Yonkers: Analysis for Thursday 8/10

MEET STATS: 155 - 566 / $1,032.60 (-$99.40)

BEST BETS: 22 - 54 / $71.10 (-$36.90)

SPOT PLAYS: 12 - 55 / $156.60 (+$46.60)

BEST BET-TOCCOA FALLS (12th)

SPOT PLAY-WISTERIA HANOVER (11th)

Race 1 - NW20901L5/NW10 PM Races LT Trot

It's a little surprising that (7) HERCULISA hasn't won yet in 2023 but perhaps she can change that tonight as she's gotten a check in the Spirit Of Massachusetts and then closed well against NW30000L5's in her last two tries. She's stuck outside again but drops another notch here. (5) NEWSBOY just missed by a head last Thursday in a strong performance and goes for the potent tandem of driver Jason Bartlett and trainer Per Engblom. (4) SOUTHWIND ARTURO was third after taking the lead from first-up in the same race that NEWSBOY exits.

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Race 2 - New York Sire Stakes 3YO C&G Trot

(3) SEVECHEETAH made breaks in his last two tries but qualified well at Pocono with hobbles on and was sharp prior to those miscues. I also like that he gets reunited with Joe Bongiorno. (4) CECIL HANOVER has two wins in the sire stakes program already and hasn't missed the board in any of his 2023 outings. Trainer Ake Svanstedt is going to take back over the driving tonight. (1) ONION GUM comes off a victory in the NYSS at Monticello and tallied nicely over NW4 company at Yonkers back in late June.

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Race 3 - Open Handicap Trot

(4) YANKS DUGOUT won the Open Handicap here at Yonkers two starts back and gets reunited with Yannick Gingras tonight. (3) INCOMMUNICADO beat YANKS DUGOUT pretty handily last time out at Harrah's Philadelphia but failed at low odds in two appearances in the Open at Yonkers back in June. I'll take a shot against him, though I obviously respect his chances. (5) STORMY KROMER was victorious in last Thursday's Open but hooks up with some tougher foes in this one, and I'll slot him underneath.

Race 4 - New York Sire Stakes 3YO C&G Trot

(6) KIERKEGAARD K lost all chance to make the Hambletonian final when he broke in his elim, but he was a good second to the eventual Hambo runner-up in a Stanley Dancer division prior to that and won his MGM Yonkers Trot elim here back in June. (2) THE GRUFFALO was the sire stakes champion a year ago for this group and woke up with an improved effort most recently at Monticello when got to team up with Bartlett. Bartlett has the call again tonight. (1) CHAPERCRAZ has been racing well since joining Ron Burke's barn earlier this year and has been victorious in the NYSS at Buffalo and Monticello in his last pair of outings.

Race 5 - NAADA Amateur Summer Series Final Trot

(6) LIONHEAD took a leg of this multi-week event back on 6-1 and shows racing against horses like Lovedbythemasses lately at Harrah's Philadelphia who'd be 1-9 in this race. I'll swing with him. (2) REEL EM IN clearly has the best form out of any of the horses in here and is moving in from post seven last Thursday to the two-hole tonight. (4) CALL ME THEFIREMAN broke in post eight a week ago but had been racing well prior to that, and he shows immediately rebounding after he miscued at Monticello in early July.

Race 6 - NW1/13774LT Trot

(4) BEACON BEACH downed NW1 at Northfield on July 2 and closed well in his qualifier at Pocono on 8-2 in preparation for this event. He also just squeezed into this race by a dollar under the expanded lifetime earnings cap. (2) SHOPPING IN PARIS did well on half-mile ovals in the Kentucky Proud Series in the Bluegrass State and picks up Hambletonian-winning driver Scott Zeron. (5) JACK'S BOY is a 2-year-old taking on older foes but won a stakes event at Ocean Downs on the 31st of July.

Race 7 - NW4/50000LT Trot

(4) CAL MILES N SHELL was second to a well-meant winner in a NW4 race at Yonkers on 7-20 and closed strongly to claim runner-up honors in that amateur race over at the Meadowlands last Friday. He gets reunited with Dan Dube here. (1) HEADOVERBOOTS AS is now up to ten second-place finishes in 17 starts in 2023 after coming up half a length short at Harrah's Philadelphia on the 27th of July. I'll slot him underneath again tonight. (2) MUNK ships in from Tioga in sharp form. Tyler Miller has been his regular driver and handles the duties again.

Race 8 - NW7/75000LT Trot

(3) WANIA is one of the few horses from this barn that isn't a regular visitor to the winner's circle, but he did finish third in a NW6 race two back and gets Bartlett in the bike for first time since an easy victory together back in mid-May. (1) TAP ME BLUE CHIP starts from the pole again and has hit the board in back-to-back outings against NW6's. (7) UNEVERGONNAGETHIS drops out of NW30000L5 and NW15000L5 events but starts from post seven and I fear will be overbet.

Race 9 - 50000CLM Trot

(7) SMALLTOWNTHROWDOWN went a long way on the lead last Thursday before ending up fourth and had a bit of a gap in his racing schedule coming into that event. He was claimed by high-percentage connections out of that contest and gets a driver switch to Jordan Stratton. (3) VALI HANOVER has been sharp for an extended period of time, has won in this class before and is now with trainer Nick Devita off the claim. (4) CANTKEEPMIASECRET rolled on the front-end to a victory at this level a week ago and has shown the ability to rally from off-the-pace as well.

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Race 10 - NW30000L5/NW12 PM Races LT/75000CLM Trot

(3) ALL CHAMPY keeps churning out quality efforts, including a victory in this class a week ago. Trainer Scott Di Domenico sends him out again tonight from another good post. (4) HL REVADON beat NW30000L5 base class foes on 7-13 and gets reunited with Gingras here. (6) NO MAS DRAMA cut the fractions and wound up third in the event won by ALL CHAMPY last Thursday and has Bongiorno in the bike again.

Race 11 - NW2/25000LT Trot

(3) WISTERIA HANOVER gained some late ground in her last try on July 20 and moves back inside on the gate after having the seven-hole that time. She also has Stratton in the bike again against a beatable group. (2) P L QUICKSILVER comes over from Tioga having been first or second in all six of his appearances so far in 2023. (1) BRAYDEN VICTORIES is another newcomer who has been racing in Pennsylvania and at the Meadowlands. He downed NW2 company at Pocono most recently.

Race 12 - 50000CLM Trot

(5) TOCCOA FALLS trotted home with interest last week to finish second in this class and makes his second start back after a short layoff tonight. (4) MAX prevailed in his debut for trainer Gil Garcia-Herrera last Thursday and returns to claiming company tonight here. He hit the board at this level on July 13. (3) MISSION VOYAGE has prevailed against $50,000 claimers before during the meet and qualified well at Harrah's Philadelphia on 8-1.