Meadowlands: Friday 7/12 Analysis
CHAMPIONSHIP MEET STATS: 72 - 233 / $400.00 (-$66.00)
BEST BETS: 11 - 17 / $39.80 (+$5.80)
Best Bet: CITY HALL (14th race)
Spot Play: HELLO TOMORROW (5th race)
Race 1 - $25,000 Guaranteed Pick Five Pool
Race 8 - $50,000 Guaranteed Pick Four Pool
Race 1 – Kindergarten – 2YO C&G - $25K GTD Pick 5
(1) SYNERGY drew better last time and showed why his connections plunked down $275,000 for him in Lexington. Colt is the third foal from this mare but the first colt and first by Father Patrick. (5) STARO ON THE ROCKS S was kept reserved behind horses in the stretch of his latest qualifier and seemed to have more left. (8) CHESTNUT HILL has looked good in the morning and is the son of a mare that earned over $1.3 million.
Race 2 – Kindergarten – 2YO Fillies
(4) JULIA C rated comfortably in her most recent qualifier but caught my eye by sprinting nicely when asked. Full sister to talented Wolfgang (1:51 2/5) seems to have ability. (7) RAMONA HILL displayed a strong late kick in both of her morning efforts. She’s the first foal from the 1:51 4/5 winner Lock Down Lindy. (6) DIP ME HANOVER made a positive move in her latest qualifier and I like to see horses willing to pass at any point in the mile. (3) CONTEPARTIRO DEO has done little wrong in her morning efforts.
Race 3 – Trackmaster Rating 75 or less
(5) ROCKS NOBLE ARTIST has bested the foes in this class in consecutive weeks by open lengths. It is hard to pick against him as he gets another free ride. (6) I’M SID THE KID moves down the Trackmaster class system and is eligible to awaken, especially with Dunn taking over. (7) TAILGUNNER HANOVER has been in bad spot of late and only needs a smooth trip to have a chance. (3) BIG ROCKY has the early speed to make some noise and hold on for a share.
Race 4 – Kindergarten – 2YO C&G
Lots of these were very impressive in their qualifiers. (4) HAYEK might scare a few people away with the break in his first morning trial, but he sprinted home impressively when shown daylight in start two. (5) BEYOND KRONOS doesn’t have any wins on his card yet but did finish up very well when asked in the lane. (10) SERMON is the seventh foal from a mare that has a couple of six-figure winners to her credit. Colt won his last qualifier unasked, though Gingras did opt for #3. (1) BACK OF THE NECK has done little wrong in the morning.
Race 5 – Kindergarten – 2YO Fillies
(1) HELLO TOMORROW rolled in her first qualifier and lost last time to a potential killer in first-out winner Hypnotic Am. High-priced Harrisburg purchase found a sweet spot to roll down the road. (5) BAYOU showed a new dimension with a wire-to-wire win last time; maybe. (7) THANKFUL FOR YOU has a bit of a foundation now and perhaps can show a bit of early speed to stay close.
Race 6 – NJ Sire Stakes Final – 2YO C&G
(5) ROCKIN THE GATES was hammered at the windows and raced gamely despite making a break. As long as he behaves this week, maybe he can turn the tables on likely favorite (9) ROCKIN THE ACES. The latter is perfect in his career now and hard to toss off your tickets. (4) FOLLOW YOUR HEART has been racing well and does get a better post to start from this week. (8) ROCK N TEEN raced well in his first start and broke last week; new driver this week.
Race 7 – Non-winners $20,000 in last 4 starts
(8) YES MICKEY gets Dunn back in the bike this week and we know this pair gets along well. This is no easy spot but he should provide some value. (6) TROLLEY outdraws most of his rivals and should have every opportunity to pick up a win. (2) SAY YOU DO has been on some roll but hasn’t faced a field of this quality. (10) GUARDIAN ANGEL AS is one of the best trotters in the country right now. That said, post 10 and the fact that this race means nothing in the scheme of his season, means that he’ll likely be raced somewhat conservatively.
Race 8 – Non-winners $10,000 in last 5 starts - $50K GTD Pick 4
(4) ALWAYS BET DE GREY was thrown to the wolves last time and actually held his own. Talented as a 2-year-old, he missed his 3-year-old season but has come back well and should bring a huge effort in this spot. (10) WORLD ON EDGE also exits stakes action and figures to be firing away from the gate for Gingras. (1) CAN’T BEACH THAT and (5) BARIMAH A have some questions to answer but possess the pure speed to win.
Race 9 – NJ Sire Stakes Final – 2YO Fillies
(5) FORTUNE STARLET came up huge in last week’s preliminary leg and she certainly looks like the real deal. (6) COMMON SENSE S raced well in both of her starts thus far. With a bunch of early speed types in here, she could be very live at a price. (9) SPOILED PRINCESS showed some of her talent last week in a victory and I think there is more in the tank. (2) JULA CHAMPAGNE and (4) CAVIART EVA are clearly players in here but I’m concerned that the pace may hurt them.
Race 10 – Non-winners $15,000 in last 5 starts
It’s hard to have an opinion in every race and this one has me stumped. I’ll be spreading very deep if I play the Pick 4. (4) MAX VOLO gets a driver change to Tetrick here and perhaps he can wake this guy up. (6) ZLATAN was caught in a crazy-fast 1:49 4/5 mile last week; speed and form. (5) HENDERSON SEELSTER seems to do best when close to the front, so perhaps Sears will press on the gas early.
Race 11 – Non-winners $6,500 in last 5 starts
(3) CHANGE STRIDE N has been racing rather well of late and should have the opportunity to deliver a knockout blow this week with Gingras joining the team. (4) STORMONT CZAR A is in a perfect spot to find early speed and go a big mile. (1) TIE YOUR SHOE ED is more of an underneath play for me, but he should be in the number. (5) FOUR STACES is a tricky read right now but a capable horse when right.
Race 12 – Non-winners 4-6 races or $50-$75,000 life
(2) EUROBOND took a step in the right direction last time and is clearly tackling an easier group here. (8) STENHOUSE HANOVER woke up with a rare win with Lasix added. (9) SPECTRE picked up a win in this class last Friday. (3) WHITE TIGER has ability if he can put it all together.
Race 13 – Trackmaster Rating of 80 or less
(1) BIG CC’S ROCK changes hands now and arrives from out of town in fine form. This Trackmaster race looks like a great spot. (2) TARAMAKAUREACTOR N finally showed up with a solid mile and maybe he can build on that effort. (5) GOOD DAY MATE gets a key driver change to Ginsburg. (9) JUST N BERLANDER is more than capable but his lack of speed could be an issue.
Race 14 – Non-winners $3,500 in last 5 starts
(6) CITY HALL is right at home at The Meadowlands and in the basement condition there should be no stopping him. (4) SOUTHWIND MASIMO hasn’t done much since moving to these connections but you have to like that this guy wasn’t dropped into a cheap claimer and instead sticks to a conditioned race. (7) SPORTSMANSHIP gets some class relief and merits consideration. (1) THE ROCK can show some early speed and be a part of the lower-rung exotics.