Yonkers: Analysis for Saturday 9/12/26

2026 MEET STATS: 170 - 646 / $1,117.64 (-$174.36)

BEST BETS: 37 - 68 / $140.02 (+$4.02)

SPOT PLAYS: 13 - 68 / $140.34 (+$4.34)

BEST BET - DEVILISH HILL (7th)

SPOT PLAY - BEATLE BLUE CHIP (11th)

$1 PICK 5 TICKET (Races 5-9) - ALL / 6-7 / 3 / 8-9 / 1 = $32

Race 1 - New York Sire Stakes Final 2YO C&G Trot ***Pick 4***

(5) GIO'S HOPE broke in the Wellwood final at Woodbine Mohawk Park but had won two straight prior to that, including over the half at Saratoga. Could be a chance to get some value on top connections. (1A) ARCHON won the final prelim for this group at Yonkers and is two-for-two since the trotting hobbles went on. You also get an entrymate in (1) T MONEY who doesn't have great form but does add Yannick Gingras in the bike. (2) UNCLE ROB hasn't missed the exacta when he's stayed on-stride and he starts from the pole position.

► DRF HARNESS: Get Harness Eye PPs for this card

Race 2 - New York Sire Stakes Final 3YO C&G Trot

(3) AI is the defending sire stakes champion for this group, won the local leg of the series back on July 23 and gets reunited with Gingras. Both halves of the entry in (1) SEVEN GRAND and (1A) READ THE ROOM are sharp. SEVEN GRAND has the much better post and adds a catch driver in Brian Sears while READ THE ROOM has won more often but had no luck at the post position draw as he's stuck out in the eight-hole. (6) CHAPTER GEO J tallied at both Monticello and Batavia after adding Lasix and also shows a trio of local victories back in July and August.

Race 3 - New York Sire Stakes Final 3YO C&G Pace

(1) FRAGMENT has burned a pile of money in his last two, losing at 1-9 both times, but I think he's the most talented horse in here and starts from the pole. (3) KNOXVILLE moves in on the gate after he had post six at Tioga in the Empire Breeders Classic and was second in his division of the series at Yonkers on 8-13. (2) COOPERSTOWN BOY comes in with back-to-back triumphs, including over my top selection at Yonkers on August 13.

Race 4 - New York Sire Stakes Final 2YO Filly Trot

(1) KOUNTRY PLUNGE went undefeated in the prelims around the Empire State and I see her maintaining her undefeated status from the pole position. (2) JULA FLORENCE won three times during the NYSS regular season, including on the half-milers at Buffalo and Batavia and was third to KOUNTRY PLUNGE most recently. (4) SECRET LOVER hasn't won yet but has finished second in all four of her appearances and gets reunited with Jason Bartlett for a top trotting stable.

Race 5 - New York Sire Stakes Final 2YO Filly Pace ***$25,000 seeded / $100,000 guaranteed Pick 5 Pool***

(4) ANNIE O and (8) COWBOY CANDY are the clear standouts in here and both are riding lengthy win streaks. I'll put ANNIE O on top given she drew the better post of the two and is likely to be on the front-end. (2) FENDILICIOUS won a couple of times in the prelims back in June and July and was second to COWBOY CANDY most recently at Saratoga. She gets a driver switch to Gingras here as well.

Race 6 - Aria Invitational Pace ***$10,000 seeded / $25,000 guaranteed Pick 3 Pool ($3 minimum)***

(6) COACHES CORNER had no shot from the ten-hole in the Canadian Pacing Derby final but closed in 26 seconds and has a very good history at Yonkers, including a win in the Invitational when last here on 7-27. (7) SWEET BEACH LIFE comes in on a nine-race win streak at Yonkers and the outside post shouldn't pose an issue since he draws outside every time he's here anyways. (1) BEST CHIP is no doubt the one everybody will have an eye on out of his Canadian Pacing Derby victory, but he went some big fractions on the engine and maybe this is the time to swing against him off that effort.

Race 7 - Bob Miecuna Invitational Trot

(3) DEVILISH HILL qualified about as well as a horse could at the Meadowlands last Friday and got the nod from Bartlett here. This horse was in the U.S. back in his 2- and 3-year-old seasons and did win at Yonkers twice back then. (4) SIR PINOCCHIO doesn't have a great win record thus far in 2026 but he's got a great history over this track and reunites with Sears, who put a lifetime mark on him at Pocono on August 17. (6) UP YOUR DEO is the defending champion of this race and gets away from the likes of Super Chapter. Trainer Ake Svanstedt takes back over in the bike.

Race 8 - MGM Yonkers International Trot ***Pick 4***

I don't like that he's in the second tier, but I'm going to stick to my guns and give (9) ANTOGNONI S top call. I know what I'm getting with him, and that's a horse who has thrived at Yonkers and just needs the trip to work out. He was a good fourth from post ten in the Maple Leaf Trot a week ago. (8) DIVA EK IT looks like the best of the Europeans and was a fast-closing second in this race a year ago. Unfortunately she has the eight-hole just like she did in 2025 as well. (4) BOURBONISTA S has experience at Yonkers, including one win last December. She's shown great ability when they pull the shoes, which I expect them to do today given the favorable weather forecast.

Race 9 - New York Sire Stakes Final 3YO Filly Pace

(1) ODDS ON MONETARY suffered a couple of defeats at Vernon and Tioga but went three-for-three on the half-miles and captured the Empire Breeders Classic most recently. She has the advantage of starting from post one. (5) SAVAGE CINDY comes in with back-to-back wins but her results on half-milers was more mixed than my top selection's and she moves out on the gate. (6) LIBERTY STYLE won the sire stakes final for this group a year ago and hasn't missed the trifecta in six tries thus far in 2026. She was third to my top selection in the Empire Breeders Classic on August 30.

► Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter

Race 10 - New York Sire Stakes Final 3YO Filly Trot

(1) WHO DARES WINS broke in the last three sire stakes prelims, but she had no apparent issues in a qualifier at the Meadowlands on August 29 and Gingras drives her for the first time since they won together back on July 21 at Saratoga. There's also an entrymate in (1A) FLYING COPPER, but WHO DARES WINS looks much better than she does. (3) LAUREN'S CHAPTER miscued at Yonkers last Saturday but that was from the eight-hole. She moves in on the gate today and reunites with Jordan Stratton, who guided her to a sire stakes victory at Yonkers on 8-25. (2) CHANT showed the ability to hit the board in NYSS competition at Saratoga and Batavia and switches drivers to Dexter Dunn from the pole position.

Race 11 - New York Sire Stakes Final 2YO C&G Pace

(2) BEATLE BLUE CHIP's last line at Tioga doesn't jump off the page, but he was in traffic for much of the stretch drive. He hit the board four times in the prelims and Todd McCarthy, who won with him at Vernon, takes back over the driving. (1) BASTONATA BLUECHIP gets a driver switch to Dexter Dunn from the pole and has only been out of the trifecta twice thus far. (4) ROSE RUN COWBOY is likely the one to beat as he's got a three-race win streak going, including a tally at Yonkers on 8-20. He gets reunited with Gingras today.