RACE 1 – (4) OPTICAL ILLUSION N had to move wide to 3/4s from 3rd over last week but was able to sustain his
move right to the wire for 3rd, in what was probably his best local effort so far – good value option (10-1 ML) in
tonight’s opener. (6) TWIN B DELUXE finally got to avoid POUND FOR POUND the last 2 weeks and was a close
2nd and 3rd in those starts – gets a tough draw tonight, but a good price makes him worth a look. (2) CENTURY END
EAVOR has been no worse than 4th since arriving here 4 starts back, and has established that he does fit with these
types – a good trip puts him in play for the top prize tonight. (1) JIMMY CONNOR B hit board in his last three and
is a very logical threat from the pole tonight – he does figure to be overbet, however, and there are other sharp ones
to contend with. (8) SHINE A LIGHT surely fits with these but he draws Post 8 after a month off (he did qualify
sharply), and is just 1 for 12 on the year – demand a good price if considering on top. (7) THRASHER is as tough as
they come but he faces an uphill battle trying to find a good trip from out here. (3) C BET HANOVER really came
back around recently but hints that he MAY be starting to go the opposite way now. (5) LOORIM LAKE A seems
buried in his current form – sticking with others.
RACE 2 – (2) VENTURESOME ARDEN N sat in the back last week but that didn’t stop him from just pacing over
the entire field in the lane – he missed a nose to the currently razor sharp HEMSWORTH N the start before that, and
has been doing excellent work for most of the year– deserves top billing (5) BIRTHDAY shipped in sharp from Ohio
and went a big mile to just miss upon arrival – wasn’t able to get in play (from last) last week, but probably will be
handled more aggressively tonight – live player. (4) IT’S A MARIO rallied by the embattled leaders last start but
was gobbled up by fresher ones in the lane – he gets a week off and that could benefit him...but note that his barn
(which was clicking at nearly 40% early in the year), is 0 for 36 since mid-May (with a bunch of 2nds and 3rds). (1)
HAZEVILLE is stepping up in class but he should be feeling pretty good about himself, with a pair of wins and 2
narrow losses from his last 4 starts – small piece possible. (3) DUVAL STREET did upset these 4 back but has been
limited to minor pieces in his other starts in this class – more of the same tonight? (6) KINGSVILLE lands all the
way outside after turning in his worst effort in a while last week.
RACE 3 – (4) VICI looked like a strong play last week and he proved a very sharp winner – he deserves the nod
again, but definitely looks a bit more vulnerable than last week, with his trip not likely to be as easy – be careful
about accepting too short a price tonight. (2) YOROKOBI N traded victories with HIMSELF N recently and that
one has definitely elevated his game lately – no prayer 8 hole 2 back but did finish with “sneaky pace” from a tough
spot last week – possibility. (6) MIKITEEN changed barns 4 starts back and has been very sharp ever since – a
manageable trip puts him right in the hunt once more. (5) ITALIAN LAD N shipped in sharp from Monti, was a
sharp winner on 6/15 and an excellent 2nd last week – steps up to face tougher, but still worth a look at the right
price. (3) GINGRAS BEACH generally needs to be in a little easier for a chance to win but he’s definitely sharp,
and his barn can never be dismissed too quickly. (1) MARLBANK ROAD gets major post relief but still may be in a
little too tough – he drops wins off the bottom of his card the next 2 weeks. (7) SARANAC BLUE CHIP pulled off
the big front end upset 2 back but trailed all the way from a similar spot last week – pass for now.
RACE 4 – (4) CAPTAINCOUNTRYSTAR marks the return to Yonkers of a barn that hasn’t raced here since early
2021, but which has seen their starters finish 1st or 2nd in nearly half of their starts out of town this year – this guy
was claimed for just $20K early this year but arrives in our 3-5YO Open showing 5 straight blowout wins in
Delaware, the last pair in 1:50.4 - we’ll see if he passes the “class test” tonight! (1) PLEASELETMEKNOW is rock
solid right now and while he can handle any trip, he does figure to be handled aggressively tonight – logical threat.
(5) DUNKIN was able to overcome (an uncharted) break before the start 2 back, but never was able to recover when
the same thing happened last week – clearly risky right now, but also very dangerous with a clean getaway. (6) COM
BUSTION was an excellent 2YO, but had a bit of disappointing year at 3 – he’s doing good work so far at 4 and
probably fits well with these...but may have some trouble overcoming the bad draw for his YR debut. (3) NIGHT
HAWK is putting together a solid season but hasn’t been able to win in this class so far – could be looking at another
smaller piece once more. (2) NAUTICAL HANOVER is still unproven at this top level – minor piece most likely.
RACE 5 – (1) MAJOR DESIRE was stuck with a terrible trip (in a hot mile) last week but still picked up 2nd to the
runaway winner (whom he BEAT in both prior starts) – gets to control the action tonight, and looms a short priced
favorite. (2) IM A POWERPLAY A stepped up to 30s off back to back wins in 20s and went a strong mile from Post
8 – gets major post relief, and figures to be a big player once again. (7) NOWHERE CREEK A held his own vs. the
40s and now drops back down to 30s, where his last 2 starts produced a win and a 2nd – good chance to outperform
that 20-1 ML price, even from Post 7. (5) GENIUS MAN worked hard chasing from the pocket last week and only
lost 2nd late in the mile, behind the runaway winner – wouldn’t be a shock here, though he won’t offer much value at
that 5/2 ML price. (3) NOME HANOVER goes to a new barn but has just been struggling too much to consider for
more than a minor share. (4) HEART ON MY SLEEVE in now 16-0-0-3 on the year and is another that’s hard to
consider for more than minor spoils. (6) YS DO IT RIGHT is a “sluggo” that figures to be coming from too far back
to threaten. (8) PRETTY HANDSOME has a couple of decent recent tries, but tonight’s post is a killer.
RACE 6 - (2) TWO FACED really elevated his game after being claimed on 6/10, going a BIG mile to win his first
start then another big effort when 2nd to the favorite last week – moves to another new barn for tonight, but guessing
that he’ll keep the ball rolling. (7) THAT DOG WILL HUNT has certainly been popular at the claim box, taken 6
weeks in a row – he returns tonight for a barn that won with him 3 starts back, and he could prove the main danger
tonight. (6) CAPTAIN T HANOVER was an upset winner two back, and never had any real room in the stretch last
week after being handled very conservatively – tough post for tonight, but a chance to outrace his odds with more
aggressive handling. (1) ON DAYBOO is always good for a piece...but he’s been stuck on smaller pieces for a
while – note that he’s no longer trained by the “Super Siblings” as one half of that team announced her retirement
from training this weekend (wishing her the best of luck, in all future endeavors)! (4) LAZ has had a solid season
overall but wasn’t at his best two back and really struggled last week – needs to bounce back to that better form to
be a serious player here. (5) LOOTABLE has been racing ok vs. cheaper at Monti and now moves to a barn that can
pick up fresh stock with the best of them...he’s also 0 for 9 at Yonkers, and just 2 for 43 lifetime...tough one to use
on top! (3) URIEL BLUE CHIP adds Lasix tonight but just feels like he may be regressing in his last couple. (8)
ROSE RUN X CON got parked at 80-1 last week – guessing he’s NOT leaving tonight.
RACE 7 – (1) NANDOLO N races well pretty much every week but he hasn’t been able to grab a win since May 6th
(to be fair, his stablemates have also been racing well, but none have won since mid-May either!) – this does feel
like a spot where he can get over the hump, but there’s not likely to be much value with him on top. (2) SUMOMEN
TSOMWHERE A hadn’t really been on his game since the Borgata Series ended but he landed on a perfect trip last
week and knew just what to do with it – we’ll see if he built up enough confidence to take another. (4) ULTIMARO
CA had been sharp for ages but ended up on a suicide mission last week, parking POUND FOR POUND through
fractions of :26, :53.4, and 1:22 before starting to run out of gas – he’ll be a decent price if you think he can shrug
that disaster off and rebound with big mile. (6) NONE BETTOR A was a solid 3rd last week behind a pair of very
classy foes and the 11 year old is mighty classy himself...just not sure if he’ll be able to land on a manageable trip
with a few possible speeds to his inside. (3) CADILLAC BAYAMA is having a terrific season and while somewhat
unproven at this level, it really wouldn’t be a shock if he was able to beat these (with the right trip). (5) HIMSELF N
has been doing good work lately but this is probably a bit tougher than he’d like to be facing.
RACE 8 – (4) HUNTING ZONE can throw BIG miles when you least expect it, but also tends to throw some duds
when he seems to be in a great spot (like last week’s “meh” 3rd) – IF he shows up on his game he’ll be very tough
here – but he’s also not the kind of horse you want to unload on, at a short price. (1) BROOKDALE MIKI ran into a
pretty rough trip in his first local start but did turn in a big try for his new barn (finishing just behind the top choice,
despite a MUCH tougher journey)– deserves a spot on your tickets tonight. (5) MISTER DONALD A is still looking
for his first win of 2024 but his last few starts here are probably better than they look on paper – decent value horse
to at least consider. (8) FREQUENT IMAGE would be hard to like (from Post 8!) off his recent out of town form
but note that he’s returning to the trainer for whom he did outstanding work here last year...couldn’t blame anybody
for using him in their plays. (3) ADMIRAL HANOVER hasn’t done much lately but he was stuck in a couple of the
POUND FOR POUND miles and did win 6 starts earlier in the year – not impossible. (7) MY ULTIMATE STAR A
isn’t bad right now but faces some major obstacles from Post 7 – maybe if the price is long enough? (6) BIG SIR
hasn’t been all that sharp but he does have 3 wins this year and the right pilot for a wake up call – still, leaning to
others. (2) BARON MICHAEL has been extremely dull lately – in need of a major reversal to threaten here.
RACE 9 – (3) RACING RAMPAGE was a strong earner in Ohio at 2 and 3 – his owner drove him in his first 2
starts at 4, shipped him east to one of the sharpest barns in the game and it was no surprise to see him victorious in
his first local try – he faces tougher now, but still deserves the top slot. (1) WINDSUN RICKY had a couple of dull
tries after a sick scratch but finished much more alertly last week – he’s looking at a very good trip tonight, and
looms the main danger. (4) CYRUS N will appreciate ducking Post 8 for the first time in 4 starts, and should be able
to have a much bigger say tonight – use in exotics. (2) LOUS THE ATTITUDE ended a solid 2023 season in fine
form but was just no good at all once the calendar flipped to 2024 – he took a couple of months off, then came up 2nd
best in his qualifier to an import that won her first local start on Fri. night – could be ready to at least take home a
piece of this. (7) WALKINSHAW N absolutely fits with these but may elect to take a very conservative approach
after drawing so poorly – check the tote board for clues. (5) CAUGHTINALANDSLIDE doesn’t feel overly sharp at
the moment – minor share only. (8) DONT JUDGE A BOOK isn’t a bad horse and his barn popped a big priced
winner on Sat. night – may have to wait for a (much) better spot, though. (6) THREE GRAND almost pulled off a
50-1 shocker last start but that was vs. much softer – hard to see him replicating that mile against these.
RACE 10 – (4) WHATS STANLEY GOT A wasn’t serious last week (8 hole with his trainer driving) but he moves
inside, goes back to Bartlett, and this same scenario produced a powerful 1:51.2 blowout two back – the one to catch
and beat. (3) SAMHARA N was too far back to do any damage last week but was still pacing well late – he’s very
sharp right now, and may have a chance to add some value to the exotics with his late rally (7) LEONIDAS A
wasn’t a “pretty” winner last week but at least the classy 9YO finally got into the win column for 2024 – he can be
in the hunt here too, but he’ll need a quick start for that opportunity. (1) FORTIFY may very well end up in the
pocket tonight – as long as he doesn’t mind chasing a hot pace, he may be able to stick around for a good chunk. (5)
LOUS SWEETREVENGE has been terrific (overall) since joining his current barn but did have trouble getting into
the hunt in his last pair – he’ll be coming late...but will it be TOO late? (2) FAMILY RECIPE benefited from a brief
freshening and is good right now – an easy trip could see him take home a piece. (6) THE REGULATOR figures to
be getting away near the back and that won’t work against these. (8) AIR FORCE HANOVER has been holding
form very nicely for some time but faces a monumental task tonight from out here.