Freehold: Analysis for Friday 8/23

MEET STATS: 0-0-0-0 / $0 ($0.00)

BEST BETS: 0-0-0-0 / $0 ($0.00)

SPOT PLAYS: 0-0-0-0 / $0 ($0.00)

BEST BETS: 9^th Race #1 HUNT YOU DOWN

SPOT PLAY: 10^th Race #1 MAYDAYMAVERICKHOPE

Opening day of the new meet at Freehold Raceway!

Race 1: F&M TrackMaster 68.5 (NJSO Preferred)

(4) MADDY N MAGGIE is the “X” factor, coming in from Plainridge and Maine off a private purchase and is first time Izzy Estrada and second time Lasix. She was a seven-time winner last year; expect a strong improvement. (5) HOT STUFF does her best racing here at this level when drawing the five post or better. The last five times at this level at Freehold with the five post or better she has two wins, two seconds and a third. She won here at this level on 5/17 at even money and has good early speed to sit on or near the lead. (2) YOU BEDA ROCK comes in off a strong closing second at Philly against tougher. This seven year-old cashed checks in all four starts this year and seems to be improving; won here last year in 1:57.

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Race 2: F&M NW1/$17,000 Lifetime (Pick 4)

(2) TRISH SPEAKER tried to wire this class here on 5/10 here and got nailed late but held for second, put in a respectable effort on 5/17 against a runaway winner and came back on closing weekend (5/24) with an eye popping win by 7 1/4 lengths in 1:56 4/5. She ships back from YR where she earned checks in her last seven starts against much better quality NW1 fields. Anything close to her 5/24 mile and the rest of this group are just racing for minor spoils. (5) BLUEBIRD CRUSH gets in under the earnings cap and hasn’t shown much in 2024 but has been in tough with some bad posts. She switches to trainer Leah Posner (who had her for a start last year) and her two career wins were both here at Freehold in NW1 and NW2 in late 2023, including a 1:59 mark. (6) MAJOR RISE is a bit of a wild card with just four career pari-mutuel starts and an absolute clunker in her last where something must have gone terribly wrong. She shows two decent efforts, a fourth place finish at Philly chasing in 1:55 1/5 and a second-place effort at Harrington.

Race 3: TrackMaster 68.5 (Trot)

Going to take a bit of a flier with (8) BANGIN IN THE HALL, who will make me look smart if he leaves and gets the top or the opposite if he takes back to last. This field is void of early speed. This is his second pari-mutuel start for Joe Bongiorno and on Lasix. He went wire-to-wire for Joe B from the seven post in his qualifier at Philly in 1:57 and was bet down to 7:2 last week in an Amateur event but broke. This five year-old has only two wins in 63 starts so he could be a reach here but if Austin gets him to the top early, watch out. (2) MY BIG KADILLAC has been toiling in the Amateur ranks in 19 of his last 20 races all driven by trainer Mike Polansky and sports five wins this year in a variety of ways, all at Freehold. Jim Marohn Jr. chose him over the #3 & #4 and this field might actually be easier than many of the Amateur fields he’s been facing. (1) DROP THE MIC has by far the best TrackMaster in the field, gets in on a backup condition and draws the rail but broke at Monticello last week and has been uninspiring lately. (3) MASSTER BLUE is 0 for 27 in 2024 but has thrown in a few solid efforts this year at Freehold against tougher and definitely can be part of this superfecta.

Race 4: F&M TrackMaster 68.5

(5) EA MUSHU has won three of her last four when at this level including an uncovered score on closing weekend here on 5/24 and using a pocket trip on 5/10 at 3:5 odds. This four year-old had two nice wins at the Big M, including a win at the TM72.5 level from the seven hole and this is a much easier spot. She has strong early speed to work out a good trip. (3) JUST ROLLING goes third time for trainer Vinny Ginsburg, who takes the reins for the first time. She finished a strong second two back over at the Big M and was in much tougher last time out at Philly with a tough uncovered trip. I don’t usually like three year olds trying older open competition but (1) LYONS SHELLBY has been sharp at the Meadows and Yonkers and has shown good early speed and should be able to work out a good trip.

Race 5: F&M NW2500 L5/TrackMaster 75.50 (Pick 5)

(4) GAITWAY GAL finds herself in as cheap a spot as she’s been in a while since winning here on 3/1 in 1:55 4/5. Winner of the Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund series at Dover at age three, she has back class and is well situated from post four. (3) ALMOST KAREN has been battling tougher most of the year and finds one of her better spots since she crushed a NW2500 field here wire-to-wire on 3/15 by eight lengths in 1:56. She has more early speed than her recent lines show to find good early position. (1) TAKE YOUR PICK is a wild card in here shipping in from Kentucky. While she has six wins in 29 career starts and has hit the board in 17 of them, she was tagged in a NW2 condition claimer the last two and there are a few hard-hitting veterans in here. She was purchased privately last week and switches to trainer Richard Bilach. (2) QUEEN SUN RYSER threw in some solid efforts hitting the board against much tougher at Freehold earlier this year to go along with a few impressive miles at the Big M including a 1:52:3 score. Her recent form has been dismal but she could wake up a bit in here.

Race 6: TrackMaster 72.5 (Trot)

(3) DINGLE could get a perfect pocket trip here behind Fashion Cantab. She has been forwarded positioned early in most recent starts. This five year-old had a blowout win here in the Amateurs on April 4/27 from the eight post by 8 3/4 lengths at 7:2 odds and also beat the Amateurs on 4/13 by 5 1/2 at 5:2. She was competitive at NW3500 and NW5000 levels here earlier this year and has a legitimate chance to pull off the minor upset. (5) FASHION CANTAB has reeled off three wins in his last four at the Big M in the Amateur series at the Big M and has eight wins in 2024. This five year-old has good early speed in a race somewhat void of early foot and he should be sitting on or near the early lead. (7) LANDIA was impressive winning back-to-back Amateur events at the Big M in June and has earned checks in her last seven races. She’s good value to hit the ticket. (8) HOLD ME CLOSER is a wild card in here. Jenna Cornelison took the trotting hopples off last week for her qualifier and she was a dominant winner from the rail going wire to wire. She has good early speed but it’s a tall order from post eight and she may be one to remember next week with a better draw.

Race 7: F&M Trackmaster 72.5 (Pick 4)

(1) RUN BABY fits a successful formula here earlier this year of Izzy Estrada buying horses out of Canada that have been racing at the $20,000 claiming level (that’s approximately $15,000 US) and having them ready early on. She has won 11 out of 39 in 2023-24 and Izzy has them ready particularly when they draw well. (3) ROMA AMOR beat a TM 76.5 at the Meadowlands on 5/10. She’s been facing some tougher company and returns to the half mile oval where she started her career last year and won three times. (2) BETTE TINA has hit the board in three straight in the Amateurs at Philly but is 1 for 49 in 2023-24 and is tough to take at short odds. (5) ROCKFORD PEACH has gotten minor checks in five of her last six against slightly better but is 0 for 24 in 2024.

Race 8: NW2500 L5/TrackMaster 75.50 (Trot)

(6) OH LINA has faced much tougher this year with some solid efforts. She was second and missed by a nose on 4/12 in NW6000 here and was third on 4/5 missing by 3/4 of a length in NW5000. This seven year-old was an impressive winner at Pocono from the eight hole on 6/17 at a similar level. With a good trip, she is likely better than these. (1) PARODY hit the board twice here in May at a higher NW3500 level, was second on 5/3 in this class missing by a head and was a wire-to-wire winner in this class on 3/22 by 2 1/2 lengths at 9:5 odds. He has good tactical speed and has also shown an ability to brush uncovered to the lead here on several occasions. (3) EXCHEQUER has been chasing some pretty fast miles over at Philly, Yonkers and the Big M and this is a bit of a drop in class. His qualifier last week wasn’t inspiring but he does have four wins in 2024.

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Race 9: H&G TrackMaster 68.5

Horses #4-8 are a combined 0 for 76 this year. (1) HUNT YOU DOWN has cashed checks his last five races at the Big M including three second-place finishes and a win. His last three tries here at Freehold at this level resulted in a win, a second and a third. He has tactical speed to sit first or second here and he will be super tough to beat in this blank field. (2) BOURBONS COURAGE is a bit of a wild card. He’s been overmatched in some quick Amateur miles at the Big M. This seven year-old had some solid efforts prior at Ocean Downs and could sit the pocket and be in solid position to hit the board. (3) GOLD STAR YODER has fallen on tough times recently on bigger ovals but did wire a field at this level last time seen at Freehold from the rail in March at 3:5 odds.

Race 10: F&M TrackMaster 68.5

(1) MAYDAYMAVERICKHOPE has taken advantage of inside draws (which doesn’t happen for her all too often) and wired a field here at this level from the rail at 11-1 on 3/1 in 1:59 3/5 and popped from the two post on 4/12 at 8-1. This field is void of early speed so she should be able to set the pace or manage a pocket trip. I don’t love the three month layoff but the qualifier, although beaten 19 3/4 lengths, wasn’t all that bad as there was a runaway winner. William Carter is in the sulky, which could keep the price fair. (2) DREAM PILLAR won here back to back in April beating NW2 fields from the rail by 7 1/2 lengths and then right back from the eight hole after skipping a few steps early. This three year-old struggled a bit over at the Big M recently but has some early speed, the highest TrackMaster in the field, seems to like it better on the smaller track and should sit on or close to the lead. (7) CUTTING HUMOR won here back to back on 5/3 at this level and then stepped up and beat the TM72.5 on 5/10 from the rail. This mare has shown a few trips here at Freehold where she has taken some air uncovered and fought hard through the wire. Trainer Leo Iordan takes the reins and this mare could add value at the bottom of exotic tickets.