RACE 1 – (3) NUTTINBUTHEBEST really wasn’t bad last week, despite drawing Post 8 while well up in class –
she’s looked super this year against this type, and looms a big threat to take this coast to coast. (1) WHATINEEDIS
AMAN has 2 pocket victories from her last 3 starts and could be looking at that same trip tonight– dangerous player.
(5) DREAM DANCING is off to an excellent 8-4-2-0 start this year, thriving for a multitude of barns and handling a
variety of trips – could easily land somewhere on the ticket once more. (8) CHUPPAH ON hasn’t been at her best in
a while and tonight’s class drop seems logical – she draws horribly, unfortunately, and may need to wait for a better
spot before we see her best. (2) UNITY may be a little cheaper than some of the main players in here but she could
be looking at an up-close trip, and that may be enough to help her land somewhere on the ticket. (6) BLUEBIRD GR
AF is another sharp mare in here, already with 4 wins on the year – she does prefer to face a bit easier, however, and
the tough draw may see her looking at a smaller slice this week. (4) LARJON LEAH was just 2 for 35 last year and
is off slowly in 2024 as well. (7) CALLMEQUEENBEE A figures to be too far back to have much say here.
RACE 2 – (4) SHEIKH YABOOTY N was hammered at the windows last week and did deliver her sharpest mile in
a while, a powerful “pocket rocket” winner – if she’s as sharp tonight, she’ll be very tough once more. (2) CHARMI
NG VIXEN was a little rough in her first couple of local tries but looked much smoother in her last pair, resulting in
a win and a 2nd – very dangerous if she continues to race as well. (1) LINCOLNS GIRL N shipped in from Fhd.
showing some poor form but was sharp upon arrival, putting in a pair of strong miles for 2nds, followed by last
week’s front end score – has earned plenty of respect since arriving! (3) AINTNOHOLLABACKGRL has been
“good” in most of her starts, usually ending up with a piece of the pie...seems destined for similar tonight. (5) ITTY
BITTY used a perfect trip debuting for our leading barn to pick up a narrow victory 2 back, but got parked in her
next – leaning towards others, but would hardly be shocked to see her be a player tonight. (6) WESTERN ROSIE
hasn’t done much winning the past couple of years but she’s shown that she can grab pieces when the trip goes her
way – not a bad bomb for 3rd/4th . (7) SPITTING IMAGE wasn’t terrible last time but another awful draw figures to
curtail her opportunities once more. (8) SHOTGUN PERSUASION doesn’t seem sharp enough to overcome Post 8.
RACE 3 – (1) DIAMONDBEACH has some decent efforts recently vs. better fields – he’ll get to call the shots
tonight and assuming he gets away pacing, will be pretty tough to catch (but will also be heavily backed). (3) WON
LAST FEELING has been pretty solid lately, even if only for minor shares – if he can sit close enough to the action,
perhaps he’ll have a chance to do a little more damage in the lane tonight. (5) EMINEM HANOVER doesn’t have a
great local record but he does usually make some decent moves in his miles – maybe he can be a bigger player
tonight, at a very good price (we’ll assume that JOE will be the actual driver ) ? (8) TALK RACY TO ME hasn’t
threatened in his 3 YR starts but he’s definitely faced better – brutal spot, but he gets Bartlett tonight and there’s
always a chance he could try to blast off the car – not a bad stab, if looking for a good price. (2) KIMBLE A has
been a major disappointment here at YR – he was wildly overbet off the class drop last week, and could only
manage a distant 3rd...would seem to remain pretty vulnerable at a shortish price. (4) LONG WEEKEND A has been
away 3 weeks (sick scr.) and even when 100%, doesn’t win very often. (7) BEEBEETEE had a couple of nice starts
after arriving from Monti but he had inside draws those nights – not sure he can reach from out here. (6) FULL
HORSE got parked last week and will likely race conservatively here.
RACE 4 – (6) POINTOMYGRANSON is having an amazing year and his last win was as sharp as any of the 5 he
already has this season – deserves top billing, even with the bad draw (and new barn). (2) MACH N CHEESE was
no factor from bad spots in his last pair but has otherwise been good this year – drops, draws inside, and looms the
main danger. (3) NAUTICAL HANOVER steps up off a loss but has the back class to handle it – could add some
value to the exotics with the right trip. (4) TWIN B HEART THROB returns from PcD where he’s been racing well
vs. some sharp foes – he’d probably like to be in a bit easier, but he’s still capable of grabbing a good piece with
these, if the trip goes his way. (8) CAPTIVATE HANOVER is a streaky horse and he’s certainly been good since
returning for the 2024 season – the double class jump AND 8 hole do figure to slow him down a bit for tonight,
however. (5) AHI SUNSHINE has been doing fine work upstate (for a sharp barn) but did struggle in his only local
try this year. (7) WICHITA LINEMAN will look better with a class drop (and hopefully) better post, next week.
RACE 5 – (1) KINGSVILLE was well supported last week and backed it up on the racetrack, delivering the wire to
wire score – the class was opened up to fit him in once more, and he’ll surely be looking to take advantage from the
pole – this IS a tougher overall field, however. (4) HAZEVILLE sat pocketed to the top choice last week and came
up 2nd best, after taking aim in the stretch – he makes his 2nd start of the year tonight, is Yannick’s choice, and is
eligible to be that much sharper. (3) SPLASH BROTHER always seems to be ready to quit on the final turn...then
battles back into the stretch to be part of the equation – could land another good trip here, and clearly sharp enough
right now to land on the ticket again. (2) STONEBRIDGE REX pretty much conceded from Post 7 last week, but
wasn’t all that far back at the end – moves inside, and can definitely have a bigger say tonight. (5) SAMHARA N
has gone some good efforts lately, though his last was a little disappointing – he could bounce right back tonight, but
may still need some trip luck to grab a decent piece. (6) FAMILY RECIPE was unable to get in play from a similar
spot last week – tough draw again. (7) BLANK STARE is a very reliable performer but may need a better draw in a
bit easier field to be a serious contender.
RACE 6 – (7) ITS A ME MARIO had a strong 3YO NYSS campaign and has come back very sharp at 4, winning 2
of his 3 starts with the lone loss coming by a head to Borgata player NATURALLY GIFTED A – obviously the post
doesn’t help but Bartlett does choice off the rail horse to drive him here, and that says a lot about how he feels about
this one’s ability – we’ll hop on board too. (1) THE REGULATOR loses Bartlett to #7 but does get a pretty good
replacement (Gingras) – definitely a spot where we’d expect him to make a lot of noise. (6) LAYTON HANOVER
draws poorly for 3rd straight time but Kakaley may try to be a bit more aggressive tonight – not a bad week to use in
exotics. (8) ROLLING WITH SAM has been sharp all year and gets a class drop for tonight – hard to say if he’ll get
put in play from out here, or just look forward to a drop to NW10000 (and a better draw) next week. (5) ORLANDO
BLUE A steps up off a nice win, but may find himself too far back from this spot to do any real late damage. (2) SA
RANAC BLUE CHIP definitely would look better vs. easier, but the good draw may help him grab a minor share.
(3) SOUTHBEACH HANOVER failed to get involved moving up to this level last week and may find himself in the
same boat tonight. (4) ARDEN MESSI N is solid these days, but another that would look better in a bit easier.
RACE 7 – (1) ALWAYS B MIMI has been just “ok” for her current connections and it’s not all that surprising that
they’re willing to lose her tonight for a bit less than they claimed her for ($25K on 1/23) – she did win one level up
two starts back, and is clearly the one to beat tonight dropping down from the pole...but she’s probably not one to
bet the rent money on at a very short price. (6) FLIP THE SCRIPT was sent off at an insane 2/5 last start but had no
trouble rewarding her backers after making an easy lead and having things her own way– seems the main danger. (2)
BETTOR B SAWYER beat a weak bunch here 5 starts back but has settled for smaller pieces in her other starts –
seems destined for similar tonight. (3) PRINCESS ARONA jogged in her first local start (moving to our leading
barn) but hasn’t won since – she’s unreliable at best, but the good draw does make her a threat to land somewhere on
the ticket. (7) SUNSET SOPH picked up a win in a weak field 4 back and raced ok a couple of times since then –
would have been a lot more appealing from an inside post, however. (5) MARATHON MARY raced a LOT better
last week, even if helped by the very slow pace/mile – we’ll see if she can build off that effort here. (4) TUAPEKA
JESSIE N has been popular at the claim box for a mare that really hasn’t been racing all that well lately – leaning
towards others. (8) ROLL WITH SHORTY seems too far out to have any real impact tonight.
RACE 8 – (1) GROOVY JOE gets the potent combination of both post and class relief tonight, and that should
make him pretty formidable from this spot – he’s been pretty solid so far this year, and he should be primed for a big
effort here. (6) JAHAN HANOVER has been a little in and out so far in ’24 but he’s shown that he can leave fast
from spots like this, and that may help him grab a good trip here – consider if the price is decent. (3) SPEED MAN
N hasn’t been at his best recently but he’s also been facing tougher – he seems to find more than his share of big
efforts every year, and a wake up call tonight is possible...just make sure to get a fair price if using on top. (4)
TYPHOON BANNER N should benefit from last week’s tightener, and be a bigger player in his 2nd start of the year
– he does fit with these, but he also has been a little camera shy since arriving in the U.S. (7) CYRUS N has been
sharp so far in 2024 but another bad draw may leave him too far back to be a serious threat. (8) SPORTY M THREE
has come back to life (after a major dry spell) but he keeps moving up without the benefit of a victory, and it may be
asking a lot for him to overcome the terrible draw. (2) SHADOW CAT seems a notch below a few of the main
players but at least draws inside– minor spoils? (5) EVER HOPING A beat easier here 2 back but remains a
question at this higher level.
RACE 9 – Good race: (3) HEZ ALLTHE RAGE N was pretty well backed for his U.S. debut, was handled very
aggressively and reported home a sharp winner (even if looking a little tired at the very end) – he meets a few sharp
foes tonight, but we’ll give him the narrow edge to repeat (hoping he’s a fair price). (6) VICI has been right there
2nd/3rd every week and that’s great for his owners...but no so great for anybody that’s been using him on top – he
raced super when 2nd to the top choice in his last, and would be no surprise at all if he was able to reverse that
decision tonight. (7) TRAIN STATION really turned things around on 2/6 and that launched a 4 race winning streak
– he finished well for 4th from a tough spot in his last and while he’s sharp enough to rebound and win tonight, he’ll
need some racing luck to come his way (starting from Post 7). (2) STATESIDE DEUCE GB jogged in his 2
nd U.S. start (over softer), just hung on to win his next, then used a perfect trip to make it 3 in a row last week – he’ll
probably need to be even sharper to come out on top tonight (against this tougher bunch). (1) PEETIE ships in off a
very easy win over the Flamboro half-miler but the Canadian shipper does seem to be a little on the cheaper side –
he also moves into a barn that routinely improves these types considerably, so it’s really a tough call as to whether he
can be a serious threat here. (5) TWO FACED was sharp in his last pair but those fields were a bit easier – he’ll need
to prove he can hang with these too. (4) CLEVELAND B MIKI had a useful tightener off the layoff last week but
may be in a bit steep tonight. (8) COUNTER OFFER raced well in his YR top but is post compromised tonight.
RACE 10 – (3) OLYMPIC BLAZE had an equipment issue here on 1/23 (when right in the hunt) then raced well in
his next 4 starts, seemingly getting sharper each time – he seems ready to step up and grab a win...maybe tonight?
(5) AINT NOSTOPN TIME was bet down to 2/5 (debuting here for our leading trainer) and simply left his rivals in
the dust once into the stretch – could easily make it 2 in a row but he’ll be a very short price again, and this is
definitely a tougher field. (2) SKIFROMTHETOP IR went a big mile for 2nd at PcD (in a very quick mile) but was
unable to get the job done here the next week, disappointing the fans as the 3/5 choice – he COULD make amends
tonight, and the price will be better for those looking to give him another chance. (1) HURRIKANE JUSTIN raced
ok here on 3/5 (first start back at 3) then just missed at PcD the following week – he’s another that may be ready to
take the next step, and contend for the top prize. (7) HANK THE HUNK arrives from Canada and lands in the
nation’s top barn – he doesn’t look quite as “good” as PEETIE (also debuting here tonight), and lands a terrible post
as well – leaning towards others. (8) CANTFINMYWAYHOME has a couple of nice qualifiers, adds Lasix, but also
gets stuck with Post 8 for his seasonal debut – Bartlett opts to drive #5, and the guess is that this guy will be handled
conservatively tonight. Both (4) BEST BETTOR and (6) MAN RAY would be major surprises...to say the least.
RACE 11 – Wide open: (1) VIBRANCE was dull in her first local try this year but then raced well ever since – she
moves all the way inside, and may prove the one if the trip goes her way. (3) PURE SILKY is another that’s been on
a good roll, and she beat this class last week on the front end – would be no surprise at all if she was able to do so
again. (6) PARADISE ROCK L has been thriving ever since being claimed by this barn in January – she can race on
or off the pace, and is sure to drift way up in price after losing last week at 1/5 – good week to use her in exotics. (2)
ONEDERFULBEACH made an untimely break last week but has otherwise been a very good mare at this level –
add here to the list of possibilities in this well matched field. (5) BADDITUDE jogged in her local debut but vs. a
much easier field – not quite convinced she can be as successful as these, but her trainer’s uncanny success this year
makes her hard to just dismiss! (4) COMMANDER CATHY N doesn’t win too often but she’s good at grabbing
smaller pieces...never a bad one for 3rd/4th . (8) ELSIES DELIGHT has proven to be a solid performer at this level
but she was unable to get in play from a similar spot 2 back. (7) TWIN B ALLURE had a useful start last week off
the layoff but tonight’s draw figures to hurt her chances considerably.
RACE 12 – (1) CHIEF CORLEONE left from Post 8 to earn himself a trip last week then came up 2nd best (at
80-1!) to the perfect trip, 2/5 winner – obviously his price will come WAY down tonight...but he IS the one to beat.
(5) RA YRAY had been hurt by bad posts/trips in many of his local starts but he landed on a good trip last week and
was able to parlay it into victory – Siegelman takes him over a couple of others, and another good effort is expected.
(6) WRY raced ok in NJ and ok here too – should be in the mix tonight, but may be overbet from a bad spot. (3) CO
TTON ON N seems capable “on his best” but has disappointed more than he’s delivered in his brief U.S. career. (2)
FANTOME EN JOIE moves up in class but also moves inside – should have a chance for a minor piece. (7) KNOC
KIN OUT has some “ok” recent form across the river and did win here last year – tough return spot, though. (8) ON
TOP RAINMAN will be pacing well late, but likely from way too far back. (4) PINE BUSH ITALIANO is now
21-0-0-1 locally over the last 2 seasons.