Yonkers: Analysis for Thursday 3/17

MEET STATS: 42 - 160 / $220.00 (-$100.00)
BEST BETS: 9 - 17 / $31.80 (-$2.20)
SPOT PLAYS: 1 - 16 / $5.50 (-$26.50)
BEST BET - DEMETER N (9th)
SPOT PLAY - SHEIKH YABOOTY N (2nd)

Race 1 - F&M NW10000L5/Winner in Last Start of the Base Class NW7500L5/20000CLM Pace

(6) JIVE DANCING A drops in class again tonight, and trainer Gil Garcia-Herrera has started to send out some winners both here and at Pocono lately after a slow start to 2022. (1) COOLNCALCULATING N was a gaining second the last time she raced at this level back in early February and has post relief this week as well. (4) BETTER B CHEVRON N went from worst to first in the final quarter against NW7500L5's a week ago, and Lance Hudson's barn is another one that's started to percolate recently.

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Race 2 - F&M NW15000L5/Winner in Last Start of the Base Class NW10000L5/25000CLM/NW9 Pace

(5) SHEIKH YABOOTY N toured the oval over at Pocono on 3-5 in her first start back off the shelf. That should have her in better shape for this race, her trainer is winning at a 19% clip this year, and she wound up getting Jordan Stratton to drive. (2) SPORTS FLIX has finished third the last two weeks in higher classes and continues to work her way down the ladder here. (1) ANDRA DAY responded to the switch to Jason Bartlett a week ago by winning at this level. She remains in it since she has eight career victories, and Bartlett remains in the bike.

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Race 3 - F&M NW7500L5/Winners in Last Start of the Base Class NW5000L5/15000CLM Pace

(6) ELLAGATOR was in against NW20000L5's when last seen at Yonkers in late January, so she comes back in a very easy spot compared to that, and she made up ground on a horse who won an Adios elimination a year ago in her qualifier on 3-11 at Freehold. (1) TEAM KIWI N chased a well-meant winner in Westbeach a week ago to finish second and drew the pole position again. (8) PAIGE'S GIRL is stuck out in post eight but hit the board in her last two tries at this level, and trainer Lance Hudson hit us with an eight-hole surprise with the above-mentioned Better B Chevron N last Thursday.

Race 4 - F&M NW5000L5/12500CLM Pace

(1) ACEFOURTYFOUR ALEX takes a second shot against bottom level mares tonight and moves inside from post six to the pole position. I think she's worth a chance in this wide-open affair. (5) MILADY DENVER A raced well to finish a close third in her Yonkers return last week and remains in the same class tonight. (3) SLICK ARTIST A drew the seven-hole in both of her appearances since coming in from Monticello, so this improve post might allow her to be closer to the action.

Race 5 - NW6/75000LT Trot

(2) CREATIVE VENTURE moves up from the NW4's, but I thought he finished with a strong kick in his first start off the bench a week ago and may continue to offer value because of the class hike. He was also Stratton's choice. (4) STRIKING GENSON finally gets away from the red-hot Lady Ann NO here after finishing second to that foe on both 2-24 and 3-3. (7) HEARTOFGOLD DEVIE finished third against NW6's on February 24 and trainer Edwin Quevedo is maintaining a high percentage at Yonkers.

Race 6 - F&M NW10000L5/Winners in Last Start of the Base Class NW7500L5/20000CLM Pace

(8) VELOCITY MCSWEETS starts from the eight-hole, but these connections are usually pretty aggressive with their horses, so I'll take a swing that'll be the case and use her. (1) CORSINI A enters with back-to-back third-place finishes, including in this class a week ago. (4) ANOTHER BEACH DAY invades from Pompano where she was racing just below their Open level. She's Braxten Boyd's one drive on the card, perhaps signaling she's live.

Race 7 - NW4/50000LT /NW2/25000LT Drawn Inside Trot

(8) EPOS OSTERVANG DK finished second and first at Pocono in his first two starts in the U.S. They sent him from post seven at Pocono on March 7, so I have to think they'll do the same here, and he has an age advantage as the lone 6-year-old in the group. (4) YUCATAN PARTY MAN has had a series of poor draws so far in 2022, but he has some relief in that department tonight, and trainer Noel Daley is doing very well at Yoankers this year. (3) JOE EXOTIC missed out on a scheduled start a week ago, but he has been in solid form lately with on-the-board finishes in four of his last five outings.

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Race 8 - F&M NW30000L5/4&5YO NW12/F&M NW20000L5 Drawn Inside Pace

(5) BITTY BITTY picked up checks in all four of her starts in the Open in February and March and gets to drop out of that class tonight. She also gets reunited with Bartlett. (4) NO WIN NO FEED A raced well at Yonkers in January and February and paced home in 26 and change in her last two tries at the Meadowlands. (2) GOLDEN QUEST N makes her third start back after a layoff tonight and moves inside on the gate.

Race 9 - F&M NW15000L5/Winner in Last Start of the Base Class NW10000L5/25000CLM/NW9 Pace

(5) DEMETER N motored home to finish a good third in a stout NW15000L5 event a week ago. There's nobody in here as talented as the ones she came up short to, and she should take advantage. (1) LADYBELUCKYTONITE has the class drop/improved post combo working for her tonight and went a long way on the lead before finishing second at this level on February 24. (8) BABS JANSEN is moving up from the NW10000L5's but has closed well in both of her last two tries, and I'll include.