Yonkers: Analysis for Thursday 7/25

MEET STATS: 154- 550 / $959.50 (-$140.50)

BEST BETS: 27 - 53 / $129.60 (+$23.60)

SPOT PLAYS: 7 - 53 / $88.40 (-$17.60)

BEST BET-GENTLE GIANT (5th)

SPOT PLAY-THE SERPENT (12th)

Race 1 - 40000CLM Trot

(8) ENOLA drew the outside but did win once at Yonkers earlier this year and is back with trainer Ron Burke in sharp form from over at Plainridge. She also picks up Yannick Gingras in the bike. (5) ROGER RABBIT broke stride before the start a week ago but had been performing well prior to that for trainer Scott Di Domenico, and I'll look for a quick rebound. (6) SKYWAY PROFESSOR overcame post seven to hit the board again last Thursday and could continue to add value underneath with a similar performance tonight.

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Race 2 - New York Sire Stakes 2YO C&G Trot

(3) CIVILIAN DRONE comes off a victory up at Vernon Downs on July 4 and gets to team up with Gingras again. (2) GANGSTA TALK was second to CIVILIAN DRONE at Vernon but won over the half-mile oval at Saratoga prior to that. (1) VARIEGATED switches drivers to Dexter Dunn and closed in 27 seconds in a third-place result in his NYSS division at Vernon.

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Race 3 - New York Excelsior "A" Series 2YO C&G Trot

(3) BJM'S LIL MAN returns to the Excelsior "A" Series after taking the sire stakes event at Buffalo most recently. He crushed Excelsior "A" competition by 10 lengths at Vernon on July 4. (1A) LOGO has a second and a win in his Excelsior "A" Series tests thus far and adds Gingras here. (5) CHEQUES IN LIMBO starts from the outside but hasn't been off the board in three outings, two of those being wins. He also gets a new driver with Dunn hopping aboard.

Race 4 - New York Excelsior "A" Series 2YO C&G Trot

(3) MAGIC BRILLIANCE gets away from BJM's Lil Man after unsuccessfully chasing him in his last two outings and was Jordan Stratton's choice for a trainer in John Butenschoen that can always have one ready to fire. (5) LOW INSIDE won in the Excelsior "A" Series at both Saratoga and Vernon and then was second in the sire stakes won by BJM's Lil Man at Buffalo. (4) NUTIN BUT A G THANG shows a second and a third in the Excelsior "A" Series at Vernon and Buffalo and gets a new pilot with George Brennan taking over.

Race 5 - 3-5YO 30000CLM Pace

(5) GENTLE GIANT joins a barn that's sending out lots of live horses right now after being claimed last week and gets a catch driver (Austin Siegelman) in the bike. (2 BEGGIN FOR BACON won two back at Yonkers and I think this is a softer spot than the NW2 but not more than 4 class that he was in last time. (1) THAT DOG WILL HUNT raced well in a fourth-place finish from post seven a week ago and slides inside to the pole position here.

Race 6 - NAADA Amateur Summer Series Leg #8 Trot

(5) MR CONTESTANT tallied the last time he was in this series back on June 13. Yogi Sheridan drove him that night and is back at the controls here. (4) KASHA'S BOY was no match for the razor-sharp Stick With Me Kid last week but gets away from that rival here. Trainer/driver Alan Schwartz has had a lot of success in amateur races at Yonkers so far in 2024. (3) MUFASA AS didn't fire last Friday but was third in a NW7500L5 tilt prior to that, backing up his win in the Hall Of Fame Trot at Goshen Historic Track on 7-7.

Race 7 - 40000CLM Trot

I think (7) LOS BALLYKEELAMIGO was well-meant on July 11 as he left out of there and was in the lead on the first turn when he broke. He drops out of the optional $60,000 claimers here and gets reunited with driver Tyler Buter. (5) CANTKEEPMIASECRET has been sharp as a tack other than when she made a miscue on 6-20 and is certainly capable of winning again tonight. (2) TOP ME OFF has three wins and a third in his last four tries, and this should be a softer class than the NW20000L5 event he was in two weeks ago.

Race 8 - Invitational Trot

(6) ONCE IN A LIFETIME finished third in the Invitational two weeks ago. I think the two horses he was behind are tougher than the ones he faces here, and I'll use. (5) WARRAWEE YANG has been off since sweeping the John Brennan Trotting Series back in early May. I expect he'll be ready here for the Gingras/Burke driver/trainer duo. (1) KHAOSAN ROAD was not a factor in the Graduate Series but picked up a confidence-boosting victory at Harrah's Philadelphia last time out and starts from the pole for trainer/driver Ake Svanstedt.

Race 9 - NAADA Amateur Summer Series Leg #8 Trot

(2) PSALMSFORTYSIXFIVE has been performing better since adding trotting hobbles earlier this month and was second to the romping Stick With Me Kid last week. (3) RACEACE is riding a three-race streak of second-place finishes and that's where I'm going to slot him again. He cut the mile last Thursday but couldn't hold on. (1) BACARDI is just one-for-21 in the win column in 2024 but had a second and two thirds at the Meadowlands recently and gets reunited with Sheridan.

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Race 10 - F&M Invitational Trot

(6) TIPSY MONI keeps racking up victories when she shows up in this class and returns to action here after taking last week off. (4) P L NOTSONICE rallied to a win in the F&M Invitational Trot a week ago but her only triumph over TIPSY MONI came when that one made a break. (5) JULIA SISU S miscued on 7-11 but had hit the board in three straight prior to that, including a score on the 20th of June. Svanstedt takes back over the driving.

Race 11 - NW20000L5/Winners in the Last Start of the Base Class NW15000L5/NW10 PM Races LT/60000CLM Trot

(4) BLACK MAGIC cruised to victory in this class a week ago and I'll put him on top again this time. (6) UP YOUR DEO didn't make much of an impact in the Graduate or Hambletonian Maturity but obviously finds a softer spot here for Svanstedt and won the MGM Yonkers Trot final a year ago. He also gets back on Lasix after he couldn't race on it in the Hambletonian Maturity. (3) STORMONT DIVIDE had an impossible trip on 7-4 and tired but was racing very well prior to that. He gets Gingras in the bike and some post relief here.

Race 12 - 3-5YO 20000CLM Pace

(2) THE SERPENT toured the oval from the back of the pack in his Yonkers debut last Thursday. He moves way inside on the gate here and did finish with pace in that effort a week ago. (3) EURO STEP hasn't threatened in two appearances since winning on July 4 but does drop from the 3-5YO $30,000 claimers to the 3-5YO $20,000 claiming level. (5) BAD BOY TOO has won two straight in this class and was claimed by new connections last week. He was driver Brent Holland's choice over my top