Meadowlands: Friday 7/21 Analysis
Best Bet: KISSIN IN THE SAND (11th)
Spot Play: WINTER HARBOR (7th)
Race 1 - $25,000 Guaranteed Pick Five Pool
Race 3 - $25,000 Guaranteed Pick Four Pool
Race 7 - $50,000 Guaranteed Pick Four Pool
MEET STATS: 102 - 240 / $491.00 (+$11.00)
BEST BETS: 14 - 19 / $44.80 (+$6.80)
Race 1
(1) EASTERN PROMISE was much improved in his first start for the Melander barn and seems to have found a soft spot this week. I'll likely be keying him here and hoping for another step forward, because I'm not crazy about the rest of the field. (5) DECADENCE & (6) FOXTAIL LILY seem likely to be moving forward when the gate swings open and either could get lucky on the lead or be the one who hangs around for second. (7) GRANDMA'S MONI has a couple of decent qualifiers under her belt; more now?
Race 2
(1) CRUISING IN STYLE came up with a huge effort in his pari-mutuel debut at Tioga for The Stable. Nice to see this group get a youngster with talent. (4) KINDA LUCKY LINDY aired it out at Vernon and should only improve with a catch-driver in the bike. (3) APERFECTRUBY kept her act together last time but did drift a bit during the mile.
Race 3
(9) UNFORGETABLE broke while making his way to the lead on a sloppy track last time. Part of me feels Zeron might be conservative because of the break, but since none of these scare me I'll roll the dice. (5) TITO stayed trotting last time with hobbles added. Better post and start in hand could mean a more aggressive try. (8) SEVEN IRON raced well last time but will he be closing from last? (1) GO TO HILL is a high-priced colt that broke in the slop to start his career. I guess he deserves another shot.
Race 4
(10) MISSUS MIA WALLACE fired off the gate from an outside post with the trainer in the bike and put in a pretty good mile. David Miller joins the team this week and that should make a difference. (1) CHANEL ME qualified in good order. First foal from Kentucky Futurity winner To Dream On ($975k) deserves attention and will likely be the favorite. (3) REPENTANCE seems to be moving in the right direction for trainer Toscano. (8) COUSIN BEA stayed trotting with the hobbles added.
Race 5
(5) GLENFERRIE DREAMER faces a mixed bag of trotters in this field. For me he seems to be a bit faster than the rest and should be aggressively driven. (3) DEACON TONY has some gate speed and proved he could chase nicely a few starts back. (7) MONTALBANO BI is in pretty good form but might be a victim of the pace in this spot. (6) GOLD MEDAL SWAN looks good if you ignore the last start.
Race 6
(8) CAVIART ALLY has no excuses for defeat in this spot. (7) SHESAROCKER exits NYSS races for this mostly easy spot. She should flash speed and have a serious chance at the upset. (3) LETS HAVEA PARTY is another moving away from statebred races to a condition where she should be comfortable.
Race 7
(6) WINTER HARBOR looked like he needed the start last time after missing five weeks of action. He comes back in less than two weeks now and won't find a much better spot at this level. (1) VICTOR GIO IT is always a huge risk but there is talent here. (4) CAN DO is capable of firing off the gate and getting a big piece, more if the top pair make mistakes.
Race 8
(5) GODSPELL HALL finished willingly in his career debut while basically unasked. The price should be right here. (3) STORY TIME HANOVER rode a nice trip into a victory last time. Disregard the time as the track was off that night. (6) HILL STREET also won his first career start; hard to toss.
Race 9
(6) I'M A BIG DEAL has looked very good in his two qualifiers and seems to have some ability. In a race with many contenders, the price should be enticing. (5) KEY ADVISOR finished willingly after chasing a slow pace last week. He is another that could be overlooked in the wagering. (4) ODDS ON LAUDERDALE paced home in 26 2/5 versus a runaway winner; in with a shot. (1) MACADOODLEDOO has yet to win but will take plenty of tote action as a Takter/Gingras horse.
Race 10
(1) MUSCLE HIGH was used hard and paid the price last time out. In this spot he should be able to settle in close to the action and have a shot to pounce when the time is right. (6) NO BUS FOR US closed well and actually won twice in three starts from outside posts at Pocono and Philly; that's impressive. Can she tackle the boys and win? (2) ACHILLE DUHARAS failed at Pocono last time but certainly can rebound.
Race 11
(8) KISSIN IN THE SAND was a very impressive winner in last week's Kindergarten and I see no reason not to back her again. (4) REIGN ON ME chased the top one home for third last out. She is eligible to improve in just her second lifetime start. (1) BLUE GROTTO makes her career debut off a solid qualifier. (2) SOLITARY took a shot and tired last week. That is a step in the right direction.
[DRF HARNESS NEWSLETTER: Sign Up for the FREE DRF Harness Newsletter. Fresh content and insights delivered each Thursday.]