Yonkers Raceway

Yonkers: Analysis for Monday 8/16

Matt Rose|Aug 13, 2021

MEET STATS: 263 - 736 / $1,436.70 (-$35.30)

BEST BETS: 37 - 71 / $116.50 (-$25.50)

Best Bet: SPLASH BROTHER (9th)

Spot Play: WEONA SIZZLER A (5th)

Race 1: $25,000 Claiming Pace

(6) BRACKLEY BEACH raced well in defeat debuting for Burke off the claim and through the setup could be tougher tonight moving outside a few spots this gelding fits well and should offer decent value. (5) DAVIDS COMING HOME has arguably been in career form as he steps up again going for three straight; Marohn drives tonight. (4) MARINER SEELSTER goes for yet another new barn off the claim but would probably be better suited one notch down; can be used primarily underneath.

[DRF HARNESS: Get Harness Eye PPs for this card]

Race 2: $30,000 Claiming Pace

(2) TONY TOO TALL has generally been racing well for a struggling barn and the drop in class may get him over the top. (4) HASH TAG SWAG did nothing in three starts for Chris Height but now he goes for Jenn Bongiorno off the claim; watch out! (5) ROUGH ODDS is drawn outside his main competition which may make things a bit difficult for him.

[DRF BETS: Wager on tonight's Yonkers card at DRF Bets.com!]

Race 3: $40,000 Claiming Pace

(5) PACING MAJOR N has had trouble getting his season underway but that was a nice winning qualifier and Stratton sticks with the Pete Tritton trainee; not crazy about his low morning line but I don't expect him to be that heavily bet. (2) GINGER TREE PETE double-jumps to this $40K claiming level off a nice winning debut when taken by the Koch barn; draws well which will help. (6) REAL LUCKY N has been a model of consistency lately; Kakaley picks up the drive.

Race 4: NW10000 in last 5 starts Pace

(3) WARDAN EXPRESS A has raced very well in his last two for board spots and he has a post edge here on most of his main competition. (6) TALBOTCREEKWHISKEY is back up a notch in class after blowing away a NW7500 field; this gelding has had multiple nice efforts here this season. (1) EPIC ACE was second best off a pocket trip two back from a similar spot.

Race 5: $50,000 Claiming Pace

(4) WEONA SIZZLER A finished strongly in his two starts off the Gillis claim and if he's kept a little closer to the action he can score. (1) SOHO LEVIATHAN A has been right there in five starts since Devita claimed him and the veteran should be in line for a good trip from the innermost post. (6) FOREVER FAV was pretty game in defeat last week and he obviously has to be respected from these connections.

Race 6: NW15000 in last 5 starts Pace

(2) AIR FORCE HANOVER moves back to the conditioned ranks and also gets a barn change to whatever the Lackey outfit is; let’s see if he wakes up. (1) OUR MAX PHACTOR N draws the rail and I expect Bartlett to do whatever it takes to secure a live trip, probably stalking from the pocket. (4) GENIUS MAN gets some class and a bit of post relief as well; we've seen speed from this 4-year-old in the past.

Race 7: Open Handicap Pace

(7) DRAGON SAID ran away and his in last week's Open Handicap and he's simply too sharp to go against. Winning the '7 thru 8' draw helps as well. (6) NANDOLO N missed a nose on Hambo day in a race timed in 1:47 1/5 (with a runaway cooking on the front end); clearly the ability is there but can he generate some early speed? (4) ROCKAPELO has been completely uninvolved in his last two from outside posts; no excuse not to be aggressively handled tonight by Brennan.

Race 8: NW20000 in last 5 starts Pace

(6) HICKFROMFRENCHLICK gave it a speed try in the late afternoon over at The Meadowlands closing the curtain on their meet but he gave way late; overall the combination of Schnittker and MacDonald has been going great so I'll give this 5-year-old with a try. He's 17 for 30 lifetime so obviously this lightly-raced horse likes to win. (3) I'M BENICIO A raced perfectly fine in his last couple while failing to make any serious noise; this seems like a spot to try a more aggressive approach. (1) FUNKNWAFFLES has been following a good/bad pattern recently; good effort tonight?

Race 9: NW20000 in last 5 starts Pace

(2) SPLASH BROTHER took the field down the road from the eight hole last week and was nailed on the money by the pocket-sitter; 4-year-old should be able to bounce back tonight. (5) OSTRO HANOVER hasn't been able to find the winner's circle in quite some time but he's been very close on a number of occasions and he should be right there with the top one nearing the wire. (4) AINTNOBETTOR A was second best when last at this level; Callahan picks up the catch drive.

Race 10: NW30000 in last 5 starts Pace

(5) TOOKADIVEOFFDIPPER has been a consistent player all season and he has good gate speed if Lachance wants to employ that strategy. (1) ESCAPETOTHEBEACH hasn't fired his best in his last few races facing generally better than this but he was a winner from an inside post at this level four back. (4) YANKEE BOOTS goes for another new barn off the claim (Temming) and he gets some needed post relief.

Race 11: WO30000 in last 5 starts Pace

(3) SAN DOMINO A has some excuses for his last two starts at the Open level; he drops a bit here and does face plenty of legit talent but he does have plenty of back class and should be a reasonable price. (4) BRANQUINHO has been on a major run, working his way from NW3500 to the Winners-Over; Schnittker trainee is a big player again. (2) JUST PLAIN LOCO had plenty of finishing pace last week once shaking free.

Race 12: NW30000 in last 5 starts Pace

(3) LYONS STEEL and (2) MACH N CHEESE are a pair of hard-knocking veterans and collectively they seem to have a bit more class than the rest of these. Might as well take the one that's the bigger price (probably #3). (5) MICKY GEE N is capable of sweeping by with a live setup; barn seems to be going well now.