WINTER MEET STATS: 293-85-49-36 / $492.00 (-$94.00) BEST BETS: 18-7-6-0 / $31.20 (-$4.80) SPOT PLAYS: 21-4-3-3 / $14.20 (-$27.80) BEST BET: GLITTERING HOPE (3rd) SPOT PLAY: PHELGON (5th) Race 1: Meadowlands Amateur Drivers Club 1 Pace - Pick 5 There isn’t a horse in the field I’m excited about so that led me to the newcomer to the series in (6) ROLLIN ABOUT. Veteran has some early speed in his arsenal and seems to fit on time. (10) DUCK INTO THE NITE left into the pocket, pulled to try to brush by a 70-1 shot and that driver simply refused to yield. The trip has to be smoother this week, even from post 10. (1) TRANSFER THE ERA had a good setup last time and just missed; obvious contender. [DRF HARNESS: Get Harness Eye PPs for this card] Race 2: Non-winners 2 (NW L2 3) races or $30,000 life/Maidens draw inside (3) ACCESS GRANTED raced ok coming back from three months on the sidelines. Four-year-old finds a very soft spot tonight. (1) SWIFT SARABI flashed more in her second qualifier and perhaps she can make some noise here at first asking. (7) DARLIN’S DREAM has a couple of qualifiers now and her second one included a 27 3/5 final quarter. Regally bred 4-year-old showed some ability in 2024. Race 3: Trackmaster 68 (NW L2/L4 68.5/69.15) or less - Survivor 7 (2) GLITTERING HOPE made a crazy wide move to get the lead but paid the price for it by fading in the stretch. Inside post should allow her to make one brush to the front if Boyd chooses that trip or pick up cover. (6) THANEEYA has early speed and good form. She should be controlling this race at least in the early stages. (1) JUST MY MAMA has been closing very well in her last two starts. If kept closer to the action a win is certainly within reach. Race 4: Trackmaster 71 (NW L2/L4 71.5/72.15) or less (4) DROP THE MIC was stuck behind a gapper last time and trotted home willingly when clear while unable to catch a rated winner. This looks like a good spot for driver Bryan Quevedo to get on the win board in 2025. (9) WINNERESS and (10) HURRIKANE WILLIE G both have early speed and should be comfortable in this class, especially against a field as soft as this one. Race 5: Meadowlands Amateur Drivers Club 1 Pace (5) PHELGON was in a bit of a pickle last week, stuck behind a horse gapping a bit and then in stretch traffic. Seven-year-old wasn’t asked late and is coming off a deceptive line. (3) ROCKINWITHTHEBEST was second best behind a monster last time. Anything close to a repeat mile would make him tough. (9) MY WISH CAME TRUE wasn’t quite as good as the previous week but raced well last time; needs a clean trip. (4) FERDINAND A will be on the lead as usual. Will he show up late in the mile? Race 6: Non-winners 2 (NW L2 3) races life/Maidens draw inside - $50K GTD Pick 4 New trainer Stallworth has officially figured out (5) CRAIGIEBURN and the only thing stopping him from a trip to the winner’s circle is another conservative steer. Interesting that we get a driver change this week; not sure what to make of it. (3) SHOW ME has put in two useful qualifiers and should be ready to put forth a decent mile near the front. (7) STRIING TACTFUL drops back down to her comfort level and will likely be firing off the wings of the gate. Race 7: $7,500 Claiming (4) MAJOR ACE drops to a new low in terms of claiming price. These connections came to town last week and finished second at a price. Don’t ignore this guy at what should be good odds as well. (5) OUTCRY sat last, dealt with some stretch traffic and finished up mildly when clear last time. Post switch to the middle of the gate could be huge. (6) I’M BURLINGTON N doesn’t have the best gait but he looked abysmal on the track last week and was allowed to race. If he looks better warming up he’s worth consideration. (1) HE’S A SWEETHEART drops below the level of his recent claim. That’s a bad sign but likely means he’ll be as ready as possible to fire. Race 8: Non-winners $3,000 (NW L2 $3,340) in last 4/TM 77.5 or less - Pick 6 (7) NO TURNING BACK was completely taken out of the race and backed at to last a week ago. Beckwith opting off should improve the price. Mare gets a class drop tonight and should be forwardly placed. (6) CACTUSTOTHECLOUDS comes off a monster mile and seems like a different horse now for Height and was Lasix added; Pick 4 must. (9) FULL STRENGTH hasn’t shown much lately between breaks and bad posts on the smaller track at Yonkers. It’s worth seeing what he can do on the big track. Race 9: Trackmaster 77.5 (NW L2/2L4/L8 78/78.5/78.75) or less (8) HERVEY HANOVER blew away his competition last week and there is no reason he can’t repeat. Driver change here will ensure a fair price. (2) TREY ROCKETTE is capable of saving ground and passing horses late for second. (5) KNOCKIN OUT drops back down to the level of his last win. Race 10: Winners 2-4 (NW L2 5) races life - $50K GTD Pick 4 (7) LUKE’S BAR tried to leave off the gate last week but had company and took back. He finished up the mile with a strong 27 3/5 kicker with no shot into a rated pace. Any more reasonable trip can see him in with a chance at good odds. (3) SUPERNOVA HANOVER picked up his game in qualifier #2. The $100K in earnings and 1:51 3/5 mark from last year tell you there is talent here. (1) FLIGHT LANDING left well but broke cornering into the first turn. Things should be easier starting from the innermost post. Race 11: Trackmaster 71 (NW L2/L4/L9 71.5/72.05/73.01) or less/Opt. $7,500 Clm. (7) TESLA POWER sees her claiming price slashed more than in half this week. Also, notice she’s been either in tougher spots or starting from bad posts. I’m not sure she is very reliable with only two wins in her last 36 starts, but she certainly plays in this field. (10) FEARLESS SHELIA is another one taking a cut in claiming price from 12500 to 7500. She has the early speed to overcome the bad draw, but if she faces any resistance on the path to the top, she may not have the staying power. (8) BETTE TINA is clearly sharp. Can she get into the right flow to make some noise? (4) QUEEN SUN RYSER won at this level last time. Race 12: Non-winners $3,000 in last 4/TM 77.5 or less/Opt. $15,000 Clm./Starters NW $2,000 or less (9) HARPER SEELSTER arrived last weekend and showed speed at both ends of the mile for the victory. She takes a small step up in class but there is no reason she can’t repeat. (6) IDEAL SKIES was overdriven last time to the tune of a three-move effort. That was likely due to her being claimed. Four-year-old is certainly sharp enough. Is she this good? (7) PAIGE PERFECT is certainly in her comfort zone in terms of condition. If she gets a clean trip a win is very possible. (1) STAYING WITH EMILY has hit the board in each of her recent tries in this class and I’m expecting more of the same tonight. [DRF HARNESS: Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter] Race 13: Trackmaster 74 (NW L2/2L4 74.5/75) or less/NW $2,000 in last 4 (1) PARODY draws inside and finds an ideal spot this week to suit his best style – sit and pounce. (4) MAKIN MAGIC TONITE couldn’t go the distance last time but did improve off her previous try. She’ll likely be put in play again. (6) FASHION FOREVER is clearly sharp now and only needs a smooth trip to have a win chance. Race 14: Trackmaster 68 (NW L2/L4 68.5/69) or less (6) SELECT FRIDAY had some sneaky late pace on the end of his mile last time after starting from a tough post. Notice he was a winner in this class a few starts back from a mid-pack starting spot. (1) PAPRIKE BLUE CHIP is a sharp horse picking up the leading driver; short price likely. (5) SARGEANT SONNY took the conservatively approach last out after a very tough effort in the five-eighths sprint. I expect we’ll see early speed tonight.