Meadowlands: Analysis for Saturday 3/25

WINTER MEET STATS: 272-73-57-36 / $451.80 (-$92.20)

BEST BETS: 20-6-7-2 / $32.40 (-7.60)

SPOT PLAYS: 20-4-3-2 / $27.40 (-$12.60)

BEST BET: BULLVILLE STEPHANO (2^nd)

SPOT PLAY: ULTIMAROCA (12^th)

Race 1: $12,500-$15,000 Claiming Handicap - Pick 5

(8) I’M BURLINGTON N went a monster mile from post 10 to destroy most of these last Saturday and it is hard to make a case that the results won't be similar tonight. (5) DOUBLEAGENTMAN rallied off cover to be a no-match second behind the top pick and that will be his ceiling again unless #8 falters. (2) SOUTHWIND DREDGE went to the front and got a wicked shuffle out of contention. Then he was sent four wide on the final turn while lacking a late move. A smoother trip gives him a shot.

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Race 2: Non-winners 2 (NW L3 3) life/Maidens draw inside

(5) BULLVILLE STEPHANO took a shot in his 2023 debut and tired, which is understandable. He was back on the track just four days later and aborted a leave attempt then came home with steady pace. Tonight he catches a suspect field with a potential 3-5 favorite in (1) THIRD PILLAR that has never won in his career. The latter looks like a lock if you take a quick scan of the pp's but you have to question whether he's been losing due to desire or competition. (9) BESTONEYET HANOVER has some early speed and a number of good recent races on his lines.

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Race 3: TrackMaster 86.5 (NW L3/2L4 87/87.62) or less - Survivor 7

Last week Stratton chose off (4) VEL MR NICE GUY for #5 and now he sticks here; interesting. This guy closed well last time and is in form. He just needs to be kept closer to the action. (3) STRIKING IMPACT drops to the level of his last win and is almost certainly heading to the front. (5) I’M SOME GRADUATE missed by a nose while finishing ahead of the top pick last time, so he's an obvious player.

Race 4: TrackMaster 80.5 (NW L3/2L5 81/81.5) or less

Some races a horse jumps off the page and others are more difficult to evaluate. This falls under the more difficult because the ones I like are stuck outside and haven't been racing in this condition. (9) VALOR has been racing fairly well at Saratoga and now makes her big track debut while luring Tetrick. If she gets faster with the stretch-out she'll be tough. (10) OAKWOOD VEGAS IR was a winner when last seen here and he's already displayed the early speed needed to overcome the outside post. (6) LETSGOTOBRAZIL A raced evenly in a pretty quick mile last out. I could see him showing early speed this time.

Race 5: Non-winners $7,500 in last 5/TM 83 (NW L3/2L5 83.5/84) or less/Opt. $20,000 Claiming

(5) SHEZAFREAKLIKEME has been racing well but just hasn't landed in the right situation to come close to winning. Here she has options, with the opportunity to leave or better yet to sit back off what could be a fast pace. (6) GAITWAY GAL has consecutive second-place finishes in this class and is also versatile enough to race from on or off the pace. (4) CASH ROLL beat some of these last time and remains a threat.

Race 6: Non-winners $20,000 (NW 2L5 $22,000) in last 5/NW14000-TM 87.5 or less draw inside - $50K GTD Pick 4

(3) EUROBOND lands in an absolutely perfect spot on his return to The Meadowlands. Classy 8-year-old may need to two-move to secure the front but after that it should be smooth sailing. (7) TIMESTORM never got close last week in Open company but Bartlett should have him closer to the action this time. (8) PLATINUM AS rallied from the back to be third in that same Open a week ago. He has a shot in here if the top one falters. (2) GOTWUTEVERITTAKES steps way up off a pair of wins but has been able to handle it in the past.

Race 7: Non-winners $7,500 (NW 2L5 $8,250) in last 5

(6) DONTLIKEITLEAVE was used hard and didn't get the top until the half last week yet still missed by just a neck at the wire. Anything similar to that effort tonight with a slightly better trip has to result in a win, right? (5) IT'S IN THE STARS almost closed from last to win most recently from post 10 coming out of the same race. He'll certainly be bet heavily off that mile and is one to fear. (1) HOPNROLL HEAVEN was part of a very hot pace last time and now returns on Lasix. He can make some noise in here. (2) LYONS PEGASUS came to play in a big way last weekend and we've seen he can even go a sub 1:50 mile.

Race 8: TrackMaster 89.5 (NW L3/2L5 90/90.5) or less/NW2000 in last 3 - Pick 6

(6) A ROCKNROLL STAR has the early speed to head to the top and doesn't seem to have much to worry about to his outside on the gate. What he lacks in class he makes up for with form. (7) BETTOR MEMORIES comes out of a tougher race and keeps Gingras over a couple of others. (8) ACTON HANOVER is a capable horse that simply needs a decent trip. Can Dunn find that route from the outside post?

Race 9: $20,000-$27,000 Claiming Handicap

(5) GOOD ROCKIN has been used up near the lead in his last two and that could be a good thing as perhaps he'll be switched to off the pace where he can uncork his big move late in the mile. There doesn't appear to be a ton of speed outside him outside of (6) TAM MAJOR A, so that could lead him to getting a nice cover trip. The latter has a chance to get away with soft fractions on the front if things go as they look on paper. (1) BETTER THAN SOME has been making a good living this year sitting close and getting on-the-board finishes.

Race 10: TrackMaster 92.4 (NW 2L5 93.5) or less/NW10251 in last 4 - $50K GTD Pick 4

(2) CAPTAIN CRUSADER A raced great on February 18 behind Jimmy Freight and I was all set to bet against him versus an even tougher field on March 4 when he got scratched. Now he's back versus a softer bunch and off a sharp qualifier. I'm very interested to see what he can do. (5) MIKE’S Z TAM has made his own luck with blazing early speed to ensure pocket trips. He's 100% the one to beat. (7) CARBINE doesn't seem to be the horse he was at one point last year but he still deserves some respect in here.

Race 11: TrackMaster 83.5 (NW L3/2L5 84/84.5) or less

(10) MAGRITTE climbs way up the Trackmaster class ladder here off a career-best mile at age 9! If the same horse shows up this week the bad post and tougher competition won't matter. (7) ITS SHOWTIME has the early speed to make the top and the form to make him a major player. (4) LADYFORD DOLLAR GB drops down after a couple of races where he was used near the front; contender. (1) RAPTORS FLIGHT N doesn't always show up with his best but is certainly capable of winning in this class.

Race 12: Non-winners $10,501 (NW L3 $11,500) in last 5

(2) ULTIMAROCA has been racing well in tougher spots of late. This really should be his week to shine. (4) MY PAL JOE comes out of the same race as the top pick and really had no chance that night from the far outside post. Moving to a more favorable spot on the gate he's clearly the main danger. (6) MARKET BASED has ability but hasn't looked tuned up and ready to go thus far.

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Race 13: Non-winners $5,000 (NW L3 $5,500) in last 5

You may not see it on your program but (8) DE LOS CIELOS DEO won his last start in this company. Enigmatic 7-year-old tends to wake up when he finds a soft spot. (10) ST LADS BEAT IT is perhaps the class-dropper in the field that will go unnoticed since he has post 10 and hasn’t been very sharp. Don’t be shocked if he steps up. (4) THE CLAW has been better in his last two starts. (3) MAJORLY SEXY A faces softer and adds Lasix but we are still talking about a winless 7-year-old.

Race 14: Non-winners $2,000 (NW L5 $2,401) in last 5 or 2 races in 2022-23

(9) ANGERS BAYAMA tried to bottom out the field last time and came up short. That was his first start in four weeks so we’ll give him another shot. (7) INCREDIBLE BADGER didn't fire in his first try for the new barn; another chance. (3) DOUBLE UP N was supposed to find his groove on the class drop last time and didn't. Is this the week? (1) AIR GUITAR moves to the inside of the gate and should be able to stick closer.