Tuesday, October 20, 2026, Empire Report

The Empire Report – Tuesday, October 20, 2026 – Race Analysis

RACE 1 – (4) BOUT DAMN TIME A was reclaimed by the barn for whom she jogged for 3 starts back, at 3/5 (no surprise, as they’ve been winning at an insane 64% clip off the claim recently!) – she’s very sharp in general, and hard to go against tonight…even though the price will be tiny. (1) TWO BEAN DREAM has 3 wins and a 2nd from her last 5 starts, with an 8 hole in the other – the main danger, as she looks to avenge her 2nd place finish to #4 two starts back. (2) ODDS ON SARA SARA was 15-0-0-0 here at Yonkers before finishing 2nd and 3rd in her last pair – no reason she cant grab another piece tonight, with the inside draw. (6) MILAGRO has been ok since the recent claim but tonight’s draw leaves her without too many good options – maybe she can rally for a small share? (3) DA NCIN SUZY arrives from Ohio to our leading barn – seems like a decent fit but she’s just 2 for 24 this year (2nd 9X), and Dan Noble was driving her pretty regularly – wouldn’t shock, but leaning elsewhere. (5) BARBADOS BABE has gone some decent efforts and returns off a win upstate…still feels a notch below the top ones, however. (7) FOX VALLEY JASMINE was terrible at the back of the pack last week (2nd start of 2026) but she lands outside again – prefer to just observe, for now. (8) TURN UP THE MUSIC may be ambitiously placed in this spot

RACE 2 – (4) CALLMEBIGPAPI was very conservative when 2nd in his first local try, came up 2nd best to a very sharp winner in his next (despite a first over trip) then jogged on the lead the start after that – he returns to Yonkers off 4 straight sharp stakes efforts, and figures to be a serious threat vs. these. (1) RIVER RANCH DAWSON has been a little in-and-out this year but has more than enough ability to have a big say from the pole …if he shows up in the right mood (shouldn’t be the 2-1 ML favorite, however). (5) HE IS STINGIN races a bit differently each start it seems, but he’s hit board in 7 of 8 local tries this year and looms a threat to it again tonight. (3) ALWAYS BET ON ME was racing well when he first arrived from The Meadows, almost upsetting a NW20000 field on 8/18 – his last couple were no good at all, though, and he’s a real question mark for tonight. (2) ROCKNACIOUS just didn’t fire at all returning to Yonkers last week – another that’s tough to gauge right now. (6) LYONS PAPI ROCK raced well in his last 2 local starts but vs. easier fields – tough draw tonight, vs. better foes. (7) NOVA BLUE is just 3 for 56 , and 4-0-0-0 here at Yonkers – hard to like his chances from Post 7!

RACE 3 – (3) SPIRIT OF PEARL A is the sharpest of these right now, a winner of two straight on the front end (and easily handling AVF CLAIRE last week) – no reason she can’t complete the “threepeat” tonight! (1) PETROL QUEEN sharpened vs. cheaper in PA and looked very good finishing in her YR return last week, even if helped by an easy trip – draws the pole tonight, and seems ready to grab a nice chunk. (6) AVF CLAIRE’s last 6 starts at this level have produced 4 wins and 2 seconds – tonight’s draw may be a little tough to overcome, but it would be impossible to count her out in her current form. (2) DISCOVERINGTHEHUNT wasn’t up for last week’s tougher trip but an easier journey might allow her to rally for a slice. (4) OVER ICE had been on an extended form spree before struggling a bit in her last 3 starts – it may have just been the posts/trips, but we’re still leaning more to others right now. (5) MADDIES DELIGHT returns after 2 months on the shelf – prefer to just observe tonight

RACE 4 – (6) CAPTAIN MOORE A has been on an amazing tear, winning 4 of his last 5 starts (the lone loss coming to SWEET BEACH LIFE…no shame there!) – catches a very soft overall field tonight (for this Open class) and looms the one to beat, even with the outside assignment. (3) STERLING CHOICE has done an excellent job transitioning to life as a 4 year old, racing at these top levels and almost always part of the equation when near the action – should be the case tonight too. (5) HOWLENTHEHILLS has $151K on his card this year but hasn’t had to purchase too many WIN photos (just 1 for 21 on the year) – he figures to make his presence felt against this crew, but it would be hard to use him on top. (1) REDWOOD HANOVER has had a short (11 starts) and overall disappointing season so far, but he lands in a good spot for his 3rd start off the layoff and figures to be able to work out a nice trip – look for improvement over his last 2 PA starts. (4) TH COLBY has been sharp for a very long time but hasn’t had to race these types – we’ll see if he can hold his own. (2) DELE ROW A actually fits NW20000 right now, and may need even a bit easier than that to have a real say – would be a surprise

RACE 5 – (2) ARISTA N qualified right behind Invitational performer SOHO FIRESTONE A in his 10/2 qualifier so it was no surprise to see him score effortlessly at 4/5 in his U.S debut – he remains the one to beat. (5) IN A MIN UTE was a steady performer at 2 and 3 in the Midwest, hitting board in 18 of his 23 starts – he lands in a strong barn for his local debut, and the guess is that he’ll fit nicely. (7) HES A FEIN FELLOW failed to threaten from a similar spot last week after getting away 7th – if Marohn can improve at the start tonight, this guy is more than good enough to contend for a good piece. (4) ROCKET CITY SMITTY is a work in progress- he HAS ability and wants to do it, but he’s made breaks in the past and Kakaley never felt he was “safe” enough to really drive last week (or he WINS, easily) – a little too risky at a short price right now. (1) CAPTAIN AMORE N looked like he might rally at the top of the lane last week but just never could really kick in – still feels like he has more to offer than he’s been able to show (3) MAGIC JOURNEY has more than enough ability to contend here but just seems to have fallen way off his game lately – no value with that 5/2 ML price. (6) WINNINGMACHINE tries hard but could be looking at a tough trip from this spot. (8) ISCAH HANOVER has a win and a 2nd from 3 local tries but this is a brutal spot

RACE 6 – (4) MESSAGE BANK A had only 17 starts Down Under but he won 7 of them – more importantly, he makes his U.S. debut tonight for connections that have been wildly successful with their imports over the past couple of years…we’ll hop on board right out of the box. (2) MATAI PHIL N wasn’t into the tough trip 2 back then just toured the oval from Post 8 last week – anything close to his best from this spot would make him a dangerous player. (6) KEAYANG TACO A hasn’t been much of a threat lately but he’s also been facing much tougher fields – eligible to come alive with a better effort tonight, at a decent price. (1) GANNONS VELOUCITY is another with less than stellar recent efforts, but who may be able to have a bigger say in this spot. (3) INVISIBLE N was heavily backed last week (with the move inside) and while he did get the job done, he had to work very hard to do so…will need to be better to have the same success vs. this bunch. (5) LYONS GUSTAVOFRING landed on a perfect trip last week and was able to “brush and crush” a cheaper field– we’ll see how he handles tonight’s tougher task. (7) SILKY CHOICE is on the upswing for sure, but tonight’s class hike and poor draw may slow him down a bit. (8) AMERIT RIC is another that’s been good with cheaper (last pair), but figures to struggle from tonight’s spot

RACE 7 – (1) STRIKE EM is certainly moving well up in class after winning his stateside debut last week but he looked SO crisp in that victory, we’re guessing that he can handle this (much) tougher spot as well! (2) HARDT OF A KING has plenty of speed but hasn’t been finishing as well as he needs to…an easier trip (just stalking the pace?) may help his cause. (3) ROYAL DESIRE threw a dull one 2 back but rebounded with a “more like it” effort last week, finishing alertly for 4th – could grab another decent piece here too. (7) ULTIMAROCA wasn’t bad at all when 3rd (up in class) last week, but that was a much easier spot – IF Kakaley is willing to take a shot at leaving here, this guy might be able to grab a chunk here too. (5) REGAL IDEA was super upon arrival here in Sept. – his form has slipped a bit lately, but it feels more like it’s because of gait issues, rather than racing too high up in class – if he’s a bit smoother tonight, he can have a real say! (4) NANDOLO N drops a bit but his best efforts these days come vs. easier than these. (8) SUITE UP BRO picked up 2nds in 2 of his last 3 starts with late rallies o\ff inside trips – not a bad bomb for 3rd/4th if you think he can find some trip luck here too. (6) TWIN B POWERBALL may need some class relief before he fires his best shot again

RACE 8 – (4) CURLY JAMES A was racing well for a few starts without a victory but got back to the winner’s circle for the 12th time this year with a very sharp effort (used hard throughout the mile, and still prevailing) – we’ll give him the narrow edge here too, though there’s some legitimate competition! (5) IKNOWBETTER has also been sharp for weeks, and comes off an excellent 2nd to the classy MACS DELIGHT – drawing outside #4 doesn’t help, but he still deserves plenty of respect. (6) JUMPINGJACKMAC N is usually very good late when allowed to sit back and rally and that’s likely the trip he’ll get tonight (along with a class drop) – the issue is whether he’ll be close enough turning for home to do big damage late. (1) BETTOR BY SEASIDE was racing in bottom claimers not that long ago but now is banging heads vs. the 60s, with $100K already on his 2026 card – can sit close and take home a piece of this. (2) BANDERAS had every chance to win last week but came up a little short in the 3 way photo – chance to land in the exotics once more. (3) THE IDEAL DANCER A landed in a perfect spot last week and cashed in – much tougher scenario here. (8) HIMSELF N has been holding form remarkably well since the recent claim but a lot would have to go his way to reach from out here. (7) BENHOPE RULZ N is good now, but does seem buried

RACE 9 – (2) SMOOCH IN THE DARK flew home from well back upon arrival 2 back and was in the midst of a big move last week when he made a costly miscue on the final turn – worth a look here, at a fair price. (1) COVERE D BRIDGE flashed his best life in ages in that Pocono start 2 back then really wasn’t bad here last week – maybe he can build off those more encouraging miles and be a real player here? (3) CAPTAIN MARVEL lands in a soft spot arriving from PA and has some recent efforts that would make him a threat here – worth a look, for sure. (5) INTIMI DATION has been racing ok at this bottom level, his barn has some better life recently, and he gets Kakaley in the bike – certainly ok for exotics. (8) COACH CUTSINGER was no factor in PA off the big barn change last week but that doesn’t mean he won’t come alive tonight – check the tote board for clues. (4) TWIG has mixed effort since returning from the layoff but just wasn’t traveling well last week. (6) BLOWIN SMOKE arrives from PA with less than stellar current form (7) SOHO SKYFALL A just seems to have headed in the wrong direction recently.