The Empire Report - Thursday, August 31, 2023 - Race Analysis
RACE 1 - (1) FOR A DREAMER got some post relief last week and came up with a big effort, finishing
2nd behind #5 - draws the pole, and may be able to turn the tables tonight. (5) NEWSBOY has been sharp
for some time and came up a solid winner dropping in for $50K last start - he does exit our leading barn,
however, and it's hard to say if that'll result in a dropoff in his form. (7) EPOS OSTERVANG DK offered
good value when he won at $13 two back but was wildly overbet at 1/5 last week (came up 2nd best) - the
price goes back up tonight, and he can be a threat if some racing luck comes his way. (3) SWANSEA
moved to a barn that has an incredible record off the claim...so it's no surprise that he wired the field last
week - he's in tougher tonight and while he certainly has a license to repeat, we're leaning more towards a
couple of others. (4) MISSION VOYAGE beat this class a couple of times in April but has been stuck on
smaller pieces since then - may find himself in that same boat tonight. (6) GAELIHILL stole one 2 back
when everything possible went his way but then gave way on the lead last week - figures to have speed to
his inside tonight, and that will hurt his chance considerably. (8) NASEY picked up a nice live-trip 3rd in
his local debut but may not be as fortunate from Post 8 tonight. (2) HAT TRICK MARLEAU is racing off a
sick scratch and has been struggling for a long time
RACE 2 - (3) TAKE ALL COMERS was 3 for 4 here last year, the lone loss coming in the $250K Miecuna
Stake - he's only raced 6 times (so far) this year, but he's looked good in most of them - gets the narrow nod
tonight, despite the bad date. (2) STORMY KROMER was an easy winner last week and has now taken 21
of his last 51 local starts - loses Bartlett, but Dube is quite familiar with him....could be the main danger. (2)
CREDIT CON had been rock solid for weeks in the Open before folding badly on 6/22 - just qualified back
super, and avoids the draw by getting a kind rail assignment- could be ready to make some noise in his first
start back. (4) HL REVADON had concerning starts on 7/20 and 8/3 but rebounded to jog in his next then
was a2nd to #2 last week - next in line? (5) NOWS THE MOMENT weakened just a bit in the lane last
week in his 2nd start back off the layoff - could be tighter now, but draws outside in this short field and that
may hurt his chances a bit.
RACE 3 - (4) WISTERIA HANOVER was an improved 2nd two back and an 8 hole 3rd last week - draws
better, gets Yannick on board and we'll give her the slight edge against a few well matched rivals. (2) SHO
PPING IN PARIS was a pocket winner (over #7) in her YR debut, then came up 2nd best behind #6 after
cutting the mile last week - another with a very legitimate chance in here. (3) DARK MIND was a game
winner on 8/3 in his first local try but was caught in the back in his next, making a break to the final turn
after gaining some ground - was overmatched in PA last week but does fit here, and should be a decent
price - consider. (7) BEACON BEACH disappointed at 3/5 in his local debut when collared by #2 but did
come back to take his next start - clearly he fits well with these, but will have to overcome Post 7. (6)
DRINK UP DRINK UP was lazy in the pocket throughout most of his local debut but found more in the
lane and trotted by #2 for the victory - tough post tonight, and may land on a much tougher trip. (1) NINJA
PEARL won at Monti 2 back but she's a 2YO filly taking on older foes and this may not be the best spot for
her. (5) SQUABLE is rarely a threat to win when sharp, and he doesn't seem on his best game right now
RACE 4 - (1) CRAZYCAT has been a warhorse for many years but his current connections really figured
out how to push his buttons, crushing the competition off the claim (on 6/13) in a lifetime best 1:52.2 (in
his 227th career start!) - jogged again in his next, but then took some tome off after tiring the following
week - had no prayer last start from Post 8 but moves all the way inside, and gets the services of Joe B.
(who very surprisingly was not listed on #3) - willing to give him a shot. (3) CRESCENT BEAUTY has 2
wins from her past 5 starts but was pretty much invisible in the other 3 - she seems to come in two distinct
versions, and will be very dangerous if the "good" one shows up tonight- tough to get excited about a wager
at that 9/5 ML price, though. (4) LINDSEYS PRIDE had no prayer 2 back when taken off the gate (for the
first time in ages) but used his speed last week and was a better 3rd - always a threat with his quick starts.
(6) IN MY DREAMS gets a tough draw but he's been very solid, and could easily outperform that 20-1 ML
price. (5) BIZET turned in his best effort in a while 2 back then lost any real chance after a shuffle last
week - chance for a small piece. (2) PROMISE FOR LIFE is capable on his best but has definitely been
struggling lately - hard to take a short price right now. (7) INFINITY STONE needs a drop, and better post
RACE 5 - (4) BALENCIAGA got beat after cutting the mile in his only local appearance this year but the
winner (SWEET SOUL DAVID) was very sharp at the time - he returns to YR after chasing much better
out of town, and hardly embarrassing himself - assuming he can shrug off last week's miscue at PcD, he'll
be very tough tonight. (1) VINNY DE VIE had no problem dominating easier last week but he's a good fit
with these as well - should have a big say from the pole tonight. (3) NO MAS DRAMA has banged out
$236K (so far) over the last 2 years, the bulk of it right here at Yonkers - moves inside, and certainly can
land somewhere on this ticket. (5) HAYEK was handled aggressively off the class drop last week, cutting
the mile before coming up 2nd best to the sharp tripsitter - can be a player tonight either on or off the pace
as he drops one more level. (6) SOUTHWIND ARTURO has been picking up pieces reliably at this level
but gets a tough draw for tonight, in a good field - may be looking at a smaller slice this time. Both (7) B
NICKING and (8) OH BOY fit ok, but seem unlikely to be able to have much impact from out here
RACE 6 - NAADA Amateur Fall Series Leg #2 - (1) CLASSY GUY has been good in all his recent starts,
has speed from the rail and clearly gets along well with Yogi Sheridan - the one to catch and beat. (6) JUD
GE KEN draws poorly for the 4th straight week but he still was able to hit board in 2 of his last 3 starts -
he'll be a decent price, and may be able to add some value to the exotics...with some trip luck. (5) SWAN
FACTOR is a 3YO with just 3 career victories taking on some experienced older foes - he has been racing
pretty well, however, and Keppler knows him well - chance to grab a piece of this. (4) BLOGMASTER has
yet to hit board in 6 starts since the claim but still seems capable of grabbing a small piece with an easy trip
(8) RED OVERBACH is capable of throwing a big mile when in the right mood (see 3 starts back) but he
broke on 8/20 and was erratic for much of the mile here in his last start - he MAY turn in a good one here,
but hard to endorse from Post 8, at that 5/2 ML price! (3) TURBOCHARGEDPETE has been behaving
reliably lately but just not finishing his miles well enough - needs to find a better effort. (2) WHAT A PITT
STOP could land on a good trip here but he squandered a pretty good one last week- another that just needs
to be sharper. (7) JUST MAYBE THE ONE has struggled for some time and draws poorly for tonight
RACE 7 - (4) ABRUZZO crushed the 50s 2 back then crushed a NW20000 field last week - he's facing
tougher here, but he's hitting on all cylinders right now and does have a chance for the "threepeat". (7)
ROSE RUN EXTRA banked about $450K at 2 and 3 and has continued to thrive at 4, a solid player in the
weekly Open at Northfield - he exits one of the top barns in the nation but moves to a team that has been
able to consistently improve fresh stock regardless of where they come from - has to be worth considering
at that 7-1 ML price. (5) HOOLIE N HECTOR was stuck in the back with no prayer last week but did hit
the wire decently, after the fact - this MAY be a spot where Stratton could look to leave the gate...and that
would help his chances tremendously. (3) PERRON threw a rare dud last week but moves inside and could
easily rebound tonight - may add some value to the ticket. (2) RICH AND MISERABLE shipped in sharp
from PcD, making last week's empty try all the more disappointing - another looking for a rebound effort
tonight. (1) IM THE MUSCLE may be pushing his limits up at this level but he's sharp, draws the pole, and
that may help him stick around for a small slice. (8) VALI HANOVER is having an ultra consistent year
but generally vs. a bit easier - will have a lot of work to do coming from last tonight. (6) NEW HEAVEN
has been revitalized since the barn change this summer but may be hurt by his worst draw in some time.
RACE 8 - NAADA Amateur Fall Series Leg #2 - (2) FUN TIME CHARLIE was making his first start off
a layoff last week (after qualifying back sharply) and went a very solid mile for 3rd, used early for a spot
and then rallying wide on the final turn - gets a good draw, a very familiar pilot, and should have a decent
shot tonight. (3) DRAZZMATAZZ had a rough outing in PA two back but bounced right back to win at
Fhd. last week- he's won his share here at Yonkers, and looms a major threat with any decent trip. (5)
SHEENA SOLDIER doesn't have the best looking recent lines but note that in his first start off a recent
barn change (on 7/16) he won an amateur race at Chester with Slendorn on board- consider if the price is
fair. (4) CALL ME THE FIREMAN raced pretty well for 4th last week, especially since racing off the pace
usually isn't his thing- his trainer will handle the driving this week, and that 5/2 ML price doesn't exactly
make one want to fire away...at least on top. (8) ALL RISE was a wire to wire winner last week but figures
to have a much tougher time tonight starting from post 8 - ok bomb for a small piece. (1) BY A HOFF
HANOVER draws the pole but is 1 for 58 over the past 23 years, and 0 for 22 at Yonkers - prefer others.
(7) UNCLE KIP draws poorly after a miscue last week - tough spot! (6) ER NO MORE has been struggling
for months - hard to like right now
RACE 9 - (4) SIMON SAYS HANOVER was off 3 weeks to his last start (and he had only one start over 6
weeks) but he went a HUGE mile, overcoming all kinds of adversity to still draw off in dominant fashion -
we almost always defer to the officials on any "judgment calls", but his disqualification (for circumstances
that HE did not create) was really a head scratcher - anyway, we'll stay on board one more after that effort.
(1) LAYTON HANOVER has been a bit inconsistent in his 4YO campaign but has delivered some big
miles when on his game - draws the pole, and could be a serious threat from this spot. (3) SOUTHWIND
PETYR should be brimming with confidence after his recent miles vs. cheaper, and he's beaten this class a
few times in the past - the right trip can make him dangerous once more. (2) RJ SPORTS IMAGE moved to
our leading trainer for his 2023 season and was 7-4-3-0 before getting roughed up and tiring last week- may
bounce right back tonight, but will need a pretty decent price to try him on top. (6) GREG THE LEG was
hurt by some of the turn two confusion last week and it may have hurt his performance - it ended his 3 race
winning streak, and it won't be easy to overcome tonight's poor draw. (5) HAZEVILLE is actually the one
that caused last week's confusion - he was very hard to steer when trying to retake on turn two (despite
SIMON SAYS HANOVER grabbing hard to let him go), and ended up parked the rest of the way (while
still hard to steer) - sticking with others, for now
RACE 10 - Good race! (2) BAR COINS immediately improved by about 15 lengths after joining this barn
on 7/6, and has won 3 of 6 starts since the switch (with very legitimate excuses in all 3 losses, including last
week's horrible trip)- he has a post edge on many of his main foes in here, and we'll give him a narrow edge
with Bongiorno back in the bike. (7) HOOFBEATS DE VIE went a huge mile in his last local try (6/1),
parked every step of the way and still a hard trying 3rd at the wire - he has some excellent out of town starts
since then, and could be a juicy longshot even with the terrible draw. (1) CREATIVE VENTURE was just 1
for 26 last year but has been sharp since returning from the long layoff, hitting board in 6 straight - will be
right in the hunt again tonight. (5) CANTSTOP YANKEE moves to our leading barn and the change of
scenery may do him good - he has more than enough ability to be a threat here. (6) IN A TINY WAY has
raced very well in almost all of her local starts, and was a winner in this field last week from a similar spot -
would be no shock if she was able to grab another. (3) WANIA went probably his best mile of the year
when 2nd best last week - the problem is that consistency has hardly been his strong point! (4) TAP ME
BLUE CHIP lands in a very stacked field and just seems a notch below too many of the players. (8) PAPA
DOC arrives from Ohio and draws Post 8 in a strong field - good week to just observe.
RACE 11 - (7) DIAMANTE TRIO IT draws poorly (in a well matched field) for his local debut but he just
won in a crisp 1:55 over the half at Northfield, and debuts tonight for a barn with a long history of elevating
fresh stock - hard not to give him a good look at that 20-1 ML price. (1) SEVEN SINS has developed
quickly over the last 3 months as the 3YO has picked up 3 wins, 3 seconds and a 3rd over that time - has
speed, the rail, and Stratton and has to be considered a very serious threat. (8) CONRAD DIPOGGIO IT
was well backed for his U.S. debut and defeated older rivals at PcD to start off his stateside career - would
be no surprise at all to see him be a big player here, even from Post 8. (4) CAL MILES N SHELL wasn't at
his best when 3rd last start, and perhaps the 3 weeks off will actually be to his benefit - it never hurts to get
Gingras at the lines, and this guy could easily show up with a big one tonight. (3) HEADOVERBOOTS AS
weakened in the lane last week and that may explain why he returns on Lasix tonight - he's just too camera
shy to consider for the top slot, however (19-0-11-1 this year)! (2) DAHLQUIST HANOVER used a very
nice trip to score in his first YR try then was a bit of a disappointment when 3rd last week - he COULD
beat these, but some of the fresh faces look more appealing for tonight. (5) SOUTHERN PATRICIA could
definitely race better than she did last week in PA, and could certainly outperform that 20-1 ML price - still
leaning to others, however. (6) MATT SO SURE is 24-0-0-2 this year and the outsider for tonight.