Yonkers: Analysis for Thursday 4/13

MEET STATS: 54 - 217 / $378.00 (-$56.00)
BEST BETS: 7 - 22 / $23.40 (-$20.60)
SPOT PLAYS: 4 - 22 / $42.90 (-$1.10)
BEST BET - HAYEK (4th)
SPOT PLAY - TALL POPPY N (9th)

Race 1 - 3-5YO Open Pace

(3) PLEASELETMEKNOW finished fifth to start his 4-year-old campaign on 4-3. That was in the Open against all-age company here at Yonkers while he faces age-restricted foes tonight. I'll look for him to be sharper with the effort under his belt and put him on top. (2) GREAT SOMEWHERE comes in off a second-place result in the same event my top pick exits and has missed the board only once in ten tries this year. (5) CERTIFIABLE is riding a long streak of first, second or third-place efforts and races for the potent tandem of Jason Bartlett and Per Engblom.

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Race 2 - Open Handicap Trot

(5) NOWS THE MOMENT made an uncharacteristic break on 3-23 and has been on the shelf since then. All of his other recent results have been very good, so I will anticipate he will bounce back. (4) HEY LIVVY romped in the Open last Thursday, but I rarely guess right when she's going to fire like she did that night, so I will put her second. (1) HL REVADON hasn't won since back in early February but often finds his way into the top three and starts from the pole position.

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Race 3 - NW2/25000LT / NW3 PM Races LT Drawn Outside Trot

(7) UNRESOLVED DEBT got very sharp over at the Meadowlands and comes to Yonkers off an impressive win in the NW2 class at The Big M. Since he starts from the outside post tonight, maybe he'll offer a little value that he otherwise wouldn't. (6) HEADOVERBOOTS AS is on a run of three straight second-place finishes and has already posted nine runner-up results in 2023 overall. That's where I'm going to put him again here. (2) FRANKIE HILL gets some post relief after bad draws at the Meadowlands to start his 4-year-old season and while he broke against NW2's at Yonkers back in mid-December of last year, he was well-bet in that contest.

Race 4 - NW35501L5/NW12 PM Races LT/75000CLM Trot

(3) HAYEK kicked off his 6-year-old campaign in the Open at Harrah's Philadelphia on April 2 and was fourth against some very good foes. He finds a winnable race here for the Bartlett/Engblom tandem. (6) ON HIGHER GROUND closed well in a second-place finish in this class a week ago and squeezed into this race by a dollar as he has $35,500 earned in his last five outings. (1) WARRIOR ONE held off ON HIGHER GROUND to win that tilt last Thursday and drew the pole again tonight. He does have a driver change from owner Yannick Gingras (not competing on the card tonight) to George Brennan).

Race 5 - F&M NW7521L5/Winners in Last Start of the Base Class NW5000L5 Pace

(7) LAURIE LEE has been racing pretty well against $50,000 claimers, including a fourth with a 27 and change final quarter on April 4. She has the outside post but this should be a softer spot, and there's no obvious standout in here. (3) ELLEOFADELI gives the Bartlett/Engblom combo another contender as she was second in this class last Thursday and gets to cut back from the mile and a sixteenth distance to the standard mile tonight. (4) SPORTS FLIX picked up a confidence-boosting win over bottom level foes when last seen on 3-30 and was favored in this class two back (finished fourth).

Race 6 - NW20000L5/NW10 PM Races LT/NW15000L5 Drawn Inside Trot

(5) MISSISSIPPI STORM drops an additional level here after finishing second and then third in two tries against NW30000L5 base class foes since returning to Yonkers. (2) HIGHLAND MOWGLI steps up from the NW20000L5's but does so off a facile win and shows facing Open company at both Dover and the Meadowlands. (3) SMALLTOWNTHROWDOWN was fourth last Thursday in the same race my top pick exits and starts from another good post.

Race 7 - NW5000L5/12500CLM Pace

(1) ROCK DIAMONDS N slides down to the bottom level and moves in from post eight to the pole position in his second start for Joe and Jenn Bongiorno tonight. I expect he'll put in a good performance, and I will back him. (9) EL JACKO N starts from a trailing post but should be able to follow ROCK DIAMONDS N right out of there if things go according to plan. He was second against NW5000L5's last Thursday. (6) ODDS ON PICK SIX was no match for a well-meant State Senator on April 4 but drops out of the NW7500L5's and picked up his lone win of 2023 here at Yonkers.

Race 8 - NW7/75000LT Trot

(7) PURE COUNTESS is now with Engblom and is making her first start of 2023. She raced in mainly stakes events last year, and against all the top 3-year-old trotting fillies, so hopefully that shines through tonight and she's ready to fire. (4) ANGELONIA finished third at the Meadowlands and then won easily at Harrah's Philadelphia so far this year. Andy Miller handled her two back at The Big M and has the call here after Bartlett stuck with my top pick. (6) CINCINNATI HELP downed NW4's at Yonkers pretty impressively on April 30 in his first outing of the season. He was also rejected by Bartlett, giving Scott Zeron the assignment.

Race 9 - F&M NW10561L5/Winners in Last Start of the Base Class NW7500L5 Pace

(3) TALL POPPY N takes a second chance at this level after finishing fifth with a 28 and change final quarter last Thursday. I'm going to hope she's ready to be handled more aggressively like she was in her victory back on Feburary 23 and use her. (1) VEL DONNA went a long way on the lead before getting overtaken in the stretch a week ago and had a recent three race run of on-the-board results. (5) CHELSKI owns a third and a second in her last two tries at Yonkers and took her life's mark here a couple of years ago.

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Race 10 - NW15000L5/Winner in the Last Start of the Base Class NW10000L5/NW9 PM Races LT Trot

(4) BANK BOX TREASURE moves up from the NW10000L5 class but closed well two back and then got unlucky last Wednesday when the horse on the lead he was following was overtaken and he took a shuffle. I'll give him another shot. (2) PERRON rolled to an easy win at this level a week ago in gate-to-wire fashion and landed another inside post against a field he could double-up on. (1) NO DRAMA PLEASE won that NW10000L5 base class tilt my top pick exits on 4-5 and gets another chance with Bartlett at the controls.

Race 11 - F&M NW5000L5/12500CLM Pace

(7) FEAR HER TOUCH was in a pretty tough spot last Wednesday against NW7 rivals and had to settle for sixth. She did win at Monticello two back, though, and perhaps facing bottom level foes here will get her back going in the right direction with some value to go with it. (6) ASHTINI finished a rallying second against NW5000L5 company two back and slides back down after one unsuccessful attempt versus NW7500L5's. (1) TRIZZLE TRAZZLE slides in from post four to the pole position and won against NW5000L5's back on 3-2.