Meadowlands: Saturday 7/2 Analysis
Race 3 - $25,000 Guaranteed Pick Four Pool
Race 7 - $40,000 Guaranteed Pick Four Pool
CHAMPIONSHIP MEET STATS: 65 - 186 / $388.40 (+$16.40)
BEST BETS: 8 - 16 / $20.10 (-11.90)
Best Bet: J EAGLE FEATHER (9th)
Spot Play: MILLWOOD FAITH N (5th)
Race 1
(1A) SPICEBOMB jumped it off at the start and lost all chance last week but against this softer group I have to jump on her possibly emptier bandwagon. (2) WINNING LINC has been in against faster foes of late and could easily step up against this group. (5) HOLLYROCK HEYDEN doesn’t look great on paper, but this barn has been going good.
[POCONO: Watch the Ben Franklin Showdown + entire Sun Stakes card from Pocono--Live on DRF Saturday!]
Race 2
(8) GOIN TO THE LIMIT was in over his head in the Goodtimes and now freefalls back to the cozy confines of NW2 country. I’d be surprised if Bongiorno didn’t fire off the gate and put him in play. (1) SOUTHWIND PEARL didn’t fire over a sloppy surface in the NJSS final. I have concerns about her missing four weeks of action and sporting an 0-13 record, but this field came up rather soft. (4) ENJOY THE JOURNEY seems to be coming along slowly but surely and could be ready for a peak effort.
Race 3
(8) STORMIN RUSTLER continues to race well at this level week after week. I wouldn’t say I feel confident he’ll win this time around, but he should be in with a big chance. (3) IT WAS AN HONOR and (4) BROOKSTONE sandwiched the top choice at the wire last week while finishing first and third, respectively. All three rate highly in the rematch.
Race 4
(4) DABUNKA has been closing very well from tough spots of late and now finally draws in the middle of the gate where his late rally might not come up short. (9) OUREA NOURRIR can grind all day and shouldn’t be affected by the outside draw. You have to like the driver change to Greg Merton as well. (5) ROADWAY hails from a barn that was red hot last weekend and certainly looks fast enough to compete on paper. (6) RING WARRIOR has plenty of form; worth using.
Race 5
(6) MILLWOOD FAITH N is a bit of a flyer play considering she only has one non descript U.S. qualifier which I didn’t even see. That said, she has decent Down Under earnings and appears to fit nicely with this lower level conditioned field. (3) JARNAC drops down and seems highly likely to be hustled away from the gate for position. (4) M Z JACKIE comes off an improved effort and gets a more accomplished driver in the bike.
Race 6
(7) DEALT A WINNER won in style in his 2016 debut at Harrah’s Philadelphia. Four-year-old had a strong sophomore campaign and looks ready to take on older foes. (5) HAWK’S RED CHIEF has big early speed and should take this field a long way. (4) AMERICANPRIMETIME comes off a nice win but loses Bongiorno.
Race 7
(9) DIVINE CAROLINE finally showed some signs of life last week and I want to get in at a decent price this week. (1) PURITY drops back down and draws well. (3) ROYAL ENGAGEMENT is certainly sharp but facing tougher this week.
Race 8
(7) AMPED UP has been on my radar for a couple of weeks without anything to show for it. Now he moves into the Richard Johnson barn and picks up Merton, so I’ll take one more shot. (6) URBANITE HANOVER also moves into a new barn and did record a solid 1:51 3/5 win here last year. (1) BJ’S RAMEAU picks up an aggressive driver and draws well; not impossible.
Race 9
(4) J EAGLE FEATHER returns to the Meadowlands at a reduced level and should prove very difficult to beat. (1) STRATOCASTER drops down and draws better; worth using. (6) BLATANTLY BEST has back class and did improve in this condition last time.
Race 10
(7) NOBLES FINESSE has been much improved since adding Lasix and only needs a reasonable trip to get the job done. (1) ONEISALONELYNUMBER gets post relief and a catch-driver. (4) STIMULUS has been closing well from outside posts and draws better this week.
Race 11
(2) JANIE BAY doesn’t have great form, but seems to be in a better spot and has some class. (5) BEACH STORY continues to grind out good checks and will get over the top one day. (3) BODACIOUS BECKY moves into a new barn and drops in class; hard to ignore those angles. (4) ARABELLA J comes off a win.
[DRF HARNESS LIVE: Real-time insights from the DRF Harness team this Saturday at 7:00 p.m.]