MEET STATS: 142 - 648 / $1,034.60 (-$261.40)
BEST BETS: 34 - 65 / $146.10 (+$16.10)
SPOT PLAYS: 6 - 65 / $63.80 (-$66.20)
BEST BET-TONY'S MOM (1st)
SPOT PLAY-BLOCKBUSTER TRADE (10th)
Race 1 - F&M NW5981L5 / 12500CLM Pace
(5) TONY'S MOM makes her second start back after a layoff tonight and at a lower level than she was at down at Harrah's Philadelphia last Friday. She also has the powerful tandem of leading driver Jason Bartlett and top trainer Per Engblom behind her. (7) TALENT TO SPARE A moves out on the gate but led a long way before she wound up second in this class a couple of weeks ago. (2) LAURIE LEE doesn't have super-obvious form but does get post relief and a driver switch to Tyler Buter.
Race 2 - F&M Invitational Pace
(5) ROCKET DEO tired last time out at Pocono after having to work hard to get the lead. Her two races before that were sharp wins, though, and she has Bartlett to drive here. (6) SILK CLOUD A was a handy winner in the Invitational last week and has a versatile racing style which helps when she's drawn outside. (2) HUNTRESS wasn't Bartlett's choice but comes in from Pennsylvania in great form and starts from an inside post.
Race 3 - F&M NW30000L5 / NW12 PM Races LT / 75000CLM / NW20000L5 Drawn Inside Pace
(4) DRAGONS LUCKY LADY drops down a notch off a solid second-place finish to Silk Cloud A in the Invitational last Friday and partners with Bartlett. (2) COACHELLABOUND N also slides out of the Invitational and her speed off the gate means she'll likely be on or near the pace again. (7) CHERYLS SHADOW will have to overcome the outside post but did win over NW30000L5 foes the last time she was at Yonkers on July 25.
Race 4 - F&M NW20000L5 / Winners in Last Start of the Base Class NW15000L5 / NW10 PM Races LT / 60000CLM Pace
(1) RACEY RACH N never got involved from the eight-hole last Friday but had two wins and a second prior to that and landed the pole position this time. (6) YS SENSATIONALCITY has hit the board in five of her last six outings and has shown she can race well both on the lead or from behind. (2) ELEKTRA A steps up a notch on the ladder but does so off a victory and lured Bartlett off the Engblom-trained YS SENSATIONALCITY.
Race 5 - F&M NW12701L5 / Winners in Last Start of the Base Class NW7500L5 / NW6 PM Races LT / 20000CLM Pace
(5) DANDY'S MERCY has been burning some money with her one-for-13 win record this year but comes off a good effort at this level and I think she can break through. (6) IDEAL COVER squeezed into this race by $1 as she has $12,700 earned in her last five starts. She shows three recent finishes on-the-board against tougher foes. (3) TRUE BLUE HANOVER doesn't have a victory yet in 2025 but hasn't been out of the top three in a trio of tries since the qualifier on 7-18.
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Race 6 - NW7766L5 / Winners in Last Start of the Base Class NW5000L5 / 15000CLM Trot
(3) MON AMOUR comes in from Monticello in good form and catches the right kind of field to keep that going here. He also has an inside post and gets Colin Kelly back in the bike. (1) BRODEUR couldn't get the job done as the favorite last Friday but slides inside to the pole position and switches drivers to Jordan Stratton. (5) CHIPPER DALE was third against tougher NW10000L5's when last at Yonkers on 7-25 and gets reunited with Bartlett.
Race 7 - NW10701L5 / Winners in Last Start of the Base Class NW7500L5 / NW6 PM Races LT / 20000CLM Trot
(4) ONCE IN A LIFETIME lacks a victory so far in his 5-year-old campaign but was in the Invitational the last time he was at Yonkers back in June, and if he's going to break through, it should come tonight. (3) AIRMANS JACKPOT was re-claimed by trainer Pat Lachance last week, and not only is she in good form, this should also be a softer spot than she's been in lately. (7) SISTER MARY MAUDE ran into a runaway winner last Friday but did finish second and takes a second crack at this class tonight.
Race 8 - F&M NW15000L5 / Winners in Last Start of the Base Class NW10000L5 / NW8 PM Races LT / 30000CLM Pace
(4) DOUGS BABE A will likely have to avoid a miscue behind the gate like she's made the last two times she's competed, but she did bounce back to win in a big mile on 8-8 at Harrah's Philadelphia and qualified well, too. She's had plenty of success at Yonkers before also. (2) PRESSURE COOKER moves in from the eight-hole to post two and led for much of the mile before she wound up second in a NW15000L5 event on 8-1. (1) IDEALINFUN drops and moves inside on the gate here. She also gets a new driver with Colin Kelly taking over.
Race 9 - NW15000L5 / Winners in Last Start of the Base Class NW10000L5 / NW8 PM Races LT / 30000CLM Trot
(3) TORRONE scored in this class at Yonkers two back and I can overlook his poor result last time at Pocono as it came from a bad post. (6) AQUARIUS FACE S steps up again but has won two in-a-row for Bartlett and Engblom and is probably capable of keeping that streak going. (4) CAL MILES N SHELL has been sharp in amateur races as of late and gets Stratton back in the bike tonight.
Race 10 - NW5000L5 / 12500CLM Pace
(4) BLOCKBUSTER TRADE gets some post relief here in his third outing for Pat Lachance, and I think has some hidden form given his sharp quarter two back and that he passed several foes in the final quarter on 8-13. (2) JETT STAR N drops and moves inside this time and has had success at Yonkers already this year. (1) GAMBLINGTERROR turned in a poor effort most recently but was third in a NW7500L5 tilt prior to that and starts from the pole.