Yonkers: Analysis for Wednesday 4/7

MEET STATS: 54 - 200 / $331.20 (-$68.80)
BEST BETS: 10 - 20 / $37.30 (-$2.70)
SPOT PLAYS: 2 - 20 / $9.90 (-$30.10)
BEST BET - TIMON AS (6th)
SPOT PLAY - GALLERIA GAL (10th)

Race 1 - F&M NW4/50000LT / F&M NW2/25000LT Drawn Inside Pace

(4) COVER STORY toured the track last Wednesday in her Yonkers debut and finished with some interest. She gets an improved post tonight and picks up George Brennan. I used her a week ago and think she's worth another chance here. (5) WAKEMESHAKEME is likely the one to beat as she just missed by a nose in her first appearance of 2021 and should improve tonight. (2) MARILYN'S JO also makes her second start of the season in this race and was a gaining third in the same event Wakemeshakeme exits.

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Race 2 - NW5000L5/12500CLM Pace

(5) KATKIN AND COKE was a bit of an all-or-nothing horse down at Pompano as he shows winning three times but also breaking stride on three occasions. I like that Jordan Stratton ended up on him, and trainer Peter Pellegrino has had this horse before. (1) HAMMER CREEK drops to the bottom level here, and I imagine he will be much more involved from the pole position and with an aggressive driver in Brent Holland. (2) LUCKY WEEKEND also slides down from the NW7500L5 class and could definitely threaten.

[DRF BETS: Wager on tonight's Yonkers card at DRF Bets.com!]

Race 3 - NW7500L5/15000CLM/NW5000L5 Drawn Inside Trot

(7) BULLY BOY romped to a crushing win over NW5000L5 foes a week ago. He did break stride in his one chance against NW7500L5's on 3-24, but I think that might have been due to the off track. (5) ABBIE'S CELTICLASS was a good second to a well-meant foe in After All Paul last Wednesday and might be in the same situation tonight against my top pick. (4) WATKINS returns to Yonkers here after racing at Freehold and Monticello in his last two. This veteran won from post eight against NW5000L5's when last seen locally on 3-16 and went over the $1 million mark in career earnings that night.

Race 4 - John Brennan Series Trot

(1) STINGLIKE A B K didn't have much of a chance from post seven in the opening leg of this series, but he gets serious post relief here by moving to the pole position and flashed some ability at Yonkers back in February. (3) MARY MAG DELENE missed the first round of the series as she was at Miami Valley. Those were some stout foes she was racing against out there and has the potent combo of Brennan and trainer Ron Burke in her corner. (5) SWISS HOUSE ONFIRE got the nod from driver Austin Siegelman over a couple of others in here and has been good in two efforts since coming back to Yonkers from the Meadowlands.

Race 5 - John Brennan Series Trot

(2) VINNY DE VIE is a horse I'm hoping is going to improve in his second start back off a sick scratch. He gets Todd McCarthy for the first time, which always catches my attention, and McCarthy and this horse's trainer, Tom Fanning, teamed up to win the Open Trot together at Yonkers on Friday (April 2). (4) GRINDER should have every chance for a better effort here as he hadn't made a pari-mutuel start since February 5 prior to last week's appearance. (6) GUILTY DESIRE took advantage of a break by the heavy favorite to win his division of the opening round of this series. He picks up Stratton's services tonight and could definitely double up.

Race 6 - John Brennan Series Trot

(2) TIMON AS trotted home well from off-the-pace a week ago over a sloppy track that wasn't favoring closers. I think it was an encouraging race in his first start up from Florida and that he'll be better tonight. (1) HUNTING AS delivered in leg one of this series and has the same driver-trainer as race three's Bully Boy in the red-hot tandem of Todd McCarthy and Jenny Melander. (4) MCMATTERS hasn't won in 2021 but has hit the board in half of his starts, and I thought he held on pretty well for second last Wednesday despite having to do the first-over work.

Race 7 - John Brennan Series Trot

(8) KENOGAMI COCO will get another chance from me this week despite the outside post as he did have trot in the stretch, and I think we could see more early speed tonight. (2) GET LEGS is absolutely the one to beat but he broke on the second turn last week, leading to a defeat at 1-20 odds. I'll just take a shot against for value purposes. (1) P L NOTSONICE scratched out of the first leg of this series but wound up with good fortune at the draw as she starts from the pole position. She was a good second at Pocono after an extended first-over grind when last seen.

[DRF BETS: Wager on tonight's Yonkers card at DRF Bets.com!]

Race 8 - NW5000L5 Pace

(7) IDEAL COWBOY hasn't won since joining the Jenn Bongiorno barn in September of last year but makes his third start off the shelf tonight and drops to the bottom level. Probably worth a try. (4) MACH IT SO continues to close in on $3 million in career earnings and should be dangerous with post and class relief. (1) VILLAGE CHAMP shifts to probably an easier spot than the NW4's he's been facing and gets another inside draw.

Race 9 - NW10250L5/Winners in Last Start of the Base Class NW7500L5/20000CLM Trot

(1) FOMOR came up a nose shy of a win at this level two back and returns to it here after facing better in a subsequent appearance. (4) AFTER ALL PAUL steps up after a comfortable victory over NW7500L5's last Wednesday. He finished third in this class on March 24 and against NW15000L5's prior to that, so the hike probably won't take him out of contention. (2) CRAZYCAT wound up fourth after a first-over try a week ago. I think that was a pretty tough NW10000L5 race, so I will include.

Race 10 - F&M NW6/75000LT / F&M NW85700LT Drawn Outside Pace

(1) GALLERIA GAL returns tonight in her 4-year-old debut. That 27 4/5 final quarter in her qualifier at Monticello catches the eye, and her campaign last year included a second in the Empire Breeders Classic final and a third in the NY Sire Stakes final. I certainly don't mind McCarthy is hanging around to drive her, too. (3) READY SET ROCK steps up in class tonight, but that was a very easy win over NW4's a week ago and trainer Nick Devita is sending out his share of live horses right now. (6) DRAGON ROLL raced well in the M Life Rewards Ladies Pacing Series, including a third in the final. She's been off since March 23, so I'll use underneath.