RACE 1 – (2) BRUSHING UP went several solid miles here towards the end of the year – his recent starts at Fhd.
should benefit him, and his barn sent them out live on Opening Night – gets the nod with Brennan, who piloted 6
winners on Monday night. (5) DON DOMINGO N only made 6 starts last year but he certainly looked good
crushing the 15s here on 12/20 – his last start at Monti does give some cause for concern, however, so be careful
about accepting too short a price here. (3) LYONS JOHNNYJNR wasn’t at his best in a bunch of his starts here last
year, often settling for smaller pieces – the barn did have a winner on Monday, so at least consider for exotics. (1)
NOB HILL FLASH won 1 of 3 starts here last year but his most recent efforts suggest he may not be at his best right
now – make sure to get a fair price if using on top. (7) SOUTHWIND ONYX was claimed here on 12/20 but scr.
injured at Monti the next week, remaining on the shelf since then – may not be fully cranked for tonight. (4) LEAVE
AND ROLL perked up with a better effort on 12/13 but was scratched from his next and idle ever since – sticking
with others. (6) SWAGASAURUSREX tired on the lead to close out ’23, and draws poorly for his seasonal return.
RACE 2 – (5) ATLANTIS ships in after winning 3 of his last 4 at Monti – his barn was live on Monday night, he
gets Bartlett in the bike and looms a very solid threat here. (2) IM J BEE N can be a bit camera shy but he drops,
draws inside, and could have a big say here. (1) ZIGGY SKY was 0 for 14 here last year and just 1 for 28 overall –
still, he does grab pieces, and the rail draw puts him in play for another decent piece tonight. (3) OURRHYTHMNB
LUES N used an easy trip to pick up a 2nd to close out 2023 – his overall form wasn’t all that great, however, and
we’ll see if some time off helps (or hurts) his cause. (4) MACHLICIOUS is probably on the cheaper side – minor
share only. (6) WILLIAM HANOVER has thrown too many duds to consider from the outside.
RACE 3 – (6) ULTIMATE SPEED suddenly got sharp recently in Canada and now lands in a barn that routinely
improves fresh stock significantly – surprised that Kakaley wasn’t listed to drive, but it certainly won’t hurt getting
Gingras in the bike. (4) JAVA has shown some ability at times but also tends to just lose interest during parts of the
mile – we’ll see if some time off has helped her get her head on straight. (3) SILKEN SMILE caught the public off
guard when she romped in her career debut at Freehold at 9-1 – the fans really hopped on for her local debut,
however, and she scored as the 3/5 choice...chance to make it 3 for 3. (1) J M SPEAK EASY perked up vs, easier at
Fhd. and now adds Lasix for her YR return – we’ll see if she’s ready to hang with the main players tonight. Both (2)
TWO STAR MAGIC and (5) URSULA BLUE CHIP seem a notch below the top ones, but either could take home a
small slice with an easy enough trip.
RACE 4 – (3) TOMBSTONE ended 2023 with a sharp front end score (an overlay at 6-1 that night) and lands inside
a couple of main foes tonight – could be tough, if ready off the hiatus. (4) CREDARENA looked good in a couple of
starts off a layoff this Fall but soon leveled off – he was definitely facing better most of those weeks, and tonight
adds Bartlett while going with Lasix for the 2nd time – could be a legitimate threat! (5) SHOPPING IN PARIS put
together a solid record here last year (12-2-5-2) but has been away since tiring badly on 12/20 – it’s anybody’s guess
as to how sharp she’ll be tonight. (6) NEWTOWNS BLACKGOLD adds Lasix for his seasonal debut and also pairs
back up with Brennan, who steered him to an easy win 2 back – not a fan of that 2-1 ML price from Post 6 (off the
bad date), however. (1) WAVERLY HANOVER has been dullish in his 4 local tries – we’ll see if some time off
helps. (2) KT DOUBLE DEUCE is just 1 for 40 lifetime (but at least she stays trotting most weeks).
RACE 5 – (1) OUTSIDE THE FIRE was handled conservatively here this winter in all 3 starts off the layoff,
finishing strong each time – he was sent off as the prohibitive 1/10 favorite at Chester to close out the year, winning
easily on the front end – Kakaley has plenty of options from the pole, and we’ll give him the narrow edge in this
solid field. (3) TEXSONG SOPRANO was a quality colt in Indiana, banging out nearly $400K at 2 and 3 (while
taking a 1:51 mark at Hoosier) – he was recently purchased, and started to thrive at Northfield after a couple of starts
– should be a very nice fit here at Yonkers. (4) TIPSY MONI did good work at 2 and 3 for a low profile barn before
being acquired by top shelf connections in November – she was just “ok” winning here first couple of starts here,
but was a lot sharper taking her next – she did make a break in her last start of the year, however, and looms a bit of
a question mark for tonight. (6) UNEVERGONNAGETHIS comes off an excellent year ($161K) but he’s often
handled very conservatively by Stratton and that will likely be the case tonight as he’s been away for 5 weeks. (5)
PAPA DOC tends to run hot and cold but is capable of big miles when in the right mood – his last start with Brennan
produced a front end score (10/18), and he’s worth at least a look if the price is juicy. (2) SEVENSHADESOFGREY
has his moments, but may need things to fall apart tonight to threaten for the top slot. (7) X O X O seems
overmatched here....and is pretty surprising that MacDonald took her over #3!
RACE 6 – (2) YS SENSATIONAL CITY had some bad spots/trips in her first few local tries but was a sharp winner
on 12/13 then finished 2nd best to close out the year – she adds Lasix for her 2024 return, and may could be a big
threat tonight if ready to roll. (5) FAVORITE BEACH is another that raced well here to close out the year, and
returns adding Lasix – definitely one to consider. (3) DEVILISH DREAMS struggled in a pair of big track starts but
is a proven player here at this level – consider for exotics. (6) PRINCESS ARONA won by a city block in her local
debut (first start for our leading trainer) but failed to get her picture taken the next 8 weeks– tough draw, and leaning
towards others for the top slot. (7) CHARMING VIXEN has thrived since joining her current barn, going 3 for 3 at
Monti while picking up a 2nd and 4th locally – the terrible draw may limit her production for tonight, however. (4)
BLANK CHECK finished ’23 solidly, picking up 2nds in her last starts – prefer others tonight, but it would hardly
be a shock to see her race well here. (1) ANNELIESE HANOVER throws a good one now and then but is just way
too unreliable for our tastes.
RACE 7 – Very competitive bunch! (3) ALLSUMMERLONG AS was starting to get pretty sharp at the end of last
year, and was full of late life in that last start – she figures to be a good price, and seems like a good value play in a
race that can go several different ways. (2) CANDY BOMBER seems to be on the upswing right now, and has the
benefit of recent activity – he gets a nice upgrade to Kakaley, and has won here in the past – possibility. (5) KOVU
AS was handled VERY conservatively by Stratton in his only local start but still rallied crisply for 2nd – 3 sharp tries
out of town since then, and a very legitimate threat tonight. (4) MANCLANE benefited from the favorite breaking
here on 12/20 but was still a sharp winner – he’s taken 3 of 4 local starts, and should be added to the list of possible
winners. (1) BONTONI GELATO S was a good first over 2nd here in his U.S. debut but failed to build off that in a
pair of NJ starts – his connections always need to be feared. (6) DARK MIND lands outside off the bad date and just
seems to have too many live ones inside of him tonight.
RACE 8 – (5) SIMON SAYS HANOVER thrived from the minute he arrived at Yonkers last year and went some
absolutely bruising miles in his 9 local wins – his trainer seems to have them ready to go off the layoff, and we’ll
look for this guy to come out on top here. (4) COACHES CORNER arrived from Indiana showing ability but he’s
elevated his game to new levels since joining our leading trainer, currently 8 for 8 since the switch (with 7 of those
wins right here at The Hilltop) – obviously can not be taken lightly as he looks to keep that streak alive! (1) GREG
THE LEG comes off an outstanding 2023 season, finishing 1st or 2nd in 22 of his 33 local starts – hard to know how
tight he’ll be off the bad date, however. (2) CAPTAIN COWBOY had a solid 4YO campaign but has missed 6
weeks and catches some tough foes – may be looking at only a smaller piece here. (3) VENTURESOME ARDEN N
won his U.S. debut here in a NW4 field on 12/19 then followed that up with a nice win across the river – weakened
a bit in his last, however, and will have to prove that he can hang with these types.
RACE 9 – (3) PRESTIGE SEELSTER ended the year beating the 20s here in 3 of his last 5 starts – dropped in for
$12.5K at Monti and was a winner, and now returns to Yonkers at the $15K level – barn has been very live so far, so
we’ll give this guy the nod. (1) FULLBACK had been struggling to win races before beating the 15s here on 11/8,
then doing the same at Chester on 11/30 – if he’s ready to go off the hiatus, he can be a legitimate threat from this
spot. (6) SMOKIN BY N perked right up upon arrival from The Meadows, winning his first 2 local starts before
coming up 2nd best to the top choice – he struggled at The Swamp in his last pair, but could easily perk back up
tonight (though Kakaley does opt to handle #3). (2) CAVIART VAL is usually good for a late rally and has done
some good here in the past – definitely one to consider for exotics. (4) MAJOR DESIRE seems a bit cheap right
now but that driver change is hard to ignore...of course, he’ll also probably end up way overbet as a lot of people
look to pounce on that switch...rather go with a few others. (5) KIMANI N failed to pick up a win or a 2
nd in his 7 local starts last year and his barn had a very tough 2023 season – prefer others. (7) SHOREVIEW was 0 for 35 last
year, with 26 of those losses right here at Yonkers – tough to like from all the way out here.
RACE 10 – (5) NANCY LOU NO was facing some top competition in Scandinavia and her qualifier seems to
confirm that she’s a very nice mare – feels like the one to beat making her U.S. debut for Trond. (6) TACHYON
threw a lot of duds last year but still managed to earn nearly $100K – any of his better efforts would give him a
chance at a nice chunk here. (4) MAHONE SEELSTER has really thrived since the recent barn change, going 3 for
3 at Freehold – gets a bit of a class test tonight, but may be up for it. (1) JACKED disappointed more often than he
delivered last year but his barn has sent them out live the first 2 nights, and this could be a decent one to use in
exotics tonight. (3) SMASHIN RACQUETS was “ok” winning her local debut, weakened a bit in her next then
really tired in her last – has been away since 12/21, and her usually very sharp barn is off to a bit of a sluggish start
here in ’24 – could be vulnerable. (2) DIAMANTE TRIO T was a solid player here for weeks but has been away
since a 12/21 scratch – may need a start. (7) INN AT RODANTHE is a strong 5-3-1-0 since arriving here for our top
barn but he lands all the way outside off the bad date and may need this start.
RACE 11 – (7) DOUBLE METAL was hard used in NJ last week and weakened but just missed the week before –
he would seem to have a bit of a class edge in here, and Kakaley should be able to find him a manageable trip
despite the draw. (1) GINGER TREE PETE had a big wake up call in his 2nd start for a new barn and closed out the
season with a 15-1 victory – he tends to need motivation to be involved, and MacDonald may be a good pilot for
him – chance to be a threat once more. (4) ARDEN MESSI N hasn’t won in a while but he’s a good fit with these
and should benefit from that last start across the river – live player. (2) BUCHANNON HANOVER was just 1 for
25 here last year but did race well for pieces on many occasions – may be able to do that here too. (6) IMA HAPPY
FELLA GB had a couple of nice starts here in December but then was no threat in his last pair out of town – would
consider tonight if the price was good enough. (8) COMMANDING OFFICER qualified nicely for his new barn
after 3 months away – would have liked his chances a bit more with a better draw, but his pilot certainly isn’t shy
about sending one from any spot – wouldn’t shock at all. (3) WAR DAN DELIGHT is a solid fit at this level but
hasn’t won in a while and may need a start or two off the winter break. (5) AIR FORCE HANOVER seems to throw
more bad ones than good – ended the year on a dull note, and hard to recommend off 7 weeks.