The Empire Report – Thursday, June 13, 2024 – Race Analysis
RACE 1 – (3) FIGHT SONG doesn’t show the best looking lines in PA recently but he’s also been facing some
pretty solid rivals (EUROBOND, CREDIT CON, etc.) – he catches a pretty modest $40K claiming division here,
and draws inside his main foes – may be able to score in his first local try. (8) BLUEBIRD BISHOP gave it a good
try for 2nd last week and has shown the ability to leave from outside posts...wouldn’t hesitate to use him on your
tickets. (4) THE BALLYKEEL DEAL threw a rare dud last week – was it because of the off track, or is it a sign that
he could be headed in the wrong direction...guess we’ll find out tonight. (5) FLIP THE SWITCH is a tough call –
he was back on track (after a rough patch) but then made breaks in his last 2 starts – risky, for sure, so be careful
about taking a short price. (2) ALTUS HANOVER ships in sharp from PA but is ambitiously placed at this $40K
level – maybe a piece? (6) MAX’s last is much better than it looks on paper and his overall form is solid – moving to
a new barn isn’t as big a concern as being handled by an amateur pilot tonight...bump up his chances if a change is
made to a catch driver. (1) SHEENA SOLDIER has done ok at times at this level in the past but just seems quite a
bit below that right now. (7) MUSAFSA AS is ok these days, but the horrible draw does figure to hurt.
RACE 2 – Short field, good race! (6) P L NOTSONICE has been a roll, winning 4 of her tries in the Invitational
(with a 2nd , and a 3 rd) – she gets assigned the outside and did make a rare miscue last week...but there should be
some value with her because of those reasons. (1) JULIA SISU S was a big earner overseas but hasn’t found her top
form in the U.S. so far– she’s going to throw a big mile one of these nights...maybe here? (5) UNFORTGETTABLE
has been a winning machine in the Midwest the past 2 years and will now join our leading barn – she’ll be class
tested here, but it would obviously be no surprise if she instantly becomes a top mare locally...she does figure to be
overbet, however. (2) PERFECT VIXEN has been no worse than 4 th in ages, usually hitting the board – always
playable in the exotics. (4) QUEEN OF ALL seems a tad off her best game but can never be discounted...and her
barn has sent out some sharp performers lately! (3) DIAMANTE TRIO IT is a very solid mare but does need to
prove herself at this top level
RACE 3 – (6) STORMONT DIVIDE was off 5 weeks to his last (the “30 day rule” is now “60 days”) and that’s
probably why he was sent off at 17-1...but he wasn’t bothered by the inactivity at all, turning in a BIG effort to be a
hard charging 3rd , with a final quarter in :27.2 – drops right back in the box, and gets the call despite the draw. (3) IN
FINITY STONE pulled off his SECOND form-reversing victory of the year last week, just obliterating his rivals by
11 lengths in an eye-opening 1:54.2 mile (right after barnmate GINGRAS BEACH beat HIS field by 10 lengths, the
race before that)– the $64K question is can he repeat that effort tonight? (1) MISSISSIPPI STORM is way too classy
to ever be ignored from a spot like this but he does figure to be heavily backed, and note that his only win this year
came over HOOLIE N HECTOR...who is still winless in 2024. (2) LIGHTFOOTEDLEGEND was beaten by 13
lengths last week (in the race with #3) but was actually a terrific 4th , from an impossible post – moves up off the re-
claim, but can still grab a good piece. (4) GRINDER was stuck trying to chase the insane clip set by #3 last week
and managed to hold on to 2nd until the very end – he’s good now, with a chance for a piece here. (5) HOOLIE N HECTOR is still looking for his first win of the season, and would definitely be a surprise tonight
RACE 4 – Very competitive race! (6) CREDIT CON just missed to a very sharp UNEVERGONNAGETHIS last
week after winning his prior 2 – he generally likes to race near the lead, but he’s more than capable of doing good
work from off the pace too- if there’s some activity up front, he may land on a live trip...at a decent price. (5) I GET IT was right there 3rd in last week’s Open and now gets to drop back down to the class he just beat twice in a row
(with the conditions re-written to allow him, and #6 to fit in)– certainly has to be feared. (3) DELAYED HANOVER
just picked up his first win of the season at PRc (7th start of the year) and he’s done very well at YR in the past, with
a 5-3-1-0 record – would be no surprise at all. (2) DWWS POINT MAN had been sharp virtually every week before
last week’s disappointing try – he drops right back in the box, so perhaps he can rebound quickly – very playable in
exotics. (1) AIRMANS JACKPOT has really thrived at Yonkers, going 6-3-1-1 since arriving (including last week’s
2nd to TACHYON) – another that could easily be a big part of the equation. (4) HIGHLAND MOWGLI has hit
board in 7 straight and it’s a testament to the overall strength of this field that he’s listed at the bottom!
RACE 5 – NAADA Summer Series: (1) MR CONTESTANT was sent off favored last week but ended up parked
the mile over the suddenly sloppy going – HE gets to call the shots tonight, and that figured to make him a very
tough player. (5) LOOK IN MY EYES was stuck in the back of the pack in the same race as the top choice, and just
had no chance – he’ll have more options tonight (with the much better draw), and looms a legitimate player. (2)
ALL RISE figures to land on a pretty good trip here with the rail horse figuring to be blasting just to his inside – use
in exotics. (6) PSALMFORTYSIXFIVE made an early miscue last week, perhaps shying from another breaker –
gets another tough draw, but he’s worth using underneath at what figures to be a decent price. (7) WINNERESS
rallied for 2 nds in his last pair but has missed 3 weeks and draws outside – could be looking at a much smaller slice
for tonight. (3) MAKING SPARKS has struggled in the majority of his recent starts but he does get a pilot that is
having a terrific year here (so far) – we’ll see if he can perk up enough for a minor share. (4) ER NO MORE gets a
much better draw tonight but hasn’t raced well at Yonkers in a long time. (8) STARLITCRESENTROLL would be a
surprise, for sure
RACE 6 – (6) URIEL BLUE CHIP turned in his best effort in a while 2 back – he was sold after that start, then
went out and raced well again for his new connections – willing to give him a show tonight. (1) CAPTAIN T
HANOVER is a tough call – many of his races vs. the 20s this year would make him a big threat here (especially
from the pole) but his last 2 outings have been sub-par – if he can bounce back to one of his better efforts, he’d be a
big player here – but that’s a big “if”! (7) THAT DOG WILL HUNT has 2 wins and 4 seconds from his last 6 starts
but tonight’s tough draw may make things tough on him – make sure to get a fair price if using on top. (5) HIGH ON
ROCKNROLL is just 1 for 33 locally and tough to use on top – he does grab plenty of pieces, however, and remains
a good option for underneath. (4) CAHOOTS always felt a bit cheaper than this but his last 2 NJ starts do seem
much improved – at 15-1 ML, he’s usable in exotics. (2) DEMPSEY HANOVER hails from a top barn but just
hasn’t shown much in his 4 starts here this year – waiting for better signs. (3) WORLD FOR TWO broke on 5/25
and was scratched on 6/6 – another that needs to show a better line before getting any real consideration. (8) WAT
CH YOUR SIX draws Post 8 off a distanced line (and really should have been made to qualify, to protect the public)
RACE 7 – (5) HUNTING ZONE’s only “bad” races this year were when he got stuck too far in the back of the pack
– he should be able to work out a decent trip from this spot, and we’ll give him the narrow nod for tonight. (4) VENI
ER HANOVER is another that has been hurt by some tough spots, vs. some good foes – feels like a spot where he
has a good chance to outperform that 8-1 ML price. (2) FEARFUL INTENT can be unreliable at times but his best
effort would make him a big threat – probably not worth taking at a very short price, though (1) SOUTHBEACH
HANOVER had been on the upswing prior to last week’s easy win vs. cheaper – can certainly be part of the action
here, despite the class jump. (3) THE REAL ONE has been pretty solid lately but the 14YO is still seeking his first
win of the year – remains a good one to use in exotics. (8) YO A J was no match for #1 when favored last week and
now lands Post 8 – minor spoils only. (7) CERULEAN HANOVER came up 2nd best as the 1/5 choice 3 back, then
was no factor in his last pair – draws poorly once more. (6) INTIMIDATION was handled aggressively from Post 8
last week and not up for it at all
RACE 8 – (6) SOUTHWIND TYRION is closing in on the $1M mark after finishing up last season with wins in
both the Breeder’s Crown and Fan Duel – he was no factor in his first start back in 2024, but that NJ effort should
have him tighter for tonight – guessing that he’ll be able to get the job done with that start under his belt (as he preps
for bigger and better things). (2) UNEVERGONNAGETHIS has been good for a while now but lost all chance after
an uncharacteristic miscue last week – could add some value to the exotics. (4) SEA CAN was 3rd in his first try at
this level then became an Invitational winner with last week’s very impressive, long first over score – a similar mile
puts him back in play for another big piece tonight. (1) NOWS THE MOMENT is a prolific winner in this class and
gets a rare inside draw – his last couple weren’t his best efforts, however, and he MAY be a little vulnerable right
now. (3) TACHYON was one of the barn’s THREE straight winners last Thursday, though he didn’t just embarrass
the field like the other two did – his best effort makes him a player for a piece. (5) KEG STAND goes for a new barn
tonight after missing 3 weeks – leaning more towards others
RACE 9 - NAADA Summer Series: (1) EXPLOSIVE RIDGE came into his last start having won 3 of 4, with an
excellent 3rd in the other – he was way back after an early miscue, but made up a ton of ground to somehow get 3
rd – very tough here with a clean mile. (5) SHOEMAKER HANOVER has 3 wins from his last 8 starts, handles any trip
and does look tempting at that 10-1 ML price. (4) DROP THE MIC kicked in a little too late last week but was a
very good 2nd – definitely could land on the ticket again tonight. (3) KASHAS BOY was stuck in the back on a very
wet track and couldn’t get involved last week – much better draw now, with a chance to land a small share. (8) SKY
WAY PROFESSOR was a nice pocket winner last week, and was re-claimed by connections that have done well
with him in the past – the draw is the obvious obstacle. (7) CALL ME THEFIREMAN ships back in off a pair of
Fhd. wins but is another that could be victimized by the poor post for tonight. (2) CELLULAR draws well again but
just hasn’t been finishing well. (6) SWAN HILLUVA TIME feels like he’s gone in the wrong direction