 3 back – she’s clearly the one to knock

off, but perhaps there are “safer” 2/5 shots out there. (7) CHERYLS SHADOW drops from the Invitational and is

better than most of these – could be worth a shot, if you think Holland can find her a decent trip. (4) YS

SENSATIONALC ITY has definitely earned this step up with wins in 5 of her last 6 starts – we’ll find out if she’s

good enough right now to be a big threat with these too. (5) TWIST LITTLE GIRL N is off to a good start in 2025

but she’s another that’s stepping up here...she does reunite with Gingras, and they paired up for a win 2 back. (2)

CELIA B MONEY is good right now, but vs. cheaper – hard to say if she can continue to race as well with these

tougher mares. (3) ALI TTLESIDEHUSTL N is a Stga. shipper that’s been racing very well, but who is hard to

gauge class-wise vs. the locals – suppose we’ll get a clearer picture after tonight. (6) ATREACHEROUS A would be

hard to recommend after that disastrous try last week (and yes, she SHOULD be made to qualify off that kind of

effort, even if she technically made “qualifying time”).


RACE 11 – (1) DELITFULCATHERIN N isn’t looking very much like the mare that’s banked $663K these days,

but this certainly feels like a spot where she can summon up enough of that back class to pick up a victory. (2) LAD

YCORONA feels like the biggest threat, though she did hang in the stretch last week, and will race without Lasix

tonight. (3) WHATINEEDISAMAN went through a terrible drought, got reunited with her favorite trainer (in Dec.)

but really hasn’t been all that great since then – chance for a piece from this spot, though. (6) GAITWAY GAL raced

much better here at Yonkers last week than she had been in NJ, but the rail draw (in a very weak field) probably had

a lot to do with it – will need to be better here to overcome the move outside. (8) CHILLIN BYTHE POOL is better

than a bunch of these, but may have a hard time negotiating a manageable trip from Post 8. (5) SAUBLE DELIGHT

FUL has struggled in 4 straight and is in desperate need of a wake up call. (7) ROLLIN IN THE SAND raced much

better than expected in her local debut...but nothing good has happened in the 3 starts since then. (4) SMOOTH

DEBATE N hasn’t shown any life at all in 2025.

By soaofny March 3, 2025
The Empire Report – Monday, March 3, 2025 – Race Analysis
By soaofny February 27, 2025
The Empire Report – Thursday, February 27, 2025 – Race Analysis
By soaofny February 26, 2025
The Empire Report – Wednesday, February 26, 2025 – Race Analysis
By soaofny February 25, 2025
The Empire Report – Tuesday, February 25, 2025 – Race Analysis
By soaofny February 24, 2025
The Empire Report – Monday, February 24, 2025 – Race Analysis
By soaofny February 21, 2025
The Empire Report – Friday, February 21, 2025 – Race Analysis
By soaofny February 20, 2025
The Empire Report – Thursday, February 20, 2025 – Race Analysis
By soaofny February 19, 2025
The Empire Report – Wednesday, February 19, 2025 – Race Analysis
By soaofny February 18, 2025
The Empire Report – Tuesday, February 18, 2025 – Race Analysis
By soaofny February 14, 2025
The Empire Report – Friday, February 14, 2025 – Race Analysis
Show More
Share by: