Monday Empire Report

RACE 1 - Tough opener! (5) BLACK CHEVRON N clearly had some issue on 4/4 but his subsequent

qualifier suggests that he bounced back just fine - drops down to 40s, and that may help him pick up his

first Hilltop win of the season. (6) REGAL SON hit a rough patch for a few start but he looked more like

himself last week, digging in determinedly in the lane to pick up the first over victory, after seeming to stall

to the top of the lane - he likes to win races, and has to be respected here, even with the tough draw. (1)

MAJOR CROCKER A has been ultra consistent here this year (6-0-4-1) but both he AND his trainer are

winless at YR (so far) this year - insist on a fair price if using on top. (2) PERFECTBOY HANOVER

probably fits well with these and his trainer has been on a good roll lately - he did hang on the money a few

times recently (in the MGM Gents Series), and he may be a bit overbet tonight - don't take too short a price

on top. (3) ROCK N TONY is a solid performer, but really seems better suited to facing a bit easier - not

impossible, but a smaller piece seems more likely. (8) MY MIND IS MADEUP draws horribly once again

and his barn seems to have cooled just a bit - reasonable stab for longshot fans. (7) ALOTBETTOR N was

disappointing in his first try for a new barn - not writing him off just yet, but will wait for a better spot. (4)

LOUIE LOUIE really hasn't proven that he can hang with these - sticking with others.

RACE 2 - (1) ELWELL threw a (very) rare dud 2 back, but rebounded with an excellent 2nd last week

(behind a fire-breathing winner who established a new lifetime mark in his first start for a new barn) -

avoids that beast tonight, gets to control the action from the pole, and looms the one to beat. (2) IM SOME

GRADUATE hasn't done a lot of winning the past 2 seasons but the classy 9YO stills throws sharp miles,

and is pretty good right now - in position to be a threat if the top one fails to deliver. (4) GLENGARRY

KNIGHT N gets some post relief, he's a proven player at this level (with a decent trip) and his barn has

been strong in recent weeks - worth a look at that 9-1 ML price. (5) JESSE DUKE N hadn't been all that

sharp for a couple of weeks but did look a bit more alert last time - ok to include underneath tonight. (7)

VELOCITY KOMODO has been rock solid for ages, but he generally lacks the speed to be handled

aggressively from spots like this - he'll be coming late....but possibly too late for more than a smaller share.

(3) THE WILD CARD is still seeking a winning level and based on last week's effort, this may not be it -

pretty good at picking up pieces, though. (6) MONEYMAN HILL continues to take home minor shares,

and may need to get in a bit softer for a chance at one of the top prizes.

RACE 3 - (8) LONG WEEKEND A was handled very conservatively in his first try for the Super Siblings

but was still able to rally from last to 3rd - draws all the way outside again tonight, but it's hard to imagine

Bongiorno not handling him far more aggressively here....worth a play this week. (7) REDBANK BLAZE

A's last win here came on 1/10, vs. NW10000 - Gingras was on board that night, and this is the first time

he's driven him since then...deja vu? (1) PICARD A was able to convert on the pocket trip at the bottom

level last start, but that was 19 days ago - starts with a major post edge over his main rivals, and we'll see if

he can make it pay off. (4) RIFLEMAN has been racing well in his recent PcD starts (vs. similar) - could be

a player here, and is certainly worth including in exotics. (6) PLAY THE FIELD has come back to life after

an extended run of weaker form - not sure he can beat a couple of these, but he's another that can be used in

exotics. (2) REAL LUCKY N has that front end win 4 back but hasn't done much of anything else in most

of his recent starts - sticking with others. (3) HES ELECTRIC is notoriously camera shy, particularly at

Yonkers - maybe can pick up a minor share with an easy trip? (5) MISTER REBBILY A is still trying to

find some form since returning from the layoff.

RACE 4 - Borgata Pacing Series, Leg #5: (2) LEONIDAS A is a perfect 3 for 3 in this series so far and

while he really has nothing on the line here (his spot in next week's Final is assured), he still figures to be

pretty tough to beat with the inside draw - no value betting on him, but can't really make a case for playing

against him! (6) SEMI TOUGH is currently sitting 8th in the standings, and would surely like to pick up

some points tonight to solidify his spot in next week's Final - hard to imagine Gingras not leaving for

position, and he's definitely sharp enough right now to grab a good piece if the trip works out. (7) CHASE

H HANOVER was 2nd to THIS IS THE PLAN in leg #1, & an excellent 2nd again last week (to TATTOO

ARTIST)...unfortunately a couple of tough spots in between have him sitting in 12th place right now - he'll

have a tough time finding a way into the Top 8, but that doesn't mean Kakaley won't send him out of there

tonight - worth using in exotics. (4) WESTERN JOE is in 9th place right and on the outside looking in - he

needs a big effort to squeeze into the Final, but it's hard to predict his trip from this spot - leaning towards

others, but still looking for this classy 8YO to at least deliver a good mile tonight. (3) IM SIR BLAKE A

has raced well in all four legs, rallying well for pieces each time - he's almost always a nice price, and is

worth including underneath in exotics. (5) DEAN B HANOVER was killed by horrific cover last week, and

figures to be getting away in the back tonight - he's good right now, but the trip may do him in once more.

(1) DRAGON SAID was used hard in both starts leading up to this series, then hard again in winning his

first leg - has struggled since then, however, and will need a wake up call tonight to stick around with the

top ones (though that's NOT impossible).

RACE 5 - (5) MICKY GEE N had really been on the upswing before getting derailed by an equipment

issue last week - he figures to be a better price tonight (off that last line, and with Bartlett driving #1) and it

may not be a bad night to be on his team....hoping for just a bit of pace to close into. (4) ESCAPETOTHEB

EACH's last 2 wins came at this level, though he generally holds his own with even better - seems like a

good spot for Dunn to get aggressive with him, and he's definitely a live player in here. (1) MYSWEETBO

YMAX got stuck out first over into a :27 third panel last week and that left him short from the top of the

lane - looking at a much better trip tonight, and he gets a vote of confidence from Bartlett (who helped him

set a lifetime mark 3 back) - very legitimate threat, but also could be overbet. (2) HERRICKROOSEVELT

N had been saving ground and rallying for pieces almost every week, but he sure didn't mind being used a

lot harder last week, delivering a "brush and crush" score- deserves respect off that mile! (6) WATERWAY

had been good for a while, and was rewarded with wins in his last pair - steps up and draws poorly, but may

still be able to rally for a minor piece. (3) THEFLYINGROCK should appreciate the post relief but he's still

unproven against these older rivals - will just observe, for now. (7) GRIFFON HANOVER rarely wins and

does prefer cheaper - wait for a better spot. (8) CAN BE PERFECT draws another 8 hole AND moves up

another notch - he's good right now, but that's a lot to overcome.

RACE 6 - Borgata Pacing Series, Leg #5: (1) JACKS LEGEND N currently sits in 7th place, mostly

because of his well back finish in the first leg (8 hole in a fast mile, making his first start of the year) - he's

been razor sharp since then, however, and should have no trouble securing his spot in next week's Final

tonight - and he's probably the one to beat. (2) POSEIDON SEELSTER weakened a bit the two times he

cut the mile, after being hard used for the lead - he charged home to win from off the pace, however, and

should be looking at a pretty nice trip tonight - needs a win tonight for even a chance at making the Final,

and the right trip would give him a shot. (4) BEE TWO BEE currently sits in 15th place and while he won't

be able to make the Final, he's certainly raced well all through this series - expect another good effort here,

and include him in your exotics. (3) NICHOLAS BEACH needed a win in Leg #3 and was able to hang on

by a nose to get one....but he wasn't entered in the following week, and that's definitely a cause for concern

heading into tonight - no value here with him listed at 2-1 ML. (5) SPLASH BROTHER weakened late last

week after securing the two hole trip, but he was racing off a sick scratch - could be sharper now, but still

seems a notch below the main players. (6) WHICHWAYTOTHEBEACH was an opportunistic winner in

his Leg #2 division, but was outkicked the next week then skipped Leg #4 - tough draw to do much damage

tonight. (7) WOODMERE STEALDEAL is the outsider tonight...both literally and figuratively.

RACE 7 - (5) ROLLING WITH SAM had been an afterthought for most of the 2022 season, and his career

Yonkers record stood at 2 for 35....but he changed barns prior to his last start and the public seemed quite

certain that it would result in major improvement, and sent him off at 6/5...they were right, as this guy went

out and looked like a completely different animal, crushing his rivals and kicking home in an eye popping

:55.1, while under a Bartlett death grip- big step up, but hard to go against him after that last mile. (3) TON

Y TOO TALL has been claimed 4 straight starts, but hasn't been able to win any of them - had a big excuse

last week (locked in through the stretch), and should definitely be a very live player tonight - for another

new barn. (1) BETTOR BE OSCAR A had no prayer from Post 8 vs. 75s last week but drops down and

draws the pole...and that should put him right back in the thick of things. (2) JIMS PERFECT TEN has

been coming up with solid efforts almost every week, but he's now 0 for 12 on the year - likely looking at a

smaller piece once more. (4) DARK ENERGY N has been managing only minor shares since the recent

claim, and will need to find a better effort to contend for a bigger piece. (7) BARON MICHAEL has been

better lately, but with good trips vs. easier - tough spot tonight for his new connections. (6) BALLERAT

BOOMERANG was claimed from his last but has missed 3 weeks and moves up in class - pass for tonight.

(8) LIFEONTHEBEACH A struggled from similar spots in his last 3 starts.

RACE 8 - Borgata Pacing Series, Leg #5: Interesting race as 4 of the 7 horses in here will likely be starters

in next week's Final, and each may approach this race differently -- (2) TATTOO ARTIST finally made it to

the winner's circle last week after knocking on the door in the first 3 legs of the series - he went over the

$1M mark in career earnings with that victory, and may end up with the "best" trip of the likely finalists

tonight - we'll give him the narrow edge. (5) THIS IS THE PLAN justified his connections' faith in him by

showing up with a MUCH sharper effort last week, rebounding from a couple of disappointing tries to get

back to the winner's circle - last year's champ should be good again tonight...but it's hard to say just how

hard Gingras will be willing to use him if his trip starts to look a little too difficult. (3) DIAMONDBEACH

will NOT be making it to the Final, but he's actually racing pretty well right now - not a bad bomb for the

bottom of exotics, hoping for a nice trip. (6) FUNATTHEBEACH N charged home to upset NANDOLO N

2 back then proved that effort was no fluke, charging home to win again last week - clearly he's on his best

game right now, but we'll see if he just has too far to come tonight. (4) OSTRO HANOVER scored the big

upset over #5 in the second leg, then rallied well for 4th in his next - he skipped last week, however, so it's

hard to know what to expect from him tonight. (7) PAT STANLEY N has been the (pleasant) surprise of the

series, racing in career form to pick up 2nds in all four legs, just missing in 3 of them - hard to see him

reaching from THIS spot, however. (1) BELMONT MAJOR N kept trying hard last week despite being

very difficult to steer - have to pass on him tonight, even from the pole.

RACE 9 - Good race! (5) REVELRY ended up in an impossible spot last week and wound up parked - was

somehow still living on the rim (and even challenging) at 3/4s (1:23.1), and didn't really weaken for good

until the top of the lane - rare chance here to get a "fair" price on anything from this incredible barn. (3)

OZONE BLUE CHIP hasn't won at a level higher than 40s yet, but steps up from 50s tonight and does

seem sharp enough to be a threat with some trip luck - his recent form is simply outstanding (6) HEISMAN

PLAYER hasn't been doing his damage down at the $50K level, but seems more than capable of handling

tonight's class jump - the outside draw is a bigger concern, but he can be a dangerous late player IF he ends

up in a live outer flow. (2) FEELIN WESTERN has held his form from only recently competing at Monti,

right up to tonight's $75K claimer - wasn't bad at all for his new connections last start, and now adds Lasix

for tonight - possibility! (4) DINA BOLT N was in a no chance spot trying 75s off the claim last week but

still finished with alert pace - decent longshot to at least consider for exotics. (1) WEONA SIZZLER A

figures to be handled much more aggressively with the move inside, but it's hard to say if he's up for it right

now - not impossible, but leaning to others. (7) PRINCE MCARDLE N was much sharper last week in that

game first over win- hard to see him replicating that effort from out here, though. (8) MOTIVE HANOVER

wasn't up to the task against these last week, and now draws Post 8 - he also has been very camera shy at

The Hilltop over the last 3 years!

RACE 10 - (4) SPEED MAN N has remained razor sharp for months, and even comes up with big efforts

when faced with no-chance spots (like last week) - figures to land on a very good trip here, and deserves

top billing. (2) PYRO didn't survive the first turn after leaving last week but he's right back in the box and

has rebounded from adversity in the past - should be a good price tonight, and he's a good one to try to get

onto the ticket somewhere. (7) RUNRUNJIMMYDUNN N had a few equipment changes last week and the

9YO delivered his best mile in ages....if not ever! He established a new lifetime mark in his 133rd career

start and did so while Bartlett had him under a triple arm lock....and his barn has already shown that they

can take claimers and beat the Open...can't say he'd be a surprise, even from this terrible post. (1) ROCK

CANDY was VERY aggressively driven last week (after Bartlett choiced off multiple Open winner

JOESSTAR OF MIAA to drive him), but he did weaken late after a long battle (with #6) - gets a very

generous rail assignment for tonight, and we'll see if he can do better with just a little more patient

handling. (6) BRONX SEELSTER had the misfortune of having ROCK CANDY pop out of the pocket to

test him very early last week, and that probably cost him the win - he's been VERY sharp, but tonight's

draw may slow him down a bit. (3) BELTANE A is another that's been very sharp for a long time, but takes

a jump to the Open after being reclaimed last week - we'll see if he's good enough to hang with these too.

(5) ROCKAPELO wasn't bad in his first try for new connections - we'll keep observing for now, though.

RACE 11 - (6) CHANGE STRIDE N raced well in his last pair and now goes back to his previous

connections via the re-claim - he had an outstanding 2021 season and is already on his way to doing as

well, if not better in 2022....chance to beat these with even a little bit of trip luck. (3) TOPVILLE OLYMPI

AN doesn't look great on paper right now but he was trapped hopelessly in the stretch last week and may

have had quite a bit more than he was able to show - not a bad week to give him a look. (1) ROBBIE BUR

NS N's last win was at the $30K level, but he's raced well many times vs. the 50s as well - good chance he

could trip out from this spot, and that would give him a chance to beat these - certainly can outperform that

12-1 ML price. (7) JUST PLAIN LOCO continues to rally well most weeks, but will need a lot to go his

way to reach from out here - consider if the price is juicy enough. (5) ITSMYCHECK GB stopped to a

crawl on 3/14 then was scratched sick 2 weeks later - he did little in either start since then but at least he

functioned, without issue - on his best, he COULD at least make some noise here. (4) IM BENICIO A drew

Post 7 in his first try at this level and can be forgiven for not getting involved - might be able to have a lot

bigger say with the move inside. (2) WESTERN HILL made his way to the lead last week and was able to

make his way to the winner's circle - moves up tonight off the claim, and we'll see if he can continue his

success in his new barn. (8) MOONLIGHT SHADOW shocked at 27-1 last week, and that was after doing

the hard work himself - hard to see him having the same success from Post 8, but also hard to just dismiss

his chances completely just because of the draw.

RACE 12 - (4) PRICELESS BEACH seemed to be in a hopeless spot to the final turn in his Yonkers debut

but unleashed a powerful stretch rally to win from a spot not too many horses win from - he moves up

multiple classes tonight off that victory, but he did win in a way that suggests he can handle it - we'll stick

with him one more time. (6) MOVIN ON UP had no prayer in his local debut when stuck with Post 7 in the

Open but he raced well last week to pick up 3rd in that same top class, this time from Post 2 - should surely

appreciate the class relief, and has a good chance to be a serious player despite the poor draw. (1) BIG SIR

is another taking a double jump tonight, but it comes on the heels of two sharp scores - would be no real

surprise. (3) CAPTAIN FANCY seemed a bit overbet last start but he landed on the absolute dream trip and

converted easily - can still be a player with these, but he's just not overly appealing for the win slot at that

5/2 ML price. (7) SOHO LENNON A is much sharper than he looks on paper, as he finished full of pace in

his last 2 starts - horrible spot tonight, and he does drop a win off his card after this - look for him over the

next couple of weeks! (2) AIR FORCE HANOVER moves inside and should sit a pretty good trip from this

spot - may be able to just follow along for a decent chunk. (8) ALWAYS AND AGAIN really seems to

need a bit easier to show his best stuff...and Post 8 won't help his cause either! (5) SARANAC BLUECHIP

comes into this riding a 5 race win streak, almost exclusively on the front end - he'll face MUCH tougher

tonight (off 3 weeks), and the guess is that he won't be quite the same threat we've become used to seeing.