Yonkers: Analysis for Thursday 10/12

MEET STATS: 198 - 745 / $1,289.20 (-$200.80)

BEST BETS: 31 - 71 / $121.20 (-$20.80)

SPOT PLAYS: 14 - 72 / $192.90 (+$48.90)

BEST BET-TUFFENUFTOWEARPINK (5th)

SPOT PLAY-BRAZEN BRAZILIAN (9th)

Race 1 - 50000CLM Trot

(5) FOR A DREAMER won in this class two back and then was three-wide early last Thursday and had to settle for fourth. I'll hope for a smoother trip and a little better price tonight. (3) IM THE MUSCLE was victorious against $50,000 claimers on 9-21 and could be ready for a try on the front-end here after two off-the-pace efforts. (2) DRACO S has a victory and two seconds in his last three outings and makes his second appearance out of the Mike Watson barn. He drew well and has Jason Bartlett in the bike again, two more positive factors in his corner.

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Race 2 - NW4/50000LT / NW2/25000LT Drawn Inside Trot

(7) SMOOTH LANDING exits stakes competition and won the last time he was in an overnight event back on July 4. He recently joined the Jenn Bongiorno barn and comes off a race where he had an impossible trip. (6) PARTY AT SEVEN has a couple of impressive victories over NW2's at Pocono and Tioga in his lines and should offer a much better price than he did here in his last start. (5) SEVEN OVER scored in a leg of the New York Excelsior "A" Series at Yonkers on 8-10 but has been plagued by miscues. He qualified fine at Harrah's Philadelphia on the 26th of September and has the Jason Bartlett/Per Engblom duo behind him.

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Race 3 - NW7500L5/Winners in the Last Start of the Base Class NW5000L5 Pace

(1) BETTERROCK drops and moves inside from post eight to the pole position for a high-percentage barn. Add Bartlett in the bike, and he should deliver. (3) MY MIKI BEACH was a good second in this class on 9-28 and I'll put him underneath in his second crack at NW7500L5's. (4) MULLINAX came up empty last time out but shows a second-place finish against NW20000L5's on July 31 and continues to work his way down the ladder here.

Race 4 - 50000CLM Trot

(4) LINDSEY'S PRIDE scored all three of his wins this year at Yonkers and has done well in this class to boot. He returns to Westchester County tonight and is back with trainer Nick Devita. (6) EPOS OSTERVANG DK continued his lengthy run of top three efforts last Thursday and I'll be using him again here. (3) IN MY DREAMS held sway after cutting the fractions a week ago and also hit the board on 9-28 from off-the-pace, giving driver Brent Holland some options with him.

Race 5 - NW7500L5/Winners in the Last Start of the Base Class NW5000L5 Pace

(2) TUFFENUFTOWEARPINK plummets in class out of the NW15000L5's and has serious post relief to go with it. He faded on the front-end on 10-3, but I like that he was handled aggressively from the seven-hole against better competition. (5) PEDRO HANOVER rallied to finish third from the eight-hole in his last try at this level on 8-11, and this is a much more reasonable spot for him than the $50,000 claimer he was in most recently. (1) WALKINSHAW N also has the class/post relief combo going for him and has several 27 and change final quarters in his lines, which I like to see.

Race 6 - NW30000L5/NW12 PM Races LT / NW20000L5 or NW10 PM Races LT Drawn Inside Trot

(3) HIGHLAND MOWGLI got some time off and then returned with a sharp qualifier at Harrah's Philadelphia. He was in the Open at Yonkers, Dover and the Meadowlands several times earlier this year, and I'll trust Ron Burke to have him ready. (7) ABRUZZO starts from an outside post but should appreciate getting to drop out of the Open Handicap and gets a driver switch to Bartlett. (1) UNEVERGONNAGETHIS is moving up in class but has been razor-sharp for a long time and comes off a romping victory in a NW15000L5 tilt on 9-30.

Race 7 - Open Handicap Trot

(4) ALDEBARAN ZEUS A finished with plenty of trot in the Open Handicap last week and is back on a regular racing schedule tonight. He also lured Bartlett off an Engblom trainee, which doesn't happen often. (5) HILLEXOTIC returns to Yonkers off a big upset over Alrajah One and It's Academic in the Dayton Trotting Derby and gets Yannick Gingras to come in for his lone appearance on the program. (3) STORMY KROMER won over ALDEBARAN ZEUS A in last Thursday's Open Handicap and is knocking on the door of $1 million in lifetime earnings.

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Race 8 - NW7500L5/Winners in the Last Start of the Base Class NW5000L5 Pace

(5) RB came up empty from the pocket on 9-25 but was a solid second in this class prior to that. I think that dull performance last time will inflate his price tonight and he picks up a new driver in Jordan Stratton. (1) GENIUS MAN moves to the pole position tonight after three straight outside draws. He gets a driver switch to George Brennan, and I anticipate aggressive handling will be coming. (2) MEMPHISTENNESSEE N steps up from the bottom level but does so off a victory and has another inside post.

Race 9 - NW5000L5/12500CLM Pace

(2) BRAZEN BRAZILIAN finds the bottom level tonight off a fourth-place finish last time out in a NW7500L5 test. He has a catch driver again; this time it's Austin Siegelman. (1) MAURIES BONUS A rallied from last to fourth in a NW5000L5 contest on September 29 and moves from post eight to the pole position. (3) ROLLING WITH SAM drops to the NW5000L5's after a fifth-place finish in a NW7500L5 dash last Thursday.