MEET STATS: 48 - 209 / $348.20 (-$69.80) BEST BETS: 7 - 16 / $25.60 (-$6.40) SPOT PLAYS: 4 - 16 / $75.80 (+$43.80) BEST BET - CHASER HANOVER (8th) SPOT PLAY - HAYMITCH (2nd) Race 1 - Winners of 3 But Not More Than 5 LT/NW75000LT Pace *$100K GTD Pick 5 Pool* (8) ALWAYS AND AGAIN turned in a quality performance behind the sharp Put To Right on 12-26 and will be the one I go with here. (5) MY PAL JOE comes in off a dazzling victory last Saturday and was third in the same race my top pick comes out of. (9) FLYINGEVENBETTOR N shows a bit of a gap in his schedule, but I trust the Tony Alagna barn to have him ready, and he hit the board in both of his appearances in December. [DRF HARNESS: Get Harness Eye PPs for this card] Race 2 - 12500CLM Pace (6) HAYMITCH probably needed that race a week ago after the sick scratch and finished up well after taking a shuffle. (4) WESTERN REDHOT has found his form since the Besim Odza claim and put in a big mile from first-up last Saturday. (3) KEYSTONE HONOR just ran out of racetrack last week as he rallied sharply to take a second-place finish behind Fox Valley Nemitz. [DRF BETS: Wager on tonight's Meadowlands card at DRF Bets.com!] Race 3 - NW11500L5/NW6 or 75000LT/30000CLM Trot (9) SWAN IN MOTION raced much better with the addition of Lasix in his last effort on 12-18, and though he moves back outside, I'll hope whatever he found that night carries over and put on top. (2) SWEET CHAPTER was a good second as the favorite in this class last Saturday and merits respect. (8) GRACEFUL WINNER tossed in a clunker two back but has been racing well other than that, and she was Dunn's choice in this event. Race 4 - NW2500L5/Winners TrackMaster Rating 73 in Last Start Pace (9) ODDS ON LAUDERDALE drops to the bottom level tonight and gets a new driver as Simon Allard takes over. He's not a win machine, but I think this is a group he can perform well against. (7) SAYING GRACE N recovered well after an early miscue to finish fourth when last seen on 12-26, and David Miller has the call in the bike. (1) SUGARTOWN was rejected by Miller, but slides down a notch after being the choice against NW4500L5's, and replacement driver Corey Callahan will look to take advantage of the chance to drive a Ron Burke trainee. Race 5 - NW11500L5/Winners Base Class NW8000 or Less Last Start Pace (6) SOMEBADDUDE had to do the first-over work last Saturday and faded in the final quarter, but he moves down in class tonight and hopefully Todd McCarthy can work out a better trip. (2) JOESSTAR OF MIA A was in against the likes of Highalator when last seen at the Meadowlands, so this is a much more reasonable spot, and he finished first or second three times in December at Harrah's Philadelphia. (1) SEMI TOUGH finished with pace from an impossible spot on 12-26 and gets the same class relief as my top pick. Race 6 - NW11500L5/Winners Base Class NW8000 or Less Last Start Pace *$50K GTD Pick 4 Pool* (7) BOILING OAR made one appearance against NW17500L5's a week ago and now slides back down to the class where he was second from first-over on 12-26. (4) TWIN B TUFFENUFF also exits the NW17500L5 level and won in the corresponding class to this one at Pocono on Halloween. (2) SHNITZLEDOSOMETHIN cruised to a front-stepping win over NW10000L5's at Harrah's Philadelphia most recently and has won at the Meadowlands before. Race 7 - NW4500L5/Winners Base Class NW3500 or Less Last Start Pace (2) IM A GIGOLO N was much more live in his pari-mutuel start on 12-26 than he looked in his qualifier on the 12th of December. This appears to be a reasonable spot as he moves over from the NW2 class, and I will use. (3) SWAGASAURUS REX has been facing better since a victory at the Meadowlands on Halloween. He gets some needed class relief tonight, and I think that makes him much more of a threat. (4) ITALIAN DELIGHT N scored a facile win over NW4000L5's at Harrah's Philadelphia on their closing day card, and he took his life's mark at The Big M in 2020. Race 8 - NW7500L5/Winners Base Class NW6000 or Less Last Start/20000CLM Pace (3) CHASER HANOVER moves up in class again this week, but he has David Miller to drive again and catches a pretty beatable field for this level. (2) AMERICAN BOY N finished out his mile in 27 1/5 on 12-26 and has significant post relief, sliding in from the nine-hole. (5) JK WILDFIRE appears to have returned to good form in his last pair at Harrah's Philadelphia, and he has gone big miles at the Meadowlands before, including his career-best in 2019 and his season's-best in 2020. [DRF BETS: Wager on tonight's Meadowlands card at DRF Bets.com!] Race 9 - NW7500L5/Winners Base Class NW6000 or Less Last Start/20000CLM Pace (4) DECISION DAY comes into this event after a second-place finish against NW10500L5's on 12-12. He gets a driver switch to Scott Zeron and appears to be the one they're going to have to beat. (8) YANKEE OSBORNE starts from another outside post, but I liked the way he closed last Saturday in this class and will include. He was also Todd McCarthy's choice in this race. (1) GOOD ROCKIN motored home in 26 and change to finish third on the 26th of December and picks up David Miller in the bike this time. Race 10 - NW17500L5/50000CLM Pace *$50K GTD Pick 4 Pool* (4) WESTERN JOE doesn't have to face the likes of Let It Ride N this time, and I expect David Miller to have him on or near the lead. Miller took him over two Burke horses, giving me some additional confidence in his prospects. (3) HEZA REAL DIAMOND hasn't been able to match that 1:48 4/5 mile on 11-28, but he continues to put in solid efforts, including a third in this class a week ago. (1) ROCKIN THE ACES finished with interest from off-the-pace last Saturday and gets Dexter Dunn to drive. Race 11 - NW4500L5/Winners Base Class NW3500 or Less Last Start Pace (3) CHEYENNE RYAN LEE showed the ability to finish second from post ten against NW7500L5's on 11-14, and I don't mind that David Miller gets the call this time in a pretty wide-open looking race. (10) SOHO WALLSTREET A took advantage of an easy spot against NW2500L5's at Harrah's Philadelphia in his last start of 2020. He was favored and came in third in the corresponding class to this one over there on December 18, so I think he's usable. (1) JUSTIN CREDIBLE gained late in the mile in one of the fog races on the 12th of December and gets reunited with Dunn. Race 12 - 10000CLM Pace (7) IMAGEOFAROCKER got claimed by a high-percentage barn in his last effort of 2020 and won a couple times at the Meadowlands during the fall. (6) SHATTERED GLASS returns to The Big M after a little bit of a freshening up and is probably the one to beat if he races like he did two and three starts back. (2) WHATSTROUBLNUROCKY doesn't like to win, as evidenced by his one-for-27 record in 2020, but he has hit the board in four of his last five appearances and gets a chance with David Miller. Race 13 - NW2500L5/Winners TrackMaster Rating 73 in Last Start Pace (6) NOME HANOVER should offer some value in this wide-open race, and I think it's a more reasonable spot for him class-wise than the NW4's have been at Yonkers and the Meadowlands. (9) GOLD STAR YODER is another horse who looks like he finds a soft spot tonight after facing tougher foes lately. (8) SPORTS COLUMN got some wagering attention through December up in Canada but didn't have much to show for it. I did like his qualifier last Saturday, and the horse was in the Preferred at Woodbine Mohawk Park as recently as July of 2020, so I have to think he'll wake up one of these times. Race 14 - 7500CLM Pace (4) GENESSEE SEELSTER must dislike Freehold since he's been dreadful over there since joining the Izzy Estrada barn, but he won nicely at the Meadowlands two back at 23-1. He was a DRF Harness spot play that night, and I will give him another shot tonight. (5) WALKS OF LIFE has a win and a second in his last two efforts against $7,500 claimers and has a perfect post to start from for his racing style. (7) CENTURY FERRARI topped $10,000 claimers on the 5th of December, and I would anticipate George Napolitano Jr. having him on or near the front. Race 15 - TrackMaster Rating 73 or Less as of 1-5-21 Pace (7) HOLD THUMBS N just squeezes into this class, and he's probably due for a wake-up call after competing against NW2's in all his tries since coming to the U.S. (2) SHARKNADO was second to the well-meant Durant back on 11-28, and though he has a gap in his schedule, I like that he was Napolitano Jr.'s choice. (3) GRANDPA DON never got involved a couple of weeks ago, but he has his first inside post in a bit, and did defeat TrackMaster 73 foes on 11-20.