There’s another all-turf, six race card starting at 7:00 (EDT) at the Meadowlands this evening. While the football weather on Sunday might be lousy again in East Rutherford, Mother Nature seems to have saved the pleasant days for racing. The rails will be set at 17 feet for all six races tonight.
| Race | Top Pick | A | B | C | Exotics Menu |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | DBL, PK3, PK6 | |
| 2 | 1 | 1,6 | 5 | DBL, PK3, PK5 | |
| 3 | 5 | 5 | 7 | DBL, PK3, PK4 | |
| 4 | 1 | 1,5,2 | DBL, $3 Late PK3 | ||
| 5 | 3 | 3,7,4 | $5 Late DBL | ||
| 6 | 5 | 5,7 |
Race 1:
The night begins with a $25K-$20K maiden claiming race for two year olds going 1 1/16 miles. Note that Rebel Hair (#1) was cross-entered in a race on Wednesday at Delaware, but he scratched from that race in favor of this one. He’s the pick in this spot while dropping out of maiden special weight races on the turf at Monmouth and Delaware. Paco Lopez rode here one night and he had two winners and did not finish out of the money. He’s been closer to the winner in his two races than Fire Angel (#2), who ships here from New York for George Weaver. I would have liked to have seen him be a little more competitive in his last start, but perhaps that explains the circuit switch and drop in class. These two seem to have this race under control.
Race 2:
Seven are entered in this $5K beaten claiming race for fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles. Keri Brion has a pair of runners coming to town for this race and I think both are playable. Bella Estrella (#1) has been decent in flat races, but she’s struggled in the hurdle races. She pulled up last week and didn’t really get much out of that race, hence the quick turnaround for this race tonight. Tongue Twister (#6) takes a drop in class after a 4th place finish in starter allowance company at Delaware. Julian Pimental only rides in select spots these days and he’s named to ride in this race. Quiet City (#5) and Stella Mars (#3) finished close to each other last out at this level on this course. I think Quiet City has a little more upside while making her second start off the layoff. I like the stalking style for how the course has been playing. Stella Mars will take more money, but it’s been a while since wins for her and I’m not sure she’s going to bounce right back.
Race 3:
Nine runners are entered in this $16K-$14K N2L claiming contest going 1 1/16 miles. I think Nilamber (#5) has a big chance in this race. He’s getting class relief after some respectable tries in starter allowance company in his last few starts. With the exception of a race three starts ago, his turf efforts have been strong this year. I like his current form better than most in here. Garage Beers (#7) will be the backup while coming off a maiden victory in his last start at Penn National. While the figures have come back a little light, he’s been right there in his last three turf route races (which are his only turf route races). Julio Hernandez is making the trip to ride him for Elisha Perez. This duo has won 25% of their races together since the start of 2025.
Race 4:
The $3 Late Pick-3 starts with a $7,500-$6,500 N3L claiming race going 1 1/16 miles. This might be the most wide open race of the evening, assuming this field stays intact. Two Dollar Bill (#1) has consistently put together strong efforts since trying turf routes four starts ago. He broke his maiden at Monmouth with $16K-$14K maiden claimers and then ran two solid races with $16K-$14K N2L claimers there/ He came here and scored at that level last month. He moves to the N3L condition tonight and draws the rail. He has versatility where he can go to the front or come from off the pace. The latter would be the preferred strategy. I’m Due (#5) was well-backed at this level last month, but he had a miserable trip where he was buried behind runners for the first six furlongs. He had to take up twice after breaking well and never really seemed to be able to get comfortable. Michelle Castillo switches riders here. He’s been able to rebound from disappointing efforts in the past. Fridayswithmurray (#2) moves on from Jamie Ness and joins Jack Abrams’ barn. This is not an angle I love, but I do think the horse fits with this group. With the exception of his first race off a lengthy layoff, he’s been good when he does get to run on the grass. His form is a little muddied up with some of the off the turf races, but he’s almost always competitive on the lawn.
Race 5:
Fillies and mares will sprint five furlongs in this optional $15K claiming?N1X allowance race which is the feature tonight. While the two short prices, Garden Gal (#4) and Aria D (#7) look tough, don’t discount Salt and Light (#3) coming from off the pace in this one. She was a winner at this level while rallying from the back of the pack on this course last fall. Horses have had success while coming from off the pace during the first half of this brief meet. This will be the third start of the meet for this mare. She gets a significant rider upgrade to Relyu Gutierrez, who has wins with 7 of 13 mounts at this meet and has finished second three other times. Paco Lopez is going to play catch me if you can with Aria D. There is other speed signed on for this dash, but she’s drawn outside and she is the speed of the speed. She;s coming here off an open maiden special weight score at Monmouth. She ran well on this course last fall, getting nailed by the slimmest of margins on the wire in her only try. Garden Gal just missed with open N1X allowance types on this course last weekend. She is also slated to make her third start at this current meet. She also scored with open maiden special weight company two back so she is clearly getting class relief in this spot.
Race 6:
We’ll close out the evening with a beaten $5K claiming race going 1 1/16 miles. Dominguez (#5) makes a big drop in class after competing in a steady diet of restricted allowance races in the Mid-Atlantic region. He was a winner the time he ran in a claiming race, which was last summer. He’s been competitive enough in those allowance races and there’s not a ton of options for him right now. It’s a steep drop, but he makes a lot of sense in this spot. Wicked Finn (#7) is also worth considering in the nightcap. He just missed last weekend when facing open $6K-$5K claimers. He drops back in class to this beaten level. He’s clearly better on the turf than he is on the Tapeta. Look for another solid effort from him for a barn that has brought live horses to town.
