Yonkers: Analysis for Thursday 5/25

MEET STATS: 94 - 346 / $661.80 (-$30.20)

BEST BETS: 11 - 34 / $40.60 (-$27.40)

SPOT PLAYS: 7 - 34 / $72.30 (+$4.30)

BEST BET-BALENCIAGA (10th)

SPOT PLAY-PC FREE WHEELING (1st)

Race 1 - NW15000L5/Winner in Last Start of the Base Class NW10000L5/NW9 PM Races LT Trot

(3) PC FREE WHEELING put in a good effort from first-up to finish third a NW20000L5 base class tilt a week ago and gets to drop here. (5) B NICKING finished second in the same race my top pick exits after cutting the fractions and gets reunited with George Brennan. (6) SEVENSHADESOFGREY gets significant class relief here after picking up a check in last Thursday's Open Handicap.

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Race 2 - 3-5YO Open Pace

(4) PHOENIX OF FLUZZY makes his first start in this class after an eye-catching win from first-over in a NW20000L5 base class event on May 16. I think he might offer a bit of value, and I'll use. (2) SOUTHWIND PETYR has two wins and two runner-up finishes since being claimed by Jenn Bongiorno in mid-April and is probably the one to knock off. (5) KOOTENAY SANTANNA turned in an improved effort to finish second at this level on 5-11, and I can't see co-owner/driver Yannick Gingras taking back to last with him.

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

(1) BALLERAT BOOMERANG drops out of the NW10000L5 class and catches a beatable group here. He shows a second against NW20000L5's as recently as April 10. (3) FOREVER FAV cruised to victory in last Thursday's extended-distance race and will try and duplicate that feat tonight at a mile. (4) C-BET HANOVER came up sick a week ago and didn't get to compete but won handily over bottom level rivals prior to that.

Race 4 - NW4/50000LT Trot

(2) CINCINNATI HELP has won three of his four attempts since coming to Yonkers, including twice in this class. (1) STRONGERWITHLINDY gained spots and ground in the final quarter of his last race at the Meadowlands on 5-12 and starts from the pole in this short field. (5) AVACAKES is riding a three-race streak of hitting the board and gets to team up with Gingras again.

Race 5 - NW5201L5/12500CLM Pace

(4) THREE IN HEAVEN A finished up his mile with plenty of pace last Thursday and gets to start on the gate this time after having the trailing post in that tilt. (2) OUR CORELLI N hasn't had much to offer lately but finds the bottom level and an improved post here. He was second in a NW20000L5 race as recently as early April. (6) DARLING'S DRAGON squeezed into this race by a dollar as he has $5,200 earned in his last five starts. He was a dominant winner when he raced in the corresponding class to this one at Harrah's Philadelphia in mid-April.

Race 6 - 50000CLM Trot

(3) ALL CHAMPY got mixed up in a duel for the lead last Thursday and tired in the last quarter. All his other efforts at this class have been very good for a long time, though, and I'll look for him to quickly rebound. (2) MISSION VOYAGE was the one doing the parking out to ALL CHAMPY a week ago and wound up second-best. Pretty much all of the Bongiorno horses are live right now, so I'll include. (5) LINDSEY'S PRIDE hasn't been out of the top three since early March and I'll toss him in as well.

Race 7 - NW6/75000LT / NW8/100000LT Drawn Outside Trot

(5) VELVET STYLE broke stride on the first turn last week, but he was being sent out of there hard from the eight-hole, so I can overlook that. He had picked up his form prior to that miscue, has an improved post, and retained Gingras. (2) UNEVERGONNAGETHIS came in third in the same race my top pick comes out of, and he might have needed that start as he'd been on the shelf since April 26. (1) BACKSTREET PLAYER landed the pole tonight and has gained ground or spots in the final quarters of his last four tries.

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Race 8 - Open Handicap Trot

(5) OUTSIDE THE FIRE returns to Yonkers after finishing fourth in the Open at Harrah's Philadelphia most recently. It's Academic won that event and came back to take second in the Cutler Memorial at the Meadowlands, so I think that was likely a live race. (4) CREDIT CON shows two wins in the Open in his lines, including back on 5-11, and he makes his fourth start on Lasix. (3) MISSISIPPI STORM has struggled to find the winner's circle so far in 2023 but has often found his way onto the board in second or third, so I'll put him underneath.

Race 9 - NW2/25000LT / NW1/12500LT Drawn Inside Trot

(7) BYINVITEONLY disappointed as the favorite at the Meadowlands most recently, but I think this is a softer spot than that one was. He did cross the wire first at Yonkers back on 4-27 but was placed second after racing inside pylons. (1) FLASHY SWAN closed well to finish second in his debut over the oval a week ago and moves inside to the pole position this time. (2) IM AN ANDOVER invades from Harrah's Philadelphia off an easy win in their NW1 class and probably has room to build on that given he's only made four lifetime starts.

Race 10 - NW21210L5/NW10 PM Races LT Trot

(1) BALENCIAGA tallied in his first start of 2023 at the Meadowlands on May 12, and the connections thought enough of this horse to race him against Grand Circuit foes late in 2022. I'll give him top call. (3) WHAT SHOULD I GOO steps up off an easy win in a NW15000L5 test a week ago and gives the Bongiornos another contender on the card. (2) HERCULISA has been idle since 5-4 as she came up sick on the 11th of May. She was second to the classy Hey Livvy in the F&M Open when last seen.