Meadowlands: Analysis for Saturday 12/11

MEET STATS: 225-78-38-35 / $341.40 (-$108.60)

BEST BETS: 18-11-0-2 / $32.00 (-4.00)

SPOT PLAYS: 18-3-2-6 / $16.20 (-$19.80)

BEST BET: PALOMAR (6th)

SPOT PLAY: SADIQ HANOVER (12th)

Race 1: $75,000/$100,000 Claiming Handicap Leg 2 - Pick 5

(7) CAVIART LUCA was parked every step of the mile last week and held reasonably well. Old-timer should get a smoother trip this week. (2) YACHT SEELSTER reunites with Brennan here and could attempt an early brush from the inside post. (6) BLACK CHEVRON N beat many of these last week and is versatile to win off multiple trips.

[DRF HARNESS: Get Harness Eye PPs for this card]

Race 2: Fall Harvest for NW $2,500 (NW L3 $2,800) in last 5 or TM 79 (NW L3 79.5) or less

(9) LYONS LIBERTY gets an interesting barn change to Drennan and picks up Brennan in the bike. That has been a lethal combination. (1) GALACTIC GALLEON N has been racing well in the amateur ranks and now pick up Yannick. (3) NOBLES FINESSE seems to be getting a bit of a class break here and could be a sneaky value play.

Race 3: $20,000/$30,000 Claiming Handicap - Survivor 7

(2) COOL BLUES MAN drops in claiming price to get a better post and that will be key here in a field that seems to lack early speed. (6) ARCHANGEL THREE is the one horse that seems highly likely to gun off the gate. He's a must-use despite just 4 wins in 42 starts the last two years. (7) MINDTRIP was ok for new connections last time; needs more.

[DRF BETS: Wager on tonight's Meadowlands card at DRF Bets.com!]

Race 4: Fall Harvest for NW $2,500 (NW L3 $2,800) in last 5 or TM 79 (NW L3 79.5) or less

(4) NOME HANOVER raced reasonably well last time considering it was his first start since June. I wouldn't be shocked if he showed early speed here. (9) REAL KID closed well for second a week ago and this looks like a great spot to fire hard off the gate. He's shown previous early zip on the half. (3) ATTA BOY DAN was stuck outside most recently and in Opens at Monticello previously. This looks like a class drop.

Race 5: $12,500/$17,500 Claiming Handicap

(9) PARKLANE JET has the early speed to overcome that outside post and drops in claiming price tonight. Given a reasonable trip and odds of 5-1 or higher, he seems worth a try. (4) JEFF'S JOURNEY goes from an amateur driver to the aggressive Dube. His prior starts with catch-drivers were fine. (8) CHICKEN NUGGET clearly has one big turn of speed in him that is best used late unless the competition is very weak. Will he have too many horses to pass here?

Race 6: $75,000/$100,000 Claiming Handicap Leg 2 - $50K GTD Pick 4

(6) PALOMAR missed by a nose for us at 49-1 last week and now we'll have to accept about 5-1 in this spot. The price won't be as juicy but this guy is coming to form. (2) BET NINTEEN comes to town from Hoosier in great form and catches a field without much early speed on paper. (3) LEON DAVID won for Burke last time and sold through OnGait for $61,500. He should be able to race well tonight for new connections.

Race 7: Non-winners $7,000 (NW L3 $7,700) in last 5/TM 85 (NW L3 85.5) or less

(6) CASUAL COOL gained five lengths in the stretch last Saturday in his first start since August. Six-year-old figures to move up off that mile. (5) OUR MAX PHACTOR N is reportedly a better follower and thus didn't respond on the lead last time. His prior starts were from post 8 at Yonkers and he could be a value play off those performances. (7) DUSTYLANEGOLIATH won at first asking for Team Bongiorno and merits a look despite the class rise. (3) SPORTSNEST was thrown to the wolves upon his Big M arrival. This is a more realistic spot.

Race 8: $20,000/$30,000 Claiming Handicap - Pick 6

(6) GO WEST GO FAST moves into a new barn tonight. Six-year-old has always been fast enough and maybe Cano can get the best out of him. (5) SHAMMA LAMMA has been stuck in some fast miles and could perk up moving into this claimer. (8) FEELING CAM LUCKY was super in his last amateur race. Will he fire hard again?

Race 9: Non-winners $10,000 (NW L2 $11,100) in last 5 or 7 races life/TM 88 (NW L3 88.5) or less

(3) QUICK SHOT charged home in his first try for this barn and in a field that is loaded with early speed, he's one who could be picking them off in the lane. (4) BETTORS DONTTELL battled nicely and lost to a decent horse last time; player. (5) DECISION DAY is probably better one more class down the ladder, but he's another that if patient, it could pay off. (2) HEZA REAL DIAMOND is certainly dangerous at this level when he’s sharp, and he is right now.

Race 10: $150,000 Claiming/NW $20,500 (NW since 9/26 $25,000) in last 5 - $50K GTD Pick 4

(6) SEMI TOUGH seems to have found his mojo in recent weeks and now is perfectly drawn to head to the front and sit no worse than second. (7) SAVE ME A DANCE has come up short in two of his last three. Perhaps new trainer Alexander can find the missing link to get him over the top again. (5) VETTEL N has been the King of these upper-level claimers. If they somehow give you a fair price (5/2?) on him, I'd go to the windows.

Race 11: Non-winners $10,000 (NW L2 $11,100) in last 5 or 7 races life/TM 88 (NW L3 88.5) or less

(2) DUPLICATED N moves into the Harrison barn and we saw that work nicely with Quick Shot (race 9) last week. This guy seems worth a look at a price. (7) WALKNAFTER MIDNITE raced ok in his first start back from a break in action with Lasix added. Something tells me we might see early speed here. (5) STRAIGHT TALK goes on the Lasix program this week and is certainly eligible to improve.

Race 12: Non-winners $4,000 (NW L3 $4,400) in last 5/TM 82 (NW L3 82.5) or less

(2) SADIQ HANOVER returned from a couple of months on the sidelines and was dealt two difficult posts while facing better competition. Seven-year-old comes off a steady mile and seems highly likely to show more this week. (4) VIRGIN STORM takes a serious class drop here and would figure to awaken, but his 4-for-58 record the last two years doesn't inspire confidence. (5) WHAT’S YOUR BEEF has the early speed to make the top and should stick around for a decent piece. (3) MONTEFALCO N is more than capable of winning but he did stop badly last time. Maybe it's telling that McCarthy chose the other Harrison-trained horse in the field.

Race 13: Preferred Pace

(6) MY PAL JOE could be overlooked a bit in the wagering but he's certainly fast enough to play with this group. Here's hoping McCarthy guns out from post 6 and tries to cut the mile. (4) LET IT RIDE N was used early last time so the fact that he tired late isn't a huge deal. He just needs a decent trip. (5) BACKSTREET SHADOW is the class of the field but he might need a start.

Race 14: Fall Harvest for NW $2,500 (NW L3 $2,800) in last 5 or TM 79 (NW L3 79.5) or less

(2) PIG IRON is certainly as fast as any of these but has questions to answer in terms of recent form - something most of these have to figure out. It's not farfetched to think that new trainer Cano can wake him up. (7) FATHER FRED gets an interesting driver change this week that could be worth a second or two. (1) BEANTOWN SPORTY could be odds-on here and that seems like a risky play seeing as the pace scenario worked out nicely last time and he broke the start before. That said, it's hard to toss him out. (9) MR D'S DRAGON started on Tuesday and perhaps the quick comeback will tighten him up.