Meadowlands: Saturday 3/9 Analysis
Best Bet: GRIFFON HANOVER (6th)
Spot Play: K RYAN BLUECHIP (7th)
Race 1 - $25,000 Guaranteed Pick Five Pool
Race 8 - $50,000 Guaranteed Pick Four Pool
MEET STATS: 166 - 517 / $959.70 (-$74.30)
BEST BETS: 15 - 41 / $51.40 (-$30.60)
Race 1
I thought long and hard before settling on (10) GOLDBERG here. Yes, he’s the best horse, but starting from post 10 after a long break isn’t ideal. That said, these connections tend to send them to the track ready to roll. (1) AMERICAN WORLD is making his career debut at age 4 so you know he must have some talent for them to wait on him that long. His most recent qualifier was spectacular. (9) SPORTS LEGEND shows some fast miles finishing second and third but only has one win in 22 starts. Switch to Bongiorno/Gingras is large.
Race 2
(5) ART DANCER draws inside of (7) REBEL ROUSER this week and perhaps he will take charge for the upset. Either way, one of them should win here. (3) ALTA SHELBY N is capable of winning but somewhat unreliable.
Race 3
(6) DANCING RUSTY drops out of claiming action where most of the competitors are sharp to face a somewhat formless group. I’ll roll the dice here. (2) BETTER BANGBANG moves back to the inside of the gate and adds Callahan again. (5) FORDHAM SIXTY TWO goes for Burke/Gingras and deserves some consideration.
Race 4
(7) BIG STRETCH MARK dropped to this level and perked up in a hurry. There isn’t too much early speed to his inside and Abbatiello should be firing off the gate. (5) SMILEANDSAYCHEESE rallied nicely with no shot last time. With any decent trip he can be a major player. (1) CENTURY CHRUCHILL finally gets an inside draw where he won’t have to work too hard to be near the front. (6) AWESOMENESS hasn’t been sharp but should be a fit with this group.
Race 5
(1) RECORD MACHINE was just even coming back from a two-month break and then had no shot from post eight most recently. He could be ready to surprise this group. (8) SPAGHETTI EDDIE moves into a live barn and gets the track’s top driver. (10) ITSNOPROBLEMMAN didn’t miss a beat for new trainer Rick Dane; post the only issue. (3) CC BIG BOY SAM has speed and form. Can he handle the class jump?
Race 6
(1) GRIFFON HANOVER was up against it from post 9 versus a better field last week. There are no excuses in this spot. (2) MCERLEAN drops down and perhaps that will make a difference. (3) JK PARLAY can clearly make the front in this spot but I don’t see him beating the top pick.
Race 7
After a flat start three back, (5) K RYAN BLUECHIP has come up with two solid efforts. He finds the perfect spot this week drawn in the middle of the pack and facing a few that may need a start while returning from winter vacation. (4) TUXEDO BAY gets a driver switch to the more patient Marcus Miller here and that could be just what the doctor ordered for this guy after being used on the lead nearly every week. (9) BECKHAMS Z TAM has a big closing kick but seems unlikely to get the pace he needs to win without showing some speed.
Race 8
(3) SOMEBADDUDE was well meant last week and looked very good pulling clear in the stretch. If he produces anything similar to that effort, another win is very possible. (5) BILLY BADGER N rallied well in his first start on these shores and has every right to move forward. (2) SAMS TRIPLE CROWN never got involved last time but is more than capable of firing a big mile. (1) DUBIOUS CLAIM is coming off a huge performance and deserves at least a close look.
Race 9
(2) CLOUSEAU HANOVER has been racing against a better overall group in recent weeks and was stuck outside in two of his last three starts. The move to the inside and switch to Gingras should produce good results. (1) SHAMBALLA just missed after a tough trip last week. He’s clearly the horse to beat. (3) SOHO WALLSTREET A has form and lured Tetrick off of the top choice.
Race 10
(9) NEW TALENT finally drops out of the Preferred after getting burnt to a crisp near the front last week. Even from post 10 he should have a big shot. (2) CITY HALL steps up after things just went his way last week. Some will see this as too big a jump in class, but he loves this track and could ‘get lucky’ again. (3) WINNING LINC should be tight after chasing Rockin Ron and last week’s Preferred winner Rodeo Rock in his recent qualifier.
Race 11
(8) GILLYS BOY finished fast in his comeback qualifier and looks ready to fire fresh. As long as bettors don’t go crazy because he is from the Burke barn, I’ll take a shot. (2) DULL ROAR gets post and class relief; clear player. (5) JK WILL POWER took care of business as the chalk when last seen at this level two starts back.
Race 12
(10) HEAVENLY SOUND is probably the best horse in the race but is stuck with post 10. Driver Steve Smith will need to show early speed to have a shot, but perhaps he’ll take a shot versus a suspect group. (2) LATE NIGHT JOKE had no chance in that qualifier. He has a bit of class to him and might be readier than it looks on paper. (8) STONEDUST will wake up one of these days.
Race 13
(3) MORE DRAGON rallied well after chasing slow fractions last time and was used hard in the pace battle the week prior. This guy finds a great spot tonight. (2) JACKSRLUCKYTOO is back at the basement condition and a must-use on most tickets. (10) LETJIMMYTAKEOVER willingly chased two horses that came back to win last week. He’s an interesting longshot option on the class drop. (1) BUD BAY has some form and should be aggressive with Yannick driving.