2024 STATS: 29 - 112 / $194.40 (-$29.60)
BEST BETS: 4 - 8 / $15.40 (-$0.60)
SPOT PLAYS: 1 - 8 / $5.00 (-$11.00)
BEST BET - RAPTORS FLIGHT N (12th)
SPOT PLAY - FULL STRENGTH (13th)
Race 1 - MADC 1 Pace **Pick 5**
(3) THNDRFRMTHETHRON N has had plenty of success at the Meadowlands before and gets post relief this time off a gaining fourth-place result last week. (2) HURRIKANE IRONHEAD has finished third in back-to-back MADC 1 tilts and slides in on the gate from the nine-hole to post two. (1) SKYWAY BILLY starts from post one again and has hit the board in his last four efforts.
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Race 2 - NW5000L4/TrackMaster Rating 80.1 or Less as of 11-5-24 Pace
(1) DRIBBLING BI usually does his best work at the Meadowlands and at this level or thereabouts. He's been facing better over at Harrah's Philadelphia and had a bad post in his last outing there. (5) WIN TOGETHER S burned a lot of money by finishing in the runner-up spot at 1-9 last week but this is his second start back after some time off and he could definitely be sharper. (2) MR KNOWITALL won at the Meadowlands back in early September and just missed against NW7500L5 company at Yonkers two back. I'm just drawing a line through his race a week ago as he had a bad draw and never got involved.
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Race 3 - NW3000L4/TrackMaster Rating 77 or Less as of 11-5-24 Trot
(2) MISSILE looks like he's been facing much tougher winners of four but not more than 7 pari-mutuel races lifetime company over at Pocono and did win in that class back on 9-21. (6) AMADOR doesn't have a great record finding the winner's circle over the last two years but does drop a notch on the TrackMaster scale off a fourth-place finish last Friday. (1) NARANJO broke at Harrah's Philadelphia on October 24 but did take some wagering support in that NW5000L5 event. He qualified pretty well behind a good horse on Saturday at the Meadowlands.
Race 4 - TrackMaster Rating 74 or Less as of 11-5-24 Pace
(6) BIG BAD BILL was an even fourth off a pocket trip on Saturday and gets to drop from the TrackMaster 77s to the TrackMaster 74s tonight. (2) METAMAN has been facing what I think are tougher foes out of town. He defeated NW1's at Harrah's Philadelphia on 10-24 and then had pace in the final quarter in a fifth against NW3's over there on Halloween. (9) PADUKA N drew poorly again but is getting the same class relief as my top selection and has done well at the Meadowlands before.
Race 5 - TrackMaster Rating 72 or Less as of 11-5-24 Pace
(7) NATIONAL SPORT should be in a winning spot tonight as he lands at the bottom TrackMaster level and got a check against TrackMaster 77s and TrackMaster 74's in his lines. (1) SELECT FRIDAY gets significant post relief this week after finishing third from the eight-hole in this class last Friday. He also took a lot of wagering support in that event. (2) STONE COLD SAVAGE hit the board in both of his tries against TrackMaster 72.5 foes at Freehold and drew well here.
Race 6 - MADC 1 Pace **$50,000 Guaranteed Pick 4 Pool**
(1) WHAMMER JAMMER drew the pole position here after a series of outside draws and normally the drop from the MADC 2 class to the MADC 1 is significant. I'll swing. (4) JIM STRIKESITRICH romped at this level a week ago and if he's that good again, the others will have their work cut out for them. (7) CAPTAIN TERMINATOR has been racing well in amateur events both at the Meadowlands and over at Harrah's Philadelphia and owns a victory over MADC 1 foes on 10-25.
Race 7 - NW2000L4 Pace
(3) MR MATT MAJOR N makes his second start back after a layoff tonight and had to do the first-over work from a bad post on Saturday night. (1) PASSA-GRILLE BEACH was third in the same race my top pick exits. He raced from off-the-pace in that contest but has shown a lot more speed off the gate in the past. (8) LIKE A SHADOW disappointed as the favorite at Freehold most recently, but he was second against NW2000L4 company at Meadowlands on 10-18, and I think his normal off-the-pace style works better at the mile oval.
Race 8 - MADC 2 Pace **Pick 6 - $7,689 C/O**
(2) GOOD ROCKIN toured the oval from the ten-hole Saturday in his first outing back after some time off. He's won plenty of races at the Meadowlands in the past and drew well tonight. (7) MUSCLE FACTORY A is another horse with an amount of good history at The Big M and has a similar profile to my top selection as this is his second attempt after a layoff. (5) CALIBER comes in from Minnesota and Kentucky in good form and has one of the top amateur pilots in Tony Beltrami.
Race 9 - F&M TrackMaster Rating 77 or Less as of 11-5-24/TrackMaster Rating 74.8 or Less Draw Inside Pace
(6) RIGHT MATCH got third in a fast NW3000L4 contest a week ago and also owns a recent win over at Yonkers. Add in her success over the big track at Woodbine Mohawk Park, and I think she merits top call. (3) BLANK CHEEK took her lifetime mark at the Meadowlands earlier this year and was facing tougher NW7500L5 foes at Yonkers most recently. (4) RAISE THE ANTE scored handily over TrackMaster 74 rivals last Friday and doesn't meet up with anybody overly imposing in this tilt.
Race 10 - F&M NW5000L4/TrackMaster Rating 80.5 or Less as of 11-5-24 / NW7500L4 or TrackMaster Rating 83.5 or Less as of 11-5-24 Draw Outside Pace **$50,000 Guaranteed Pick 4**
(5) MY AUGUST MOON A came out on top in a NW5000L4 event at the Meadowlands in late July and I think she'll be sharper tonight in her second outing off the bench. (8) DIXIE DREAM won over NW5000L4 company on October 18 and was third against NW7500L4 foes a week ago. (6) CITY OF STARS finished fourth in the same race my top selection comes out of and is a second-timer after a layoff here.
Race 11 - F&M TrackMaster Rating 74 or Less as of 11-5-24 Pace
(4) LADY WISHES missed a scheduled start last week as she was late for Lasix but her victory over NW4 foes on 10-8 at Pocono sticks out to me in this race, and I'll put her on top. (5) AT THE HOP was second in a TrackMaster 74 or Less event a week ago and makes her third start for trainer Besim Odza tonight. (1) BULLVILLEKARLA won in a season's-best clocking earlier this year at the Meadowlands and finds a soft spot here for her return to the oval.
Race 12 - TrackMaster Rating 77 or Less as of 11-5-24 Pace
(8) RAPTORS FLIGHT N beat TrackMaster 77 company at the Meadowlands on 9-7 and I think he'll be better tonight in his second outing after some time off prior to his third-place result on October 26. (1) GEMINI EXPRESS hasn't been out of the top three against TrackMaster 77s since racing resumed at the Meadowlands and he held sway gamely on the front-end on Saturday. (3) ALTA BLUES A steps up from the NW2000L4 level but won comfortably on Saturday night and gets a bit of post relief.
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Race 13 - NW7500L4/TrackMaster Rating 83 or Less as of 11-5-24/Winners Base Class NW8000 or Less in 1 of L4 Starts Draw Outside Trot
(8) FULL STRENGTH miscued in his last two outings at Yonkers, but he had a pair of wins over there prior to that. He was an open class horse over the seven-eighths-mile Harrah's Hoosier Park oval earlier this year, and I'll hope the switch back to a bigger track helps him. (6) LABYAD BROS S closed with trot in his race a week ago and makes his second start in the U.S. tonight. (1) SHINKANSEN has found the winner's circle many times at the Meadowlands in his career and should be close to the front-end from the pole position.
Race 14 - MADC 1 Pace
(3) MAGRITTE grabbed a second behind the well-meant Jim Strikesitrich last week and catches a beatable group here if he turns in a similar performance. (6) CAVIART SKIPPER comes in with back-to-back second-place results against MADC 1 foes and just needs some pace to chase to set up his closing kick. (8) YAYAS HOT SPOT N overcame a difficult journey to get third in a MADC test last Friday and his stock would go up with any smoother trip tonight.