Driver-trainer Stacy Chiodo has had a rough time of it thus far in 2023. Her small stable has helped fill the Meadowlands entry box during the January weekends of the new year, but the draws have been mostly unkind, leaving drivers with difficult and sometimes impossible choices. "Did nobody else answer the phone?" Chiodo said, amused by the writer's choice. "The only ones that drew well are in the amateur races." Her husband Bruno drives Master Conrad (post two) in Friday's first race, a $12,500 division of the GSY Series. "He drew badly last time and actually raced well," Chiodo said, "But you never know how these races [amateurs] are going to play out." Meet The Creeper, one of many homebreds in the Chiodo stable, also drew post two in Friday's fifth race and second division of the GSY. Meet The Creeper, like many of Chiodo's entries this winter, drew post 10 in his last start at this level a week back and was a solid fourth, finishing up the mile well. The inside draw should improve his chances in a wide-open grouping. For Chiodo, who once drove all of her own stock but has had to cut back in the last year following a surgery to prosthetically replace two herniated discs in her neck, the 5-year-old Shezafreaklikeme will see her in the bike from post eight in Friday's sixth race, a non-winners of $5,000 last five race for mares. "At one time she'd be a hard horse for me to handle," said Chiodo. "Now she's a sweetheart and one I can drive without incident." Chiodo's doctors have asked her to take her time and not do anything that might aggravate the progress from the surgery. "They said it might take a year for me to fully recover," Chiodo said, "So hopefully by next month I'll be fully healed." As for Shezafreaklikeme, the now 5-year-old daughter of Sweet Lou continues to be a good check-getter while sometimes shy of the winner's circle. "She's the type of mare that can hit the board in any class but she's a bit quirky. Jonathan Ahle drove her a few weeks back and tried to move her to the inside and she wouldn't pass," said Chiodo. Shezafreaklikeme was a solid third from post 10 against this class on January 13 with Chiodo leaving with the mare sharply and clearing to the front. "I tried to leave with her again last week, but we couldn't get there and got parked. I'll probably try to take it a little easier with her this week," said Chiodo, given the post eight draw in the field of nine. ► Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter On Saturday night Chiodo will let driver Mark MacDonald handle the pair she has entered, with Chaser Hanover (post five, race six) in search of his first win of the year while getting his best position thus far in 2023. The 7-year-old by Somebeachsomewhere has left in all three starts but has been out-sprinted in the stretch each time. With lifetime earnings approaching $200K, Chaser Hanover may benefit from chasing in this field of non-winners of $10,500 last five starts as opposed to leaving hard. "He's just a good horse," said Chiodo. Whole Lotta Lou was a 1:52 3/5 winner on January 14 at the Meadowlands against non-winners of $3,000 last five company with MacDonald sending him full blast to three-quarters in 1:22 on the engine and then just holding on in a slow last quarter. "Mark really torched him," said Chiodo. "The horse was kind of quiet all week afterwards." Whole Lotta Lou stepped up in class for last Saturday's (January 21) next start and finished seventh, beaten just three lengths in a 1:50 3/5 mile. "I'm not sure what happened there but he was up two classes. The horse was full of himself before the race," said Chiodo, kind of surprised given the quiet week. "I think when he's on his game he can race at a higher level than this. We'll have to get him figured out." Whole Lotta Lou drew post seven on Saturday in race 11, a non-winners of $7,500 last five affair. Chiodo currently has 14 horses in training, with half racing on Friday and Saturday night this week. She has a pair of 2-year-olds and three sophomore pacers as well. "The 3-year-olds didn't race last week; they needed time," said Chiodo. On the 2-year-old front, Chiodo is training a full sister to her 2018 Pennsylvania Sire Stakes championship finalist Sweeter Lulu. "We've had success with that mare," Chiodo said, referring to Well Read, a near quarter-million dollar-winning daughter of Bettor's Delight and the dam of Sweeter Lulu.