BEST BET: ROCKET DEO (4th) SPOT PLAY: ANTOGNONI S (7th) Race 1: Winners 2-4 races or $60,000 life - Pick 4 (4) SUMMER YOUNG shipped in last weekend, showed speed at both ends of the mile and won at first asking for the new barn. Mare sticks in the same class and there is no reason she won’t repeat. (1) TEQUILA TALKING AS was able to pick up a win in this class two starts back and the driver change to Kakaley should mean a somewhat aggressive drive is coming. (3) ROANDOVER gets Bartlett back in the bike for his top account in Engblom and you know the plan will be to head to the front. [DRF HARNESS: Get Harness Eye PPs for this card] Race 2: Non-winners $15,000 in last 5 or 8 races life or $30,000 Claiming (6) IDEALINFUN takes one step down the class ladder and adds Bartlett to the team. Her last go at this level came two starts back and she was a good second behind a sharp Dougs Babe A. (3) ODDS ON PLATINUM has turned in some good miles at Philly in defeat and notice her lone win came on the half at Flamboro in a nice 1:53. (2) ABSOLUTE POWER disappointed as the chalk when last seen here on August 1 but she has the ability to go a big mile on the engine if they let her. (4) AMBUSHED had no shot from post eight last time; capable with pace help. Race 3: Non-winners $20,000 in last 5 or 10 races life or $60,000 Claiming (3) CHERYLS SHADOW gets post and class relief for a high percentage barn. Those angles along with the addition of Gingras seem likely to point to success. (5) FACTORY GIRL also gets the same drop in company as the top pick and notice the last time she was in NW20000 Brennan gunned her to the top; expecting similar. (1) LOUIES GIRL N arrives from New Zealand and certainly qualified well for the top barn at the track. I respect her chances but will take a close look in the post parade before considering her at what could be short odds. Race 4: F&M Invitational Handicap Pace Boosted purse in the Invitational today because of the big card and it is hard to look past (6) ROCKET DEO on the win end. She’s won four of her last five starts with her only defeat coming from post eight at Pocono. Bartlett should be pointing her to the front early and down the road. (7) SILK CLOUD A has been a victim of pace and circumstance in her last two starts. If Stratton has this classy 7-year-old in striking position she has a shot at the upset. (5) STAYINGWITHTHEWIND hasn’t quite reached the level of standing of the top pair but is racing well and could get into the number. Race 5: $200K G2 Aria Invitational Pace - $20K GTD Pick 5 This is an absolutely impossible race to kick off the Pick 5 and with that in mind I’m going to try to land on price and class. (10) DESPERATE MAN owns an unbelievable 27-18-3-5 record here the last three years yet seems likely to go off at very fair odds from the second tier. While that isn’t typically an ideal spot, driver Matt Kakaley has options with early speed players starting in posts two and three in front of him. Maybe a more conservative approach will suit him anyway. (1) MOSSDALE BEN N took more than two months off and has simply taken a tour of the track in his two return races. My gut says they’ve been saving him for today, so as long as we are getting the expected 8-1+, I’ll be on board. (6) CAPTAIN ALBANO deserves to be the favorite in here. He was out of this world in defeat at Scioto last time and set a track record over the half at Batavia the start prior. I respect his chances and wouldn’t hesitate to use him on my tickets at 5-2 or higher. (3) COACHES CORNER seemed to be sapped of late speed as perhaps chasing in the 1:46 4/5 mile the week prior took something out of him. Five-year-old has only finished worse than second three times in 31 career starts here. Race 6: $1,000,000 G1 MGM Yonkers International Trot (6) DOUBLE DECEIVER was a very good horse when he was in the U.S. but took some time to acclimate to racing in Sweden. Everything has come together this year for the Daniel Reden trainee and the time seemed perfect to take on a new challenge with $1,000,000 on the line. Look for driver Orjan Khilstrom to float away and raced parked behind cover. The trip won’t bother him at all. (3) GIO CASH DE is fast off the gate and has a nice gait to handle the smaller track. He did have every chance to defeat the top one in his last start and couldn’t but he’ll have the tactical edge this time; very dangerous. (1) LEXUS KODY is a horse I’m up in the air about, mainly because I don’t know how he’ll be bet in this spot. Will people be scared off by his four breaks in five starts over the track or lured in by his Canadian record mile last time. He is racing on another level right now and I wouldn’t be afraid to go with him at 3-1 or higher. (9) PERICULUM overcame post 10 to be second in this race last year and now he’s saddled with the second tier again. His fate may very well be decided on what others do or whether horses make breaks because there is a real chance he’s trapped along the cones with no place to stretch his legs. Then again, Zeron is like the Moses of harness racing drivers and always seems to find a seam. (5) AETOS KRONOS S is not as good as some of the others in my opinion but is still capable of winning given the right trip. The price could be right here to take a stab. Race 7: $200K G2 Bob Miecuna Invitational Pace - $10K GTD Pick 4 (8) ANTOGNONI S was handled a difficult post but I don’t think it matters. He has the early speed needed to get away well, loves this track and already has a win this year at the distance. For me the post only helps to increase the price. (3) UP YOUR DEO won the 2023 Yonkers Trot on this track. Dunn picking up the drive makes him a bigger threat but also likely to be over bet. (2) SECURITY PROTECTED can’t seem to come away close enough to make his late rally work. I’m tempting fate here a bit hoping for him to get into the flow, but at least he drew well and the longer distance should help. (1) SIR PINOCCHIO has everyone in the race by the short hairs to some extent because he drew inside and has blazing speed off the gate. The problem could be whether he can last the extra quarter of a mile. Race 8: Non-winners $18,281 in last 5 or 9 races life or $30,000 Claiming (4) DELAYED HANOVER returned from more than three months on the sidelines with a nice second-place finish here last weekend. He remains in the same class and should take this field to task if able to move forward as expected. (7) EXCALIBER BI certainly has the early speed to make the top as exhibited last week over this oval. He does lack the class of the top one and also needs to prove he can carry the speed for 1 1/14 miles. (10) OVER AND BACK has been just ok in two starts since the claim. Added distance today and drop in class could lead to better results. (1) SISTER MARY MAUDE just missed behind #7 last time and the inside draw certainly helps her chances. [DRF HARNESS: Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter] Race 9: Non-winners $10,874 in last 5 or 6 races life or $20,000 Claiming (7) MAZEPPA N came over from New Zealand and had just one start for Smedshammer before landing in the Engblom barn; seems strange. Import drops two classes this week and adds a catch driver. It is hard not to think he has a big shot. (5) PC FREE WHEELING owns 14 wins over this track the last three years and he is cutting his claiming price in half from two starts back. (1) WHEELZABLAZIN has found his form in the last two starts. (3) AIRMANS JACKPOT couldn’t touch the former last time but does get a better post to work from today after starting from the seven. Race 10: $40,000 Claiming This is the trickiest race of the Pick 4 sequence for me unless (3) HAT TRICK MARLEAU comes right back to form on the driver and trainer change angles. Two starts back he was an impressive winner in this class. (4) WILLY WALTON is a classy veteran that is capable of taking advantage if the race falls apart or they let him get to the top easily. There is plenty of early speed on the outside of the gate that could set up a rally. Two of those potential leavers are (6) BARN HALL and (7) JAS BLUESTONE. Each has displayed early zip in this class in recent starts.