Friday Empire Report

The Empire Report – Friday, August 1, 2025 – Race Analysis

RACE 1 – (1) FOR A DREAMER has been plagued by a bunch of bad posts recently but he gets both a class drop

AND the pole tonight, and this could be a spot to look for a wake up call – one of a few with a legitimate chance in

tonight’s opener. (5) SWAN SO FINE shows some incredibly mixed form at Hoosier but she was a solid earner at 2

and 3, so the ability is definitely there – she lands in our top barn for her local debut, and it would be no surprise to

see her come up with a good one right off the bat. (2) R NO MERCY hasn’t had the greatest success (so far) at YR

(9-0-0-4) but his last couple weren’t bad, he figures to get a decent trip and is worth a look, at a good price. (6) NOT

TINGHAM hasn’t been “bad”, but he’s also not on his best game – it would be no surprise to see him beat this crew,

but he does figure to be overbet (from a tough post). (3) ENERGYSOURCE is 0 for 16 this year and 1 for 23 overall

at Yonkers – minor share only. (4) P L OSCAR just hasn’t been good for some time – needs a major form reversal.

(7) INTL BLOCKADE doesn’t seem sharp enough to be a serious player from out here

RACE 2 – (4) TWO PISTOL ANNIE struggled most of the year but is finally starting to turn things around – she

gave the 1/10 winner all she could handle last week, and seems more than sharp enough to handle these tonight. (7)

VIOLETS RAINBOW was an “ok” 5 th vs. better in her return from Stga. – tough draw, but maybe she can add some

value to the exotics. (1) KAT has managed just a trio of 3rds from her 12 local starts this year but should be able to

at least put herself in the hunt with the pole and Brennan – logical player for a piece. (5) LAURIE LEE has struggled

in her Yonkers starts this year (0 for 10) and was no good at all last week – she figures to turn it around at SOME

point...hard to say if that might be tonight, though. (3) BIG BETTOR HANOVER moves from 20s to this bottom

condition class and is one of several with a chance to grab a piece IF things go her way. (6) UNCONTROL LED

hasn’t hit board in any of her 10 local starts this year but her current efforts really haven’t been bad – ok bomb for

the bottom of tris and supers. (2) ANNELIESE HANOVER throws a good one here and there – prefer others

RACE 3 – Tough race: (3) SEVNSHADESOFGREY can be a quirky horse to drive so it was no surprise to see him

offstride for a new pilot last week – he’s back to Siegelman tonight, and that should help his chances for a clean start

– as much of a chance as any in this tough to decipher contest. (6) NO DRAMA PLEASE remains winless on the

year after a (very) tough nose loss in his last – he’s hit board in half of his losses, and maybe tonight he can get over

the hump? (2) FULL SCALE is another that’s raced well in many of his starts this year while coming up light in the

win column (1 for 21) – he’s also racing off a sick scratch, so make sure to get a decent price if he’s your choice. (5)

THE PRINCE has been a major disappointment since the claim (earlier this year) but at least he’s at a level now

where he COULD threaten, if he can improve just a bit. (4) DWS POINT MAN certainly should have been asked to

re-qualify after losing his last by 22 lengths, with a posted time of 1:59.4...but since it seems that protecting the

public has fallen out of fashion these days (at most tracks), we can only GUESS as to how he’ll perform tonight,

with an easier trip. (7) MYCROWNMYKINGDOM used all of his pocket trip to just nip #6 last time – there’s a

CHANCE he could repeat, but it will be much tougher starting from Post 7. (8) B NICKING rebounded with a much

better effort last week and would have been listed higher tonight had he not landed the 8 hole. (1) WANIA was

scratched sick last week, looking to make his first local try since 2023– not really sure what to expect from him here.

RACE 4 – (1) OPTICAL ILLUSION N is sharper than he looks on paper right now, finishing his last few starts with

alert pace, from impossible spots – look for him to call the shots tonight with the move all the way inside. (3) ALBE

RT ALPHA caught the attention of the nation’s leading barn when he raced well in Canada at 82-1, after having a

less than stellar career up to that point – look for him to improve rapidly for his new connections, though it’s hard to

say if he’ll be ready to win right off the bat. (2) DEALERS TURN is now 0 for 15 this year, though this is the kind

of field where he can at least be a player – ok for exotics. (4) ROLLING WITH SAM has been extremely camera

shy at Yonkers the past couple of years, but he’s another with license to at least grab a decent piece tonight. (5) MO

VIN ON UP turned in a better effort last week– if he can build on that, he may be able to add some value underneath

(5) MASONS DELIGHT N makes his first start in 4 months after pulling up on 3/27 – prefer to just observe, for

now. (7) BLOCKBUSTER TRADE arrives from Canada to a barn that usually does well with these types – may

need to wait for a better draw, though. (8) GINGRAS BEACH has been struggling – Post 8 isn’t going to help!

RACE 5 – (2) ABSOLUTE POWER ships in sharp, and the barn had a sharp winner here on Monday night, with

Brennan on board (MACS DELIGHT) – maybe this tandem can hook up for another victory. (5) PRESSURE COO

KER banked nearly $200K at 2 and 3 and is holding her own so far as she transitions into her 4YO campaign – she

was in tough at PcD last start, but was a winner 2 back – should be a decent fit with the locals. (1) LUCKY ARTIST

A started to become a bit inconsistent/unpredictable as an 11YO and she’s been even more that way at 12...if she

brings her best from this spot she can have a real say...but it’s hard to predict her efforts from week to week! (7)

EASY TO PLEASE fits beautifully with this bunch and may have been the top choice with an inside draw – may

have to settle for a bit smaller piece from out here, though. (3) TRUE BLUE HANOVER is still winless in 2025 but

does return from NJ off a solid try – leaning to others on top, but willing to include in exotics. (8) FIGHTING EVIL

has been doing good work at The Meadows and won’t be hurt by tonight’s barn change – the outside draw MAY

leave her waiting for a better spot to strut her best stuff, however. (4) GOLDEN QUEST N has had some good starts

this year but has also disappointed on many occasions – she just re-qualified after being scratched lame here on 7/8,

and it would be hard to endorse her as the ML favorite! (6) KATIES UP draws poorly, and struggled in her last pair.

RACE 6 – (3) RACIN HUNGRY started to turn things around 3 back at Chester, won her next then won her last

week as well – she steps up a notch, but this feels like a field she should be able to handle as well. (1) COWGIRL LI

LLY came out of an awful patch on 6/27 and has been able to hold her solid form since then – she’s looking at a

good trip here, and may be able to last for a decent chunk. (2) IM A BELIEVER was making a big jump from

NW2-4 PM to NW15000 last week but really wasn’t bad – she lands inside, and may be able to tow along for a

small piece. (7) HUNTING HULA almost beat a better field 2 back, but was a little disappointing last week (even

though a close 4 th at the end) – it feels like her new barn is still working out some of the bugs, and tonight’s draw

may limit her to a smaller piece. (5) ALTA MADEIRA N has been camera shy at Yonkers the past few years but

she’s been racing well at Stga. recently, and may be able to grab a minor share with a decent trip. (8) MALUKA

MISS N drops out of the 50s but that’s likely to be offset by the horrible draw – keep an eye on her for next week,

when she’ll be looking at even more class relief. (4) PURAMERI has been racing well at PcD but vs. much cheaper

– not sure she can go with these right now. (6) PIRATE BOOTY wasn’t bad last week, but gets a tough draw for

tonight

RACE 7 – (3) WARRAWEE WHISPER was doing good work at “The Aces” even before the recent barn change,

and will now campaign for a barn that has routinely improved fresh stock dramatically – that qualifier last week only

inspires even more confidence. (1) BULLY BOY HILL was stuck in no-chance spots the last 2 weeks but moves all

the way inside for tonight, and could stick around for a nice piece of this. (4) RADIO LAB broke in his local debut

(6/27) but has behaved since then, racing well at some big prices – he loses Brennan to the top choice, but can still

do some damage here with Marohn on board. (5) EXCALIBUR BI displayed plenty of ability as a youngster, but

missed his entire 4YO season – he’s been racing well since returning at 5, and should fit well for his local debut – ok

to consider underneath. (2) WARRIOR ONE was a winner in his last pair, but he defeated MUCH easier, and

crawled on the lead both times – he’s way too classy to ever just dismiss, but he’ll definitely need to bring a much

bigger effort to have the same impact vs. THIS group. (6) ANDOVER CONTESSA finished with trot in her last pair

after being handled very conservatively – look for similar tactics tonight, with a chance for some minor spoils. (7)

STREET GOSSIP is a good fit but is looking at a tough trip starting from out here – he’ll need a lot to go his way to

be part of the equation tonight. (8) DARK MIND is on the cheaper side AND is stuck behind the 8 ball

RACE 8 – (1) FULL OF MUSCLES was a good earner in Europe – he raced very well in his first 3 U.S. starts (vs.

cheaper) out of town, then was an excellent 2 nd here last week, in NW7500 – he steps up 2 more classes tonight, but

just may be talented enough to beat these. (5) GOLDEN RAIN S was outstanding in that win 2 back, making last

week’s narrow loss a bit disappointing – her price will drift up a bit now, and she may be worth sticking with. (7)

CACTUSTOTHECLOUDS never goes a bad mile, can handle any trip, and figures to be a big price from out here –

he’s not a bad one for longshot fans to consider. (2) TORRONE rattled off 4 straight recently, but racing a bit over

his head in his last few starts MAY have dulled his form (looking at that last effort in NJ) – he may perk right back

up with tonight’s class drop, but you’ll want a “fair” price to use him on top off that mile. (4) UNEVERGONNAGE

THIS has been “ok” since changing hands 5 starts back, but not really impressive enough to be listed at 5/2 here –

seems like there could be better value with a few others. (3) BLACK TIE BASH is another dropping here to a more

comfortable level – he really wouldn’t be a shock, and the price will surely be juicy. (6) HANKINS HANOVER was

much sharper in his last pair, picking up a win and a 3 rd – tonight’s class hike and bad draw could slow him down,

though. (8) OLIVER THE GREAT is 5-0-0-1 here at Yonkers and lands Post 8 in a strong field

RACE 9 – (4) FACTORY GIRL just missed to CHERYLS SHADOW in her last and has been sharp in all of her

recent local tries – she gets some class relief here, another good draw, and that stamps her as a very dangerous

player. (1) VARSITY BLUE CHIP continues to race well week after week, and now has 2 wins and 4 seconds from

her last 7 starts – she steps up another peg, but the rail draw could really help to offset that...look for her to be right

in the hunt once more. (6) ELEKTRA A had plenty of pace finishing from an impossible spot last week – she’s also

dropping tonight, and the only real knock is the draw– if you think she can find a decent trip, the price will be pretty

decent. (2) PASS AND STOW held off #1 last week to win at 1/5, but she had to work for it (and did look a little

shaky at times) – be careful about taking a short price as she faces a much tougher overall field tonight. (5) IDEAL

COVER has been solid start after start lately – she probably isn’t a threat to win, but she’s more than capable of

grabbing a good piece if things go her way. (3) CHIAPANECAS was off a bad date to her last and raced accordingly

– she could be better here, but we’re still leaning towards others. (7) CRUISE ALERT has been very good for

weeks, but she faces much tougher and draws Post 7. (8) KISS MY CHEEK is having a strong year so far, but

figures to struggle starting from out here

RACE 10 – (2) MISSISSIPPI STORM became a millionaire here last year and has continued to be an earning

machine for his connections since then...returns from NJ at a level well within his comfort zone, and we’ll give him

top billing to close out tonight’s card. (3) BE DIFFERENT has been solid for weeks, gets a good draw, and can land

somewhere on the ticket with any half-decent trip. (8) CREDIT CON was off a month to his last start but was fairly

well backed, and able to deliver the first over score – he’s a legitimate Open player when sharp, so he could be worth

a look if the price is juicy. (1) HAT TRICK MARLEAU may not be up for beating these, but he’s more than sharp

enough to land somewhere in the exotics starting from the rail. (4) WILLY WALTON could have sat the pocket

behind the stickout winner last week but insisted on cutting the mile instead...and really paid for that bad choice –

he could bounce back with a better effort with a more patient steer tonight...and that would give him a chance at a

small share. (5) GREEN PASTURES took a couple of months off after the John Brennan Trotting Series and just

hasn’t been able to sharpen since returning – waiting for better signs as he returns from PA. (6) DRAW THE LINE

gets a bad draw and isn’t all that sharp right now – may look better with some additional class relief in her next start.

(7) IM AN ANDOVER seems unlikely to be able to threaten these from out here.