Wednesday, July 22, 2026, Empire Report

The Empire Report – Wednesday, July 22, 2026 – Race Analysis

RACE 1 - (2) BIG CITY DAISY came up a neck shy last week to FIGHT NOT FLIGHT and that mare came back to win her next start by 5 lengths – she’s a very tough player at this $20K level, and gets top billing for tonight. (5) TH RIZZO exits our leading barn but moves to a trainer that has shown the ability to improve horses from wherever they come– she’s been inconsistent at best this year, but her best effort puts her right into the mix. (4) HURRIKANE MARIGOLD doesn’t have the most appealing Delaware lines but she gets a big barn change and is eligible to at least hold her own with the locals. (3) IRIS SEELSTER’s lone win this year came a few starts back in a race that fell apart – if she stays reasonably close from the start, she can contend for a piece of this. (1) PURAMERI drew Post 8 when the card was canceled last week so obviously her chances for a piece have gone up with the rail draw – just 1 for 44 at YR though (last 3 years)! (8) PINE BUSH MAGA is winless on the year but does grab pieces and isn’t afraid to leave from outside posts – 3rd/4th? (7) QUICK MENU lands outside and figures to have a tough time getting close to contention. (6) PULL ME THROUGH was way back from a similar spot last week.

RACE 2 - (7) NAPALM seemed much the best heading into last week’s race but she failed to improve at all at the start, found herself well back by turn three and her late rally was only enough to take home the place honors – gets a new pilot tonight and will be hard to knock off if Lachance gets her away to a better start…or at least gets her into the hunt a lot sooner. (4) PRECIOUS GEMMA has won both career starts, though likely facing easier up at Monti – she may be a very good fit here too, but we’ll have a clearer picture after tonight. (1) RICH EILEEN is 0 for 18 to start off her career but she’s hit board 11X (including her last 3 starts) and is very eligible to do so here, as well. (2) DORAL DELIGHT probably should have been able to finish 3rd last week, and will need to be a bit better tonight if she hopes to contend for a board spot. (8) GOLDEEN N was imported to the U.S. after just one start in NZ (which she won!) – she did break in her first PcD qualifier, then was handled very carefully in her next try (winning her qualifier here at Yonkers) – there’s surely some ability here, but she MAY be handled conservatively making her U.S. debut from Post 8. (3) ODDS ON COMMANDEER was sitting a two hole trip last week when she just completely unraveled into the final bend – she seems to have a little ability, but also some issues…mixed feelings about her chances here. (6) SHADOW DELIGHT was a dull 4th in her local debut then parked after trying to leave in her next – leaning elsewhere. (4) JUST MY WORLD has no wins and just one 2nd from her 20 career starts – prefer to just observe as she makes her local debut.

RACE 3 - (4) ZUZU ZOOM has a win, 2nd, and 3rd since arriving at Yonkers but does lose Stratton tonight – we’ll list her on top, but probably would hesitate to accept too short a price. (1) AJAX BLUE CHIP has been a risky proposition (due to miscues) but does has some ability when able to stay trotting – would want a good price to consider on top. (5) KILL THE NOISE AS may have been hurt chasing the quick clip at Pocono last start but has otherwise done good work overall in his 7 career starts – should be a good fit with the local, and couldn’t blame anybody looking to use him in his Yonkers debut. (8) RAUCOUS showed some better life in his 3rd local try, and may be ready to improve a bit more tonight – he had a much better draw for last week’s canceled card, but may still be able to grab a share tonight, despite Post 8. (3) BELLES VICTORY did well at the PA Fairs as a 2YO but hasn’t fared as well at 3 – leaning elsewhere. (7) FOREIGN XCHANGE may be improving a bit lately, but seems unlikely to get close from out here. (2) PINE BUSH MUD BUG draws well for his local debut but will need to improve off his first 5 career starts to have any chance in here.

RACE 4 – (6) RECKLESS ABANDON earned nearly $300K at 2 and 3 – she’s racing for a new barn at 4 and while she’s only made 2 starts this year, one was last week’s (1/5) victory at Chester, and the other was a 2nd place finish between a pair of Open-type mares (FRONT PAGE STORY, and CHAMPAGNE ROOM) – deserves top billing for her Hilltop debut. (4) THREECURTAINCALLS drew Post 8 for her local debut last week, took way off the car and was never close to contention – on the flip side, she has several recent PcD efforts that would make her a big player here, and the guess is that we’ll see one of them tonight with the move inside. (5) YOULLFINDOUT won her first 2 YR starts before being forced to move up way up to take on tough older mares – she dropped back down for her last and absolutely charged home for 3rd, almost grabbing 2nd…worth a look at a nice price tonight, at least for a piece. (3) TALL DARK TEQUILA was used a bit to make the top last week but should have been stronger at the end after stealing a :58.2 middle half – she can be a player here, but will need to be a little sharper. (3) JORDANNA HANOVER was overbet (again) last week and came up weak in the latter stages after being used a bit early on – leaning towards others for the bigger prizes. (4) BRONX MIXER has some nice efforts this year but also a lot of miles that were just “meh” (like last week) – minor share only. (7) SAMMY JO HANOVER was a short priced winner 2 back but it wasn’t a “pretty” victory – she was no factor at all in her last, and now gets stuck all the way outside – sticking with others.

RACE 5 – (8) ALABAMAJAMMA just missed to repeat winner SAILBOAT HANOVER in 15s two back, then stepped up to 20s and won as the 3/5 favorite – chance to take another even from Post 8, though not sure why Kelly (who was originally listed on this guy), somehow ended up on #6 (whom he wasn’t listed on)! (4) WELL THATS MARKY is a different horse when he’s on/near the lead – he can be a player tonight IF Vinny hustles him away to a quick start. (6) MAD RIVER (who ends with Kelly driving) hasn’t been a threat lately, but he’s been facing tougher fields – drops in for a tag and could have a much bigger say tonight…but would still need to be a good price to be worth a play. (1) HOT CAM definitely liked to win races out of town – hard to say just how well he fits with the local 20s, but a good price would make him worth a stab. (5) HANK THE HUNK was able to win 2 back when the race went his way, and would have a chance with a similar scenario tonight. (2) ONYX BOVINO moves back inside but his 11-0-1-0 local slate is hard to ignore. (7) THEMASKEDCRUSADRN is 0 for 20 this year and his best efforts have come when in much easier/better spots. (3) TIP OF TIME is 7-0-0-0 in his Yonkers attempts.

RACE 6 – Good race: (7) JUST TEASING flashed some ability at 2, picking up a 1:55.4 mark – she’s come back good at 3 as well, holding her own in minor PA stakes action – she seems to have the speed to overcome the bad draw, and may be worth a look in her Hilltop debut. (2) ZAHEERA had some issue here on 6/6 but seemed to shrug it right off (with a pair of ok KYSS tries) – she just missed in her only other local try, and looms a legitimate threat against these too. (3) RICO TUBBS is another fresh face on the local scene, also showing some ability at 2 and putting up some good recent efforts in PA and Ohio – may be able to have an impact right off the bat for his new connections. (5) GOYA made an unexpected miscue in her last but raced well in 3 local tries prior to that – hails from an excellent barn, and is a good one to include in exotics. (6) BEERNSUNSHINE DEO remains winless on the year but does grab more than her share of good pieces – good bomb for 3rd/4th. (1) TREGARON (co-owned by Kelly) may start to improve in his new barn, but we’ll just take a “wait and see” approach for tonight (as he makes his first local try). (4) SHADY MAPLE BECKY hasn’t been a factor in any of her 3 local starts. (8) PRESS raced well at Goshen last start but broke in his 2 previous local tries, and draws Post 8 tonight.

RACE 7 – (4) CURLY JAMES A came back to life 2 back when he thrashed the 15s, then did the same to the 20s last week (as the 1/10 favorite) – anything remotely close to those miles would easily handle these too…but note that he goes for a new barn tonight, before betting the rent money! (5) ITALIAN LAD N went a huge mile when 2nd two back but surprisingly took no $$ last week, and raced accordingly – he can be a player here on his best effort, and perhaps the tote board will offer some guidance. (3) FOXHUNT has 5 wins here this year and a legitimate threat whenever he’s on his game – belongs in exotics, and a chance to win if #4 falters. (1) WALKINSHAW N missed 6 weeks after a sick scratch on 6/4 – the 14YO did qualify back solidly, and the drop to 20s could be to his liking (if not a red flag)! (2) AUSSIE HANOVER is 0 for 43 at Yonkers over the past 2 years so he’s not a candidate for the top slot – he does race well enough to contend for smaller pieces at times, and may be a good one for 3rd/4th. (6) MA XIMUS RED A gets his first bad draw in ages and that could definitely limit his output this week. (7) MINOTAUR has enjoyed some success at this level but tonight’s draw will be tough to overcome. (8) GREAT SOMEWHERE has been picking up a bunch of minor shares lately, but all from much better posts!

RACE 8 - (2) IKNOWBETTER disappointed last week when he tired after establishing a two hole trip – he drops in class here, and can be a major danger if he brings his best effort. (5) OURMATEMENKO N is probably better suited at the $40K level but he’s been racing well for some time, and may be able to have a say tonight if the trip goes his way – good value horse (15-1 ML). (3) BETTOR BY SEASIDE has been on a tear, beating the 40s three straight times – he was never involved when he tried the 50s, but that was from Post 8…may be a MUCH bigger threat this time, debuting for his new barn. (4) BONDI SHAKE A never wins, but has a good history of outracing very long odds on many occasions – he steps up in class, but maybe an easy trip could help him land a piece here too? (6) BET ON BIG JOE last line looks good on paper, but he really should have been able to win off the trip he landed on – he’s very tough in this class when on his best game, but may be looking at a tough trip starting from Post 6. (8) INVISIBLE N will be pacing hard at the end, but probably from too far back for more than a minor share tonight. (1) BRUTALLYHANDSOME A drops back down to 50s and draws the pole – he’d normally be very dangerous in a spot like this but he can be a tricky horse to drive, and we’ll see how he adjusts to tonight’s new pilot. (7) SHIPMAS TER perked back up with better efforts in his last couple but tonight’s draw may slow him back down

RACE 9 – (3) MATTHEWS quickly won 2 Pocono starts after a recent barn change, then was an excellent 2nd in his local debut (behind the talented HIGHLANDSTARBURST) – gets another good draw, and we’ll give him top billing. (5) DWOOD finished well in his first 2 local starts before crushing his rivals with a big brush last week – would be no surprise at all. (7) CAMERA MAN was a $168K earner as a 3YO and is doing some good work so far at 4 – he had a good draw when the card was canceled last week, but now has to find a way to overcome Post 7 (after being idle for a month) – still may be able to grab a decent chunk. (1) HALFADOZEN can go some good miles when in the right mood, but her last was a total dud – needs to bring the “good” version to be a serious player tonight. (4) WISH LIST has turned in a bunch of good recent efforts, and has become a reliable player in this class – would definitely include underneath. (2) MONI MAN hasn’t been “bad”, but has been lacking the necessary late pop to do more damage – maybe a minor share? (8) BIZZY BRENDA is usually trotting well late but likely will have too far to come tonight. (6) MARIN COUNTY has been limited to minor spoils in this class – tough spot tonight.

RACE 10 - (8) CALL ME ANGELITA dropped out of stakes action last week, added Lasix and dominated as the 3/5 choice – the task will be much tougher from out here, but the price will also be a lot better…may be worth sticking with! (2) GABBYS WISH put in a very nice bid before weakening late two back then rallied crisply from an impossible spot in her last – she’s good enough to land a piece at a good price here, as long as she can work out a decent trip. (5) CRYSTAL COAST has been very consistent, hitting board in her last 4 local tries (and is now 13-1-4-5 at YR) – hard to leave her out of your exotics! (3) WAVE DANCER basically stole one last week, hitting the top in a soft field and capitalizing on the favorite racing from well out of it – she can be right in the mix here too, but she’s not going to be just stealing it, like last time. (6) IMAGINE HEAVEN just never fired last time in her local debut – she seems capable of better, and isn’t a bad bomb to throw in underneath. (4) HEARTOFTHESUNRISE was an easy winner in her last start but that was on the lead, from the pole, in a very soft field – may struggle a bit vs, this tougher bunch. (1) PAPIS OPINION was off a long layoff last week, got too hot early then chased a quick mile -license to at least be a bit better tonight. (3) SEND IT DOWN SLIM is now 0 for 12 this year yet takes plenty of money almost every start – just no value with her right now