Yonkers: Analysis for Thursday 1/27

MEET STATS: 4 - 31 / $15.20 (-$46.80)

BEST BETS: 1 - 4 / $3.50 (-$4.50)

SPOT PLAYS: 0 - 3 / $0.00 (-$6.00)

BEST BET-LIT DE ROSE (8th)

SPOT PLAY-NO WIN NO FEED A (9th)

Race 1 - F&M NW7500L5/Winners in Last Start of the Base Class NW5000L5/15000CLM Pace

(5) VELOCITY MCSWEETS was third in her first start of 2022 a couple weeks ago. Many of trainer Travis Alexander's horses have improved markedly in their second time out this year, and I'll bank on that happening here. She also gets a switch to Alexander's main driver, Matt Kakaley. (2) DEMETER N finished third against NW30000L5's in her last appearance at Yonkers on 11-18-21, so this is a very cozy spot for her return. (1) PONDER THE ODDS raced in pretty conservative fashion in the one race that was held last Friday before the remainder of the card was cancelled. She does move up a notch on the class ladder, but she's another one I could see racing better with a start under her belt.

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Race 2 - NW6/75000LT Trot

(1) BIG MONEY HONEY finished fourth in what looks to be a stronger race in this class two weeks ago, and maybe he can complete a Kakaley/Alexander double. (3) CREDIT CON came up pretty flat on January 13, but he finished off 2021 in very sharp form and could definitely be another horse who goes forward in his second start of the season. (4) AWESOME TRIX has two solid performances and two breaking efforts since joining her current trainer. She did show early speed in a stakes event at Harrah's Hoosier Park in October of last year, so maybe that's an option for driver Jim Marohn Jr.

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

Race 3 - NW4/50000LT / NW2/25000LT Drawn Inside Trot

(4) STRIKING GENSON caught my eye with the way he rallied into a paceless race two weeks back, and usually horses improve in their second start for trainer Nick Devita. (2) PERRON miscued past the start on January 13, but he did make up ground in the back-half and last quarter of his mile. He gets a second shot with Jordan Stratton here from another inside draw. (6) SEVENSHADESOFGREY tallied in the New York Sire Stakes final at Yonkers in 2021 and should be tight tonight after making two appearances at the Meadowlands to begin 2022.

Race 4 - F&M NW10000L5/Winners in Last Start of the Base Class NW7500L5/20000CLM Pace

(1) LADYBELUCKYTONITE slides down a notch in class in her second try of 2022 and has post relief to go with it. Add in the driver change to George Brennan, and I wouldn't be surprised if she was handled aggressively. (4) ROBYN CAMDEN is another probable contender in here given her history at Yonkers and the drop from NW15000L5's to NW10000L5's. (2) WOODMERE HARRIET exits the $50,000 claimers for the first time since last October and picks up a new driver with Kakaley taking over.

Race 5 - NW4/50000LT / NW2/25000LT Drawn Inside Trot

(5) IDENTITY POLICE is going to get another shot from me here as he gained positions and ground in the final quarter two week ago and has the Kakaley/Alexander tandem going for him. (2) MNEMONIC was a solid second at the Meadowlands on January 21, and trainer Darran Cassar indicated in an interview on the DRF Harness website that she's more of a half-mile track horse. (7) TITANS HOPE defeated NW3's down at Harrah's Philadelphia on Christmas Eve and then went a long way on the lead before finishing third at the Meadowlands on 1-7.

Race 6 - F&M NW30000L5 Pace

(4) ANNABELLE HANOVER drops out of the Open and has post relief, too. She also might have needed that race two weeks ago since she hadn't made a pari-mutuel start since December 3. (7) MACHNHOPE raced pretty well a couple Thursdays back in her first start of 2022 and is another one who could definitely be sharper here. (1) ROCKNROLL ANNIE drew a much better post tonight in her second try of the year and won in this class on 12-16-21.

Race 7 - NW8/100000LT Trot

(4) EMOTIONS RICHES enters with back-to-back wins and has Stratton in the bike again. (5) YOU WILL BE QUEEN rolled to an impressive victory two Thursdays ago and has been very sharp for an extended period of time. (4) SWISS HOUSE ONFIRE tallied in game fashion two weeks ago and has hit the board against has NW8's in the past.

Race 8 - F&M Open Handicap Pace

(3) LIT DE ROSE started her 2022 campaign with a win two weeks ago in the Open and drew well again here. (4) DRAGON ROLL had to do the first-over work in the Open won by Lit De Rose on 1-13 and was out-kicked in the stretch. She drew a bit better post tonight. (1) ALEXA SKYE raced very well at Yonkers in 2021 and was second against NW30000L5's a couple of Thursdays back. She offsets the class hike by moving from post seven to the pole.

Race 9 - F&M NW20000L5/30000CLM/NW10 PM Races LT Pace

(2) NO WIN NO FEED A took her U.S. debut at the Meadowlands on January 7 with an impressive rally, and she was a multi-time Group 1 winner back in Australia. (8) JODY made an uncharacteristic break in stride on 1-13 that eliminated her from contention in the Open. She drops tonight and had been razor-sharp since joining Ron Burke's barn. (1) BETTERB CHEVRON N is usable underneath as she has hit the board in three of her last five appearances.

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Race 10 - F&M NW5000L5/12500CLM Pace

(2) SANDY WIN hails from a barn that's off to a scorching start to 2022, and she won handily two weeks ago. (1) SLY ELEANOR N is another second-time starter in 2022 for Alexander that's joining forces with Kakaley. I expect her to be dangerous like all the other ones. (5) BULLVILLEKARLA tallied two starts back at the Meadowlands and drops out of the NW7500L5's to the bottom level tonight.