Meadowlands: Analysis for Saturday 2/17

MEET STATS: 140-39-23-13 / $236.70 (-$43.30)

BEST BETS: 10-4-2-0 / $17.20 (-$2.80)

SPOT PLAYS: 10-2-4-1 / $8.00 (-$12.00)

BEST BET: NATURALLY GIFTED A (10^th)

SPOT PLAY: BOILER MAKER (7^th)

Race 1: Non-winners $5,000 (NW L2 $5,500) in last 4 - Pick 5

(3) KEAYANG KAMIKAZE raced very well upon arrival from Australia with a good fourth after starting from an outside post and closing from last. Seven-year-old drops a notch is seems to be in the perfect situation to get his first stateside win. (7) BEACH VIBES is somewhat trip dependent as evidenced by him closing in 26 2/5 and getting nothing last time; new driver this week. (10) PRINCE MCARDLE N seems to lack form and is stuck in post 10, but this veteran has the outside speed to get involved and hails from a barn hitting the top three at an 84% rate in 2024.

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

Race 2: Non-winners $3,000 in last 4 or in 2024/TM 77.5 or less/Opt. $12,500 Clm. - Survivor 7

(2) LAZIN ON THE BEACH was in career form when Quevedo stopped with her in mid-December. She qualified back nicely and Miller chose her over other contenders. (6) BADDITUDE goes for her third straight tonight as she bumps up in class slightly. She has a big shot again but might not be worth a short price. (10) SHAKE IT TWICE got caught in a bad spot two starts back and never got involved last time. McCarthy joins the team this week and perhaps he can get her in play at huge odds.

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

Race 3: Trackmaster 74 (NW L2/2L4 74.5/75.05) or less/NW $1,000 last 4

(6) TERRE HAUTE should certainly be tighter in his second start back from a two month break. In a field that lacks early speed, this guy should be controlling things with a big shot to win. (2) GOTTA MINUTE N went a big mile last time in the amateur ranks and he could be sitting pretty in the pocket if he pushes away hard. (5) HEART OF ROCK hasn’t missed the top three in some time; using underneath.

Race 4: $10,000-$15,000 Claiming Handicap - Pick 8

(5) MAJOR POCKET A had no shot from post 10 despite finishing well when last here at the end of January. Barn woke up with its first win of the meet and a second last weekend. (4) LITTLE POWER is a sharp horse getting sent out by the hottest barn at the meet in 2024. (6) CONCUR needs a bit of pace help but is very capable given the right setup. (7) SOMIKI moves into a new barn and picks up Dunn; improvement possible.

Race 5: Trackmaster 77 (NW L2/2L4/2L6 77.5/78.10/78.64) or less

(2) GOLDEN GESTURE gets a much better post to start from and a key shift from claimers to this TM condition. Veteran can push away and sit a decent trip second or third on the pylons. (3) LOVETHEWAYYOULIE couldn’t be any sharper and there might be enough outside speed to set up his late rally. (10) OH COFFEE BEAN is perfect in two starts since moving into the Estrada barn. He has the early speed to overcome the post but will need to be on the top of his game to clear the front and keep going.

Race 6: $20,000-$30,000 Claiming Handicap - $50K GTD Pick 4

(4) ODDS ON BOCA RATON just keeps rolling along and rewarded his followers with a 5.90 price last week for his fourth straight. In this short field there is no reason why he can’t run them down again to get a win for the thumb. (6) MARCUS SEELSTER almost got there last time when second to the top pick; big threat again. (1) TWIN B FIGHTER was purchased for $13,300 online after his last start and drops in for 20K here, which is still a claiming price reduction. As stated many times, this barn is on a roll and excels with first-time starters, so don’t ignore him if others do.

Race 7: Trackmaster 80.01 (NW L2/2L4/NWL8 80.5/81.45/81.82) or less series

(6) BOILER MAKER is a rock-solid overnight horse getting major barn and driver changes this week. I’ll be shocked if we don’t see a form reversal immediately. (4) JK STANDINGOVATION switched trainers last time and was sneaky good with late pace from an impossible spot. He can surprise here at good odds. (2) PARKLANE TERROR has been in form for some time and shows a win in this class a few starts back. (9) DESIRE’S CAPTAIN steps up the class ladder a bit while in great shape; Stratton jumps ship for the top pick.

Race 8: Non-winners 2 (NW L2 3) races or $20,000 life/Maidens draw inside - Pick 6

(8) TENNESSEE SMOOTH got his first taste of the big track in his return qualifier last weekend and it was good to see that when Boyd asked him for speed he uncorked a 26-second final quarter. A 1:52 mile seems well within his grasp and that looks like a winning clocking for this level. (4) MIDNIGHT THUNDER finished just behind (9) NO WORDS in this condition last Saturday and they switch posts this week.

Race 9: Trackmaster 80.01 (NW L2/2L4/NWL8 80.5/81.45/81.82) or less series

(5) MUSCLE FACTORY A got caught in a mile that went nearly two seconds faster than this group has been traveling lately. Nine-year-old should only benefit from the race after a few months on the sidelines. He can take these to task. (6) POSH ON THE BEACH A made a nice move to the front and came up second best last time. He’s the top contender if the top one isn’t ready for a big mile. (1) WAR OF WILL should fire out and sit close. Barn broke out of a slump last weekend and perhaps this guy will soon.

Race 10: Non-winners $10,000-$14,000 in last 4/TM 89.50 (NW L2 90) or less - $50K GTD Pick 4

(2) NATURALLY GIFTED A was trapped in the stretch last week and loaded with pace. He looks like the real deal and figures to be put in a better position this time. (5) DRAGONONTHEBEACH couldn’t have looked much better in his recent qualifying win and Andrew McCarthy takes off the very sharp (8) OAKWOOD PADDY IR to drive. The latter hasn’t finished worse than second since November.

Race 11: President’s Day Open Handicap Trot

(7) LOVEDBYTHEMASSES is far and away the best horse in this field. The return qualifier was strong and hopefully the time off will get us close to even money. (6) PLATINUM AS held very well last time after getting parked every step of the mile; better post now. (8) FERRETTI is certainly sharp and still young enough to be getting better. (1) BUDDY EARL steps up in form; another late bloomer?

Race 12: Non-winners $7,500 in last 4 or 4 races or $50,000 life

(5) WHOLE LOTTA LOU loses David Miller this week and I think that’s a good thing. A new set of hands with the lines can often wake a horse up and McCarthy has previous success with this guy. (4) HEZA REAL DIAMOND was huge value last week. He’s a horse that can stay sharp for a few starts before tailing off. (1) GRETZKY THE GREAT faced some salty foes last time and might just be in a better spot here.

[DRF HARNESS: Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter]

Race 13: Non-winners $2,000 (NW L2 $2,200) in last 4

(7) MAJORLY SEXY A made a wide move around the final turn but just couldn’t make a dent while passing horses late. Tritton trainee should only be sharper in his second start off the bench. (6) TANKALICIOUS is getting serious class relief to the level of his last win and seems unlikely to be the chalk. (1) LEON DAVID also drops and he picks up a Hall of Fame driver. (3) LYONS PEGASUS went insane on the front last week with unrealistic fractions. That effort should have him speed-tightened.

Race 14: Trackmaster 74 (NW L2/2L4 74.5/75.05) or less/NW $1,000 last 4

(1) WINWOOD JACK drops after an even mile last time. He picks up Dunn this week and seems to be in a good spot. (6) SEE YOU FRIDAY lured McCarthy off the top pick as this guy also drops a notch; playable. (3) BARGAIN SHOPPER is back in town with a much better driver in the bike.