Best Bet: MONICA GALLAGHER (7th) Spot Play: BELL A CHICK (11th) Race 3 - $125,000 Guaranteed Pick Five Pool ($30,202.59 C/O) Race 8 - $50,000 Guaranteed Pick Four Pool Derick’s Pick Five Ticket: 4,8,10 / 4 / 4,5,6 / 1,2,3,4,7,8 / 9 = $27 Race 1 (6) CHAPTER TOO comes off a nice qualifier in which she was doing her best work on the end of the mile. Four-year-old has enough early speed to gain position off the gate and strike in the lane at a decent price. (1) NOBLE PRIZE is going to take a ton of tote action and has performed very well since moving into this barn. He can win but won’t be worth the price. (5) IRON DOME came up short in the snow. I’m tossing that line. He’s a threat on best. (8) DERF HANOVER has early speed and has won in this class before. Race 2 There are only seven horses in here but the field came up to be very competitive. (5) NF HAPPENSTANCE loves to win (25 for 88 lifetime) and finds a good spot where she should be sitting in the pocket behind (1) OPULENT YANKEE at a fair price. The latter is no stranger to the Big M winner’s circle and should take charge as usual. (2) LMC MASS GEM ships in with good form and set a lifetime mark in his last start, her first for new trainer Dylan Davis. (1A) GURAL HANOVER qualified well but finds a tough spot for his first race of the year. Race 3 (8) I M FISHIN didn’t do anything remarkable in her qualifier but wasn’t bad either. She moves into a new barn and faces a blank field. Don’t be surprised if she steps up. (4) PRESIDENTIAL ZETTE has been racing well of late but doesn’t excite me to run to the windows. (10) LAW OF ATTRACTION is another that is moving into a new barn. He displayed good early speed when last seen here. Race 4 (4) BRICKMAN was called ‘ready’ by trainer Andrew Harris a few weeks back and this double-drop in claiming price tells you where he stands. I’ll be surprised if this guy isn’t handled with urgency from the start for a barn that was hot last weekend. (7) REAL ROCKER didn’t have it on a sloppy track last time; another shot. (1) FREE LOVE drops in for a tag and picks up a much better post this week. (6) CHARMBRO CURIOUSITY is a trip threat. Race 5 (5) CAUFIELD was used last week and just missed the win. This barn in general performed better last week and I think it is coming around. (6) STITCH IN TIME is a clean trip away from a win. Sooner or later he’ll be taking a picture. (4) BIG BILL BREEZE gets post and class relief. Don’t be afraid to include him on your pick 5 tickets. (8) BRANDOS MUSCLE MAN has the early speed to get involved but I like him better underneath. Race 6 (3) XTATIC HANOVER had no shot from post 8 at Yonkers last time and won his previous race across the river. While he didn’t perform well here recently in this class, he again had outside posts. At what should be double-digit odds, he looks like a worthwhile play in a wide-open field. (1) UPFRONT BILLY won when last seen in for this condition and should be handled appropriately. (7) ROUNDTOWN ROCKER is another getting class relief. He has raced well at this level in the past. (4) SUCH AN ANGEL qualified well behind one that is in the Preferred this week. (8) DI OGGI came up with a big mile the last time he raced at the NW8500 level. Race 7 (9) MONICA GALLAGHER won in this class last week but beat much better foes. This race is closer to a high end NW5000 or low end NW8500 than the listed NW11500. She is by far the most likely winner at 3-5. (8) KEYSTONE RIPTIDE is sharp and could hurt the favorite slightly if leaving the gate fast. (6) SUDDEN CHANGE N was done in by a slow start last time. Napolitano choose this mare and she is capable of stepping up. Race 8 For me this is the toughest race on the card to handicap and unfortunately it leads off the pick 4, so hopefully there’s a single latter on to make the play viable. (4) DW’S REVENGE charged past the field last week on a track that was clearly favoring closers. If people harp on the bias, the price could remain healthy this time and I see no reason a repeat can’t happen. (1) IRON MINE JOHNNY couldn’t be any sharper and there is enough speed to set him up from behind. (5) SCIROCCO JAKOB was used hard on the lead on that tiring track last time and held well. (2) MONTALBANO BI is a capable horse that lacks an edge right now. (6) MY CHERRY PIE bucked the bias a week ago. Race 9 (4) PIERCEWAVE HANOVER has the early speed to take charge and seems to be in a soft spot. (9) KARETS broke in his comeback race. He’s another with big speed off the gate. (2) SHADY MCCOY couldn’t keep up with much better horses in his recent qualifier. This isn’t a great spot but he is capable of winning with the right trip. Race 10 (5) THE LAST CHAPTER sprinted home nicely in a very sharp qualifying effort after four months on the shelf. He didn’t exactly catch a tough field and should have a big shot. (7) MISSLAROSE was on quite a roll before succumbing to an overland trip in the slop last time; clear danger. (4) TECH TITAN is another returning from a break. Trainer Svanstedt is good at having them ready after time off. Race 11 (4) BELL A CHICK went through the motions from post 10 last week. Don’t be surprised if owner/driver Steve Smith puts the pedal to the metal from the start against a lackluster field. (6) JINAH BLUEGRASS didn’t fire upon arrival but is deserving of a second look. (7) MISTRESS VALENTINE was used early and paid the price a week ago; could rebound. Race 12 (6) ROCKIN PRALINE moves into the #2 barn in North America in terms of wins this year (as of 2/28) and was plenty sharp in Illinois. I’ll give her the edge here as long as she isn’t odds-on. (4) MACHING ME ZILLY raced evenly with Cushing in the bike coming off a layoff. Now in her second start back Gingras joins the team and improvement is expected. (8) JULIO’S GIRL comes in hot and has to be considered. Race 13 (7) NOT BEFORE EIGHT raced well last time from behind despite missing six weeks of action. New driver Napolitano does well when he takes over for the first time; rolling the dice here. (3) WHISKERSONKITTENS gets class and post relief for a barn having a good meet. (5) BLUSH HANOVER remains camera shy but has been racing much better of late. (8) CHEYENNE TRIENGEL was a fast-closing second when last seen in this condition. [DRF HARNESS NEWSLETTER: Sign Up for the FREE DRF Harness Newsletter. Fresh content and insights delivered each Thursday.]