Yonkers Raceway

Yonkers: Analysis for Thursday 3/3

Greg Reinhart|Mar 01, 2022

MEET STATS: 31 - 121 / $156.50 (-$85.50)

BEST BETS: 6 - 13 / $22.30 (-$3.70)

SPOT PLAYS: 1 - 12 / $5.50 (-$18.50)

BEST BET-EASY TO PLEASE (6th)

SPOT PLAY-SPORTS FLIX (3rd)

Race 1 - F&M NW5000L5/12500CLM Pace

(7) SLICK ARTIST A prepped at Monticello with three qualifiers and a start in their F&M Open. She finished with some interest in that event after sitting in and taking a shuffle, so I think she should be sharper here, and she was facing optional $25,000 claimers when last at Yonkers last summer. (3) CLASSY CHAPEL N slides inside on the gate here and had some pace on the end of her mile against NW7500L5's a week ago. (5) A CRAFTY LADY drops down to the bottom level in her fourth try of the campaign and also gets out of the eight-hole.

[DRF HARNESS: Get Harness Eye PPs for this card]

Race 2 - F&M NW8090L5/Winners in Last Start of the Base Class NW5000L5/15000CLM Pace

(4) CHECKERED PAST tallied on 2-17 at this level and quickly returns to it after an unsuccessful try against better last Thursday. She also gets reunited with Matt Kakaley, who steered her to that victory. (2) DIAMONDTOOTHGERTIE seems to be rounding into form with back-to-back runner-up results and squeezed into this class by $5 since she's earned $8,085 in her last five tries. (1) SCANDALICIOUS got the job done against NW5000L5's a week ago and now begins her ascent back up the ladder. This is the first inside post she's had since back in early December.

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

Race 3 - F&M NW30000L5 Pace

(1) SPORTS FLIX normally does her best work when she's lower in class than this, but she closed well from an outside post and against tough competition a week ago, so I'll take a shot with her as she landed the pole tonight. (2) MCMARKLE SPARKLE is two-for-two since coming in from Ohio and looks like she might be able to join the Open ranks here like she did in the Buckeye State. (3) FEELIN RED HOT has been living up to her name since coming back with two romps over $50,000 claimers. She was claimed by the high-percentage Gareth Dowse barn on 2-22.

Race 4 - NW6/75000LT Trot

(7) LADY ANN NO comes into this race with three straight victories for trainer-driver Trond Smedshammer. He's been aggressive with her in each try so far, so hopefully that trend continues. (2) MUSCLE JACK won in a quick mile on 2-17 and actually gets to drop down a class since that was carded as a NW8. (1) GRAFENBERG returns to an inside post here after being saddled with the seven-hole a week ago. I'd expect a return to a more forwardly-placed strategy based on that.

Race 5 - F&M NW10000L5/Winners in Last Start of the Base Class NW7500L5/20000CLM Pace

(1) BABS JANSEN is worth another shot tonight as she gained spots and ground in the final quarter of a pace-less race last Thursday and drew the pole here. She also gets back on a regular racing schedule after being scratched on 2-10. (4) ANNE BONNEY N drops out of the NW15000L5 class and hit the board the last time she was at this level on January 13. (7) EDGE OF ETERNITY receives further class relief tonight after rallying to finish second to McMarkle Sparkle a couple weeks ago. She's shown the ability to blast out recently, too, giving Austin Siegelman some options with her.

Race 6 - F&M NW15000L5/Winner in Last Start of the Base Class NW10000L5/25000CLM/NW9 Pace

(6) EASY TO PLEASE paced home in 27 2/5 last week in her first start of 2022, coming up just a head short of a hot favorite. She should improve off that mile, and I expect her to be very live. (4) VIOLETS RAINBOW is moving up in class tonight, but pretty much all of trainer Jared Bako's horses are firing right now, and Kakaley has done well with her in the past. (7) DELITFULCATHERIN N got the nod from leading driver Jason Bartlett over some other options in here, which I respect. She was third in a very quick mile on February 17.

Race 7 - F&M NW20501L5/30000CLM/NW10 Pace

(4) JIVE DANCING A raced well against NW30000L5's to start 2022 and now slides down a notch. She's been able to wire fields impressively (like back on 11-18 of last year), and maybe Dan Dube can do that in this contest. (2) IMPRINCESSGEMMA A has raced extremely well since coming up from the Mid-Atlantic area and fit this class by one dollar. Dube was listed but went with my top pick, giving the live assignment to Jim Marohn Jr. (5) MYSTICAL CARRIE rallied nicely to just come up short in a blanket finish in a NW30000L5 tilt a week ago and gets further class relief tonight.

Race 8 - F&M Open Pace

(5) KARMA SEELSTER went a long way on the lead before getting caught late in the mile a week ago, and she might offer a somewhat decent price in this deep edition of the Open. (2) RACINE BELL suffered a tough beat when she came up just a nose shy of capturing her Yonkers return last Thursday. She raced from off-the-pace then, but she could switch it up and try and cut it from this inside draw. (4) ROCKN PHILLY upset the apple cart in the Open last week and has been very sharp anyway with three victories and a second in her last four tries.

Race 9 - NW4/50000LT / NW2/25000LT Drawn Inside Trot

(4) DROP THE MIC saw his 3-year-old season end in early December after being scratched injured. He was very sharp prior to that, though, and he qualified well at Pocono on 2-23, gaining positions and ground in the last quarter. (5) SEVENSHADESOGREY broke stride a couple of weeks ago, but trainer Ricky Bucci is having a good year thus far, and this horse did win the sire stakes final at Yonkers in 2021. (7) KEEPER OF SECRETS looks like he faced a tougher group last Thursday than he does tonight, and he did hit the board against NW4's on January 27.