Thursday Empire Report

The Empire Report – Thursday, July 17, 2025 – Race Analysis

RACE 1 – (2) SADDLE UP has won 6 of his last 8 starts, and was stuck sitting 7 th in the other 2 – he thrives in any

barn, so we’ll expect him to keep the ball rolling for another new trainer tonight...looms a very short priced favorite

in tonight’s opener. (4) BURNHAM BOY N moves up a notch for his new connections after beating the 25s three

straight weeks...this is a modest (overall) bunch, and he can have a big say here too. (6) ROCKIN N TALKIN used

a ground saving trip to rally very nicely for 2 nd three back, then used the same tactics to finish with good life for 4 th

last week – legitimate chance to land somewhere on the ticket tonight, with a bit of trip luck. (3) ALWAYS

ROCKIN used an easy 3 hole trip to take home the show spot in his last – will need another easy journey if he hopes

to grab another small slice tonight. (5) SOUTHWIND PETYR was just 1 for 25 here last year, and seems to have

slipped even more in 2025 – he does move to a new barn for tonight, so we’ll see if a change of scenery can perk

him up a bit. (1) MY ULTIMATE STAR A draws the rail but he’s 14-0-0-0 at Yonkers this year

RACE 2 – (2) CAMOUFLAGE MONEY had a trio of disappointing starts but rebounded with a big one his last,

just missing to the oft-winning SADDLE UP – he doesn’t need the lead to be effective, and that could help him in a

race that’s a little bit unpredictable. (7) LMC PEANUTS WATCHN held on for 2  nd behind HAZARDOS in his local

debut, and that one is now 4 for 4 at Yonkers – he dropped in for a tag last week, blasted to the top, and only gave

way to the winner late – worth a look tonight at that 12-1 ML price, even from out here. (1) HAMMERING HANK

is 0 for 16 at Yonkers this year but raced very well in a bunch of his starts – he returns in his sharpest form all year

from PA, has to be given plenty of respect from this spot...though that 3/2 ML price does take away some of his

appeal! (6) TO THE HUNT took off the gate last week, ended up following poor cover and was no factor at all – IF

Kelly can hustle him away to a better start, he can find himself a spot somewhere in the exotics. (5) BIG DREAM

FELLA has been stuck on minor pieces for a long time but did look sharper last start – tonight’s draw may leave him

in a bad spot, though. (3) LISBON SEELSTER arrives from Delaware where he’s been claimed the last 7 weeks,

while racing well in all of them – he lands in top hands, but just may be a bit on the cheaper side – we shall see. (4)

CHICKEN N DICE is listed here on the bottom but returns of a win in PA and could grab a piece, with a good trip

RACE 3 – Good race! (6) OVER AND BACK may be overlooked here (because of the draw) but he’s been sharp

virtually all year, and brings a 14-6-3-3 Yonkers record into tonight – he’ll need some trip luck to overcome Post 6,

but a good price makes him worth considering. (4) AUSTRAL HANOVER has been hitting on all cylinders for

several starts, and can be forgiven for coming up a little short the last 2 weeks (after tough trips) – the right journey

could make him very dangerous tonight. (2) BELLISSIMO FACE S just missed to a then-streaking TORRONE 3

back, won his next, then just missed to razor sharp MAX last week – the guess is that his form will hold up for his

new barn tonight, and he’ll have his usual big say in the outcome. (3) DJIMON made back-to-back miscues here in

early June, but picked up 3 straight wins at Chester right after that – IF he behaves tonight (with Holland subbing for

Brennan), he’ll be a dangerous player...but hard to know what we’ll get from him. (1) MA ISABELLE was 2

nd and 3 rd in her last pair, but definitely not as sharp as in some of her other recent tries – needs to find that top form if she

hopes to beat the boys tonight. (5) CECIL HANOVER has a good local history but he struggled on a couple of turns

last week (his first Yonkers start this year), and will need to be smoother if he hopes to be a bigger threat here

RACE 4 – (1) ALWAYSCUTTINSCHOOL moved inside last week, got a good trip and finally picked up his first

local victory – he catches a short, modest field here, and may be able to extend his streak to two. (5) FREQUENT

IMAGE is definitely well off his best game, but he’s also moving to a barn that has been on fire for the last few

weeks – it’s anybody’s guess as to which “angle” will win out! (2) SIP OF BOURBON looked like he just didn’t

want to be out there from before the half last week, and he actually looked that way in a couple of his “better” recent

efforts – his best effort makes him very dangerous here, but he just feels pretty “iffy” these days! (3) BETTOR MA

KE A WISH has been stuck on minor pieces in his last few and still hasn’t hit board in 7 local tries– small slice only.

(4) DRAGON YOU ALONG sat last in his local debut and never had a chance – the jury is still out on this guy, and

he’s not a bad stab for longshot fans. (6) HELLO GORGEOUS is struggling, to say the least

RACE 5 – NY Excelsior, 3YO C&G Trot – wide open! (6) GANGTSA TALK won a NYSS race here last year and

qualified for the Final, earning over $100K from his 5 starts – he got off to a tough start this year, recently changed

hands, and has really bounced back since adding hopples for his new conditioner...could be here if he continues to

behave. (1A) BANKSY MONKEY appears to have plenty of ability, but will need to find a way to overcome Post

8...he certainly has a hot pilot, as Brennan won 5 on Wednesday night! (4) DOCTOR STRANGE has good speed,

usually stays trotting, and has hit board in 10 of 11 starts this year – logical player. (3) BIG CITY ELWOOD has

ability, but feels like he may have tailed a bit in his last few – he’ll be a good price if you think he can bounce back.

(5) LOW INSIDE has hit board in 17 of 18 career starts for a barn that continues to send out solid NY breds year

after year– you know Daley will give him every chance, if good enough (2) DEVIOUS PAUL has mixed form, but

he starts from the pole and will likely be a pretty big price. (7) GLOBAL TWIST has talent, and has behaved in his

qualifier and race since adding hopples– tough task from Post 7. (1) LOGO doesn’t seem as talented as his barnmate

RACE 6 – (3) BETTORBUCKLEUP has generally been right in the picture when not too far back early on and this

may be a spot where we see Holland get a bit more aggressive– one of several with a chance in this pretty wide open

affair. (4) IM TALKIN HUNGRY shipped in sharp from PA and has continued to race well in his 3 local tries – his

last wasn’t his sharpest (still finished 2 nd), but his best effort would make him dangerous against these (5) SMOOTH

LOU was no threat in his last pair vs. the 30s, but he should be a solid player dropping into this modest group of 25s

– possible here with the right trip. (1) OSTRO HANOVER probably fits well with this bunch but it’s hard to

overlook his overall record here the last 2 years (29-1-0-3) – willing to consider, but only if the price is decent. (2)

CAPTAIN T HANOVER has had a very disappointing year (after an incredible 2024), but did look a bit better in his

last – another that could be considered IF the price is generous enough. (7) LAZ already has 6 wins this year but his

recent form has definitely tailed – hard to back from out here. (6) KID FROM THE BRONX had some nice efforts

here last year but his current out of town form suggests he may be a notch below the main players

RACE 7 – (2) BLACKHAWK ZETTE just wasn’t at his best when 2 nd (at 3/5) two back but he was a lot sharper last

week, and was a dead game first over winner – he’s technically moving up in class here, but may have been facing

tougher in his last...chance to repeat. (7) CACTUSTOTHECLOUDS took off the gate last week and while never in

the hunt, did finish with good energy – gets another awful draw tonight, but he’ll be a big price and is worth using in

exotics. (5) HAT TRICK MARLEAU is one of many in this barn that’s thriving right now – he’s hit board in 5 of his

last 6 starts (at good prices), and may continue that trend tonight. (4) RAMBORAIN is one of the few horses that the

barn keeps after their 3YO seasons, and his races so far at 4 make it clear why they kept him on board – he won his

only start here in 2024 (Excelsior), and may fit well enough to grab a nice chunk with these too. (1) DRAW THE

LINE was sharper when in a bit easier but this is a spot where she can still take home a piece with any decent trip.

(3) JUST LIKE MAGIC hasn’t really clicked on the local scene, though a couple of his lines look ok – leaning to

others. (6) WINDSONG PIONEER will probably need some class relief before we see his best again

RACE 8 – (3) FERRETTI was always a nice trotter but he’s definitely gotten even better since the recent barn

change – he was in a no chance spot returning from PA last week but he gets a much better draw for tonight, and

may be able to pull off a mild upset over a couple of the “classier” foes to his outside. (5) TAKE ALL COMERS

was handled aggressively in his first local try of the year (and just 2 nd start of 2025) but came up 2 nd best to the very

sharp SOUTHWIND COORS – he has a terrific local history, and may be ready to get back to the winner’s circle

with that tightener under his belt. (6) INCOMMUNICADO is another uber-classy performer with an outstanding YR

slate, but he also came up short trying to cut the mile last week in HIS 2 nd start of the year – like #5, it would be no

surprise to see him tight enough now to get the job done. (2) HOT FLASH KIMMY exploded off a good trip to

crush easier last week – steps up tonight, goes from Cory to Jordan, and could be looking at a much smaller piece.

(4) TORRONE could use some class relief – minor share only. (7) QUEEN OF ALL has been very good for a long

time, and was a winner in this class last week...this is a MUCH tougher task, though (from Post 7). (1) BLACK TIE

BASH finished up nicely last week in a better-than-expected performance – still feels a notch below these, however.

RACE 9 – (3) BARRY BLACK woke up 3 back and blew out an amateur field, was a solid 3 rd in his next start then

won in this class last week– his barn has been on fire, so maybe this guy can pull off an upset in the finale. (6) MAX

will be the deserving (overwhelming) favorite as he seeks his 6 th in a row while DROPPING off a win vs. the 60s –

now that COULD be a red flag, or perhaps the barn’s other horse (OVER AND BACK) took the spot in this week’s

$60K class...regardless, he can be a “funny” horse to drive, and his new pilot may find that rushing him too quickly

at the start can come at a price. (4) PEDAL ON METAL was a solid 3 rd in this class (behind #3) on 7/3, and now

returns off a win at Tioga – not a bad stab if looking for a longshot. (2) ALL STAR SWAN returned from a long

layoff with a close (hard used) 3 rd on 6/19, but wasn’t as sharp when 3 rd in his next – threat here IF he can bring his

best effort. (1) RADIO LAB went a brutal trip last week but lived to tell about it – he has ability for sure, but we’ll

see if he can race as well in this much tougher field. (5) CANTSTOP YANKEE has been struggling to get back to

top form, and was claimed last week from our leading trainer – he does move to a currently barn, and we’ll see if

they can elevate his game a bit. (7) BARN HALL was super for weeks but feels like he’s starting to tail a bit – the

draw won’t help. (8) FULL SCALE likely needs a much better draw to be a serious player with these types