Meadowlands: Analysis for Saturday 4/3

MEET STATS: 185-39-25-30 / $201.00 (-$169.00)
BEST BETS: 14-7-1-1 / $24.40 (-4.40)
BEST BET: GOOD ROCKIN (2nd)
SPOT PLAY: SOMBODYITREASURE (6th)
Race 1: Non-winners $4,500 (NW L3 $5,100) in last 5 or 1 race in 2021 (10+ starts) - Pick 5

(1) WHITTAKER N was an easy winner the last time he raced in this class and the post relief tonight should be huge to keep him close to the pace. The only negative is that driver Dexter Dunn chose #4, though I hear this Tetrick guy is pretty good too. (2) BIG STRETCH MARK is another class-dropper in this tough NW4500. This guy could be firing hard off the gate. (4) PALOMAR was done in by an outside post last week but he's clearly found his form since moving to the basement condition.

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

Race 2: Non-winners $2,500 (NW L3 $3,075) in last 5/Winners TM Rating 74 or less

(3) GOOD ROCKIN gets one more chance from me. While this isn't the easiest NW2500 field in the world, he's perfectly drawn this week to work out a reasonable trip and should have no excuses. (6) QUALITY BUD has had some good moments on this track and he returns here for a new barn for the first time since early 2020. (4) EDDARD HANOVER moves to the inside of the gate and could be firing off the wings early; has class.

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

Race 3: Non-winners $7,500 (NW L2 $8,880) in last 5 - Survivor 7

(5) WINNERUP caught a stakes horse last week who was ready at first asking in 2021. Along with (1) LOVEDBYTHEMASSES, who finished third right behind Winnerup in that mile, one of them should take care of business. I'll lean to Winnerup. (6) SKYWAY KON MAN drops down here but really doesn't get any class relief. With the right trip he can contend.

Race 4: $15,000/$17,500 Clm. Hcp.

(5) MY ALPHA ROCK N has been on a crazy-good form spree and is clearly the one to beat. (3) SO SO DE VIE stole the race with soft fractions last time. Driver change to Andrew McCarthy is big, obviously. (2) ACTING OUT and (8) CRUZING HILL are both sharp horses that are capable given the right setup.

Race 5: Non-winners $10,500 (NW L3 $12,500) in last 5/7 races life/TM Rating 84.40 or less

(8) WINDING HANOVER takes a pretty good dip in class as this NW10500 plays much more like a NW7500. Tetrick figures to put her in play from the start. (5) STELLENBOSCH has perked up since moving down to the NW7500 level and should find this group to her liking. (6) SWEETER LULU is in raging form. Will this group prove too tough?

Race 6: Winners 4-7 races or $75,000 (NW L2 $87,500) life - $50K GTD Pick 4

(5) SOMBODYITREASURE was handled conservatively from an outside post in his first start back from winter break and charged home when shown daylight. Back in against the same crew from a better post and with the start in hand, watch out! (6) ALWAYS AND AGAIN came first-over and kept finding more to win again in this class; one to beat. (3) ROCKIN THE ACES gets away from some tougher older foes but doesn't exactly catch an easy group here; has early speed.

Race 7: Non-winners $7,500 (NW L/S $8,900) in last 5/TM Rating 86.85 or less

(3) SAWYER’S DESIRE caught a solid group in his first start back from a three-month vacation and was just even. This isn't an easy bunch, but it is certainly a group he can handle with a step forward. (1) HEZA REAL DIAMOND has been racing well and he's always capable of popping a huge mile; using. (8) JESSE DUKE N can certainly be a player in here on his best; fringe trip player.

Race 8: Non-winners $15,000 (NW L3 $17,500) in last 5 or 8 races life - Pick 6

(3) PATRIARCH HANOVER needed the start as expected in his 4-year-old debut. He doesn't catch any breaks with this field, but he's got the speed to make the front easily and should be much tighter now. (1) MISS MCKEE is a nice mare that was in an impossible spot last week and still finished second; don't discount her. (4) EMMA TOWN BUD is clearly fast enough and the qualifier last time was better, but he's still coming off a break in action and he has a history of miscues. (6) DOUBLE ACCOUNT blew away weaker last time but is more than capable of winning here on his best.

Race 9: Non-winners $10,500 in last 5

This is a nice race with many possible winners and many unknowns. I'm going to take a shot here with (6) MISTER DONALD A and hope he is hustled to the front, because that could be a winning move in a race where it's hard to say what the horses coming off qualifiers will do. "Donald" saved ground and raced steadily in his first start on these shores and there is certainly reason to believe that was far from his best effort. (5) FRANCO TOTEM N rallied nicely two back and scratched last time. Since he comes right back, I'm going to assume it was a minor issue. Dunn chose #9, but he did that last week too and it didn't work out. (3) HARAMBE DEO is a class horse who qualified back well and is capable of firing hard off the gate.

Race 10: Non-winners $15,000 in last 5/TM Rating 91.5 or less - $50K GTD Pick 4

(2) CHASER HANOVER is probably the sharpest horse on the grounds right now. He steps up the class ladder again but seems to catch a beatable crew. Only hesitation here is that Andrew McCarthy chose #4, which kind of shocked me. (3) PADUKA N should fire away and get a nice seat behind the top pick. (6) DEALER’S TABLE has always possessed a high turn of speed for a period of time. He'll have to time it perfectly and hope the top one doesn't have it tonight.

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

Race 11: Non-winners $4,500 (NW L3 $5,501) in last 5 or 1 race in 2021 (10+ starts)

(2) SWEET TRUTH has been over this track before and shown early speed, which seems to be lacking in this field for the most part. With the good post and Gingras in the bike, hopefully we'll get an aggressive try. (4) GO WEST GO FAST has been racing better of late and the mid-pack post should provide some tactical options. (6) GRAND TETON burned a lot of money as the chalk last week but it really wasn't his fault as the pace was slow and he had no chance to close. A similar fate could be on the horizon tonight. (7) FOREVERNALWAYS drops back down to the level where he was second two starts back.

Race 12: Non-winners $20,000 in last 5

(5) COLOSSAL STRIDE A has gone through the condition system in a hurry and now finds the top of the Non-winners class. In a short field where he's unlikely to find any trouble, there is no reason he can't win. (1) GODS SPIRIT N has big early speed and pylon position. I can see Dube gunning out and trying to wire this short field. (6) TULHURSTSANTANNA A looks good on paper but hasn't raced in four weeks.

Race 13: Non-winners $4,500 in last 5/TM Rating 81.20 or less/Opt. $15,000 Clm.

(1) LAURIE LEE is now perfect in five starts this year and this class jump doesn't seem like a big enough hurdle to slow her down. (9) TALL POPPY N drops a notch and has enough early speed to gain valuable early position. (2) PETAL TO THE METAL can stick close from the good post and get a big piece. (6) WINDMEUPNWATCHMEGO is another with decent form, though she's been having trouble getting over the top.