FINAL WINTER MEET STATS: 379-97-70-50 / $610.40 (-$147.60) BEST BETS: 27-12-4-4 / $39.40 (-$14.60) SPOT PLAYS: 26-9-7-4 / $67.60 (+$15.60) BEST BET: BE PERFECT BG (5th) SPOT PLAY: AZRAEL BLUE CHIP (7th) Race 1: Trackmaster 71 (NW L2 73) or less - Pick 5 (2) SPARTACUS BLUECHIP moves from a 6% barn to a 12% barn – one that is winning at 18% rate during this meet – after a recent online purchase. Gelding owns a 1:52 4/5 win at Hoosier from last year and should fit with this company. (4) HES A SWEETHEART was used to the front, got shuffled and finished up the mile nicely in his second start for this barn. He has a big chance here. (3) A LITTLE KICK is in great form but hasn’t been able to get over the top in this class. (6) LOU’S RODEO was acting up a bit last time and couldn’t quite get there after chasing slow fractions; Pick 5 possibility. [DRF HARNESS: Get Harness Eye PPs for this card] Race 2: NJ Sire Stakes Silver for 3YO Pacing Fillies (5) PINCHING PENNIES was under a nice hold away from the gate as Zeron relaxed him and then became the victims of a slow pace late in the qualifier. I expect we’ll see a more involved effort versus a soft group. (4) STING GIRL really wasn’t that bad last time considering the competition and sloppy track. Her best gives her a win chance. (7) WAVE DANCER dropped three seconds in qualifier two as she faced far superior foes. Can she do the heavy lifting tonight? Race 3: NJ Sire Stakes Silver for 3YO Pacing C&G - Pick 6 (4) RISE UP DEO got caught in a crazy-fast mile in his debut for this barn over at Philly. That race was also coming after nearly four weeks on the sidelines. There is every reason to believe he’ll be a major player in here. (1) PERFECT CABERNET qualified very nicely at Monticello and should drop plenty of time moving to the mile track. (6) OZZIES CRAZY TRAIN was done in by a very slow pace in his last try at Philly. I wouldn’t be shocked if he came to play tonight. Race 4: Non-winners $7,500 (NW L2 $8,250) in last 5 (5) DOWNBYTHEWATER just missed in a higher class. Four-year-old gets the slight edge over fellow class-dropper (7) BEAT COP, who has a recent win and a second in this class over his last four starts. (4) PACK A PUNCH has good form and plenty of early speed to work out a decent trip. (1) TARANAKI was third when last in this class. And would be no surprise on the win end. Race 5: NJ Sire Stakes Platinum for 3YO Pacing Fillies (4) BE PERFECT BG has never tasted defeat in five career starts and was lengths better than these as a 2-year-old. Her competition would need a lifetime mark to even come close tonight. (2) SHE STINGS came up just short on a sloppy track in a race that turned into a complete sprint. She should get aggressive here and be close to the action. (3) PERFECT THOUGHT is coming off a good but perhaps not great qualifier. There is certainly talent here. (9) SUNNY STATION takes a giant step forward off a nice win. Unless she has another gear, this will be a tall task. Race 6: Trackmaster 80.5 (NW L2 82.75) or less - $50K GTD Pick 4 (2) PANETTONE HANOVER was a pretty nice horse for this barn back in 2024 and it appears he is finding his form for Bongiorno in start two back with him. In a field lacking early speed, he should have enough to get around the #1 and be in winning position. (1) TALBOT ANDRETTI finished up his last qualifier with a 54 3/5 back half showing no signs of the breaking issue the start prior. There is some ability in this 3-year-old and I wouldn’t be shocked if he won given the right trip. (5) LOVEBURY drops a bit regardless of what the conditions may say. He’s been sharp for the last few weeks but needs a trip to win. (7) HALF PAST MIDNIGHT is one of the few horses in here who show somewhat consistent early speed. That alone makes him worth considering. Race 7: NJ Sire Stakes Platinum for 3YO Pacing C&G (4) AZRAEL BLUE CHIP couldn’t have looked much better in his 3-year-old debut as he won wrapped up by open lengths with a 26 2/5 final quarter. As good as he was, he seems like the value play with (1) BOOKIE J coming off a powerful win of his own in a faster time for connections that will be bet with both hands. (8) A PERFECT MOMENT blew by impressively in his first qualifier and was exactly disappointing to be second best in the second attempt. He’s a fringe exacta player for me and a must in the trifecta. (5) GANDHI blew out a monster mile at Philly last time and the only question is whether he drops time on the big track. Race 8: JL Cruze Open Handicap Trot - Pick 5 At this point it is really a coin flip between (5) LEXUS KODY and (6) ANTOGNONI S. Given what he did last year and considering that he may offer slightly better value because he doesn’t have a race under his belt, I went with the former. The latter beat up on lesser in his debut but did so very impressively. (2) HEY PORTER has some credentials but is really thrown to the wolves here. If one of the top two play it conservative he could sneak into the number. Race 9: Non-winners $15,000 (NW L2 $16,500) in last 5 or 10 (NW L2 11) races or $100,000 life/TM 89 (NW L2 91) or less This is a strong group of pacers with many possible winners depending on how the race plays out. Let’s give the narrow call to (5) FALLOUT, who won the Progress Pace in his second start for this barn and came back from winter vacation with a nice score at Philly. We should find out what type of horse he will be tonight. (6) CAPTAIN LUKE was very sharp winning his qualifier under almost no encouragement. He had a couple of nice moments at age 4 and it will be interesting to see if he can break out as a 5-year-old. (7) SABA ROCK is another 4-year-old that has come back strong and will get tested for class in this spot. (4) SOHO SPECTRE A is very sharp but should be a big price against this field. He could trip out into an exotics slot. Race 10: $157,125 Dexter Cup 3YO Trot - $50K GTD Pick 4 This year’s Dexter Cup shapes up as a very competitive affair at least on paper. That is somewhat due to the number of horses making their first start of the year, leading to uncertainty as to which ones may rise to the top. (4) SOUTHWIND ALAMO couldn’t have won his debut any easier and if he takes even a small step forward this field is going to have their hands full beating him. (7) CAMBRIDGE HANOVER never lived up to his royal breeding last year but has looked the part in slower morning times thus far. This will be a nice test of his ability. (6) MAGIC PUNK chased a sharp AI in his last qualifier. He’s used to doing the heavy lifting on the engine and seems likely to control his own fate in that spot again. Race 11: $67,650 Lady Suffolk 3YO Filly Trot (4) YGRITTE had limited action as a 2-year-old but has come out strong this year with a solid qualifier on the lead against a strong headwind and the easiest of victories at Harrah’s Philadelphia. She’ll certainly get tested for class in this event but seems worth following. (6) ALL TIME TROT S returns for the first time since winning the Goldsmith Maid and her qualifier was a good effort under a drive. She seems properly stretched out now and ready to win. (2) BUSY MISS LISSY S won the Kindergarten in 2025 as the chalk and raced well to be third behind #6 in the Goldsmith Maid. I didn’t love her qualifier but it may just be that the foe who defeated her has improved over the winter. Race 12: Trackmaster 83.5 (NW L2 85.6) or less (8) INVICTUS two-moved and just missed versus a legitimate 3-year-old stakes player in his last start. The post isn’t ideal tonight but there is no excuse for failure. (6) ALWAYS B GIBBY isn’t one of my favorite horses as he comes up short way too often. That said, he figures to show early speed and be in a winning position. (9) HIRANYA N had a tough trip last time for a barn that seems to be on the verge of getting a bunch of winners if they have a bit of luck. [DRF HARNESS: Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter] Race 13: Trackmaster 77.5 (NW L2 79.5) or less (6) DUDDIE’S LOR just kind of spun his wheels last week in a return from four weeks on the sidelines. He drops in class tonight and might be able to surprise versus a field full of horses bumping up. (5) GALANTE A rolled through a TM74 series and never had an anxious moment. Even with the slight jump in class he’s a big wire to wire threat. (1) SAN JOSE went a bit too quick in the opening quarter and paid the price on the wire last time; sharp. Race 14: Trackmaster 74.5 (NW L2 76.5) or less (1) LINCOLN BOULEVARD draws into the absolute perfect spot to fire off the gate and take this field a long way. While the condition says TM74, it may as well be a TM71. (4) CRUNCHY has done well since joining this barn and really had no shot from post seven at Philly most recently. (8) SONO CONFUSO gets away from the red-hot Galante and should enjoy that. (10) LYLEGROUND is arguably the sharpest horse in the field but post 10 isn’t going to help his chances.