Yonkers: Analysis for Wednesday 11/23

MEET STATS: 244 - 930 / $1,484.40 (-$375.60)
BEST BETS: 54 - 97 / $195.80 (+$1.80)
SPOT PLAYS: 13 - 96 / $153.50 (-$38.50)
BEST BET - INSTANTANEOUS (7th)
SPOT PLAY - LOVE ME HILL (2nd)

Race 1 - NW5000L5/12500CLM Trot

(4) NANCY BAR won the last time she was in a spot like this on 9-24 at Tioga and picks up the hot hands of Matt Kakaley in the bike. (5) CASINO CUTIE IT takes a second crack at NW5000L5's here and gets reunited with Braxten Boyd, who guided her to a second-place finish two back. (1) EMPEREURTHEBEST FR is probably the one to beat since he was in against NW15000L5's when last seen locally, but he shows just one win in the last two years between the U.S. and France and hasn't shown a lot of early speed on this side of the Atlantic so far.

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Race 2 - F&M NW6/75000LT / F&M NW8/100000LT Drawn Outside Pace

(2) LOVE ME HILL drops out of the optional NW9 class here and also moves inside on the gate. She put in some good efforts versus NW6's out in Ohio, and I'll give her a chance in her second local appearance. (6) SOUTHWIND JAVA had a pretty good stakes campaign and now gives this level a try for new connections after being purchased at the Standardbred Horse Sale. (5) JACANA shows she bled last time out, so that might explain some her recent dull performances. She was second against NW6's at Yonkers back in late September.

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Race 3 - 3&4YO 40000CLM Pace

(4) JOINT ACCOUNT was pretty sharp out of town and kept it going here last Wednesday by finishing fourth with a 27 4/5 last quarter. I'll look for some improvement out of him tonight. (8) SHIP WRECK BEACH K has been a dominant force at this level but gets a real test here after landing post eight. (1) CAPTAIN T HANOVER didn't fire against NW6's on 11-8 but switches over to this class, drew the pole, and was Jason Bartlett's choice.

Race 4 - 75000CLM Trot

(4) MIDNIGHT MIRACLE ships in from Woodbine Mohawk Park having raced well since joining the barn of Jeff Gillis, and we often see horses come from that circuit to this one and do well. (6) HOMER HALL has been racking up on-the-board finishes and is certainly one you want to have underneath. (1) VALI HANOVER got the job done from first-over in this class a couple weeks ago and moves inside on the gate to the pole tonight.

Race 5 - F&M NW4/50000LT / F&M NW2/25000LT Drawn Inside Pace

(8) FOX VALLEY CACHET is stuck outside again this week, but I think she's the sharpest horse in the field and the only one who has a local win over NW4's. Hopefully she's put in play. (5) RAISE THE ANTE has paced back-to-back solid final quarters versus NW4's and gets a chance with Kakaley in the bike. (4) TOP HONORS shows a victory in the NW4 class out at Dayton and finished third in her first try at Yonkers a week ago.

Race 6 - 50000CLM Trot

(6) EMOTIONS RICHES has struggled in his last few outings, but he did that back in August too and then snapped right back to racing well. I'll give him a swing as he also gets Kakaley back in the seat. (4) STEUBEN HANOVER comes into this event with three straight on-the-board results, including a win two back. (3) CHAMPAGNE ON ICE gets a new driver tonight with Tyler Buter taking the lines, and she's been knocking on the door in this class for a while. She could use some pace to chase.

Race 7 - 3&4YO 40000CLM Pace

(5) INSTANTANEOUS won and then went a big trip in finishing third at the Meadowlands in his last two outings and has plenty of half-mile track experience. (3) T'S RAIDER II scored pretty handily in his second start over the oval last Wednesday and picks up Jordan Stratton in the bike tonight. (8) COLD CREEK FELIPE tallied over NW4's at big odds on 11-15 and gives this restricted claiming company a try. He overcame post seven to win that race and will have to deal with the eight-hole tonight.

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Race 8 - 25000CLM Pace

(6) KENRICK N went a long way on the lead last week before settling for second. I'm going to hope he's a little sharper here and gets overlooked in the wagering a bit, too, given the shift to an outside post. (2) SECRECY topped $20,000 claimers impressively on 11-4 but was scratched sick a week ago. I'll include and anticipate he's still sharp. (3) RISKY MILLION beat my top pick last Wednesday from first-over and is certainly usable again.

Race 9 - 50000CLM Trot

(1) SECRET OR NOT had a couple of impressive victories over NW4's in September but then broke stride both here and at Plainridge in October. He's making his second start back after a bit of a layoff and is now with trainer Todd Buter. I'm not expecting to get his 20-1 morning line quote but think he could have some value. (4) COCKTAILS N DREAMS ran into a buzzsaw last week in Mycrownmykingdom but did gain some ground and spots in the final quarter. (6) SHARE THE WEALTH moves over to this class from the NW10000L5's and gets Kakaley to drive.