Meadowlands Opening Night Preview

I find the first two weeks of any race meeting to be difficult to handicap, horses shipping in from different tracks makes it hard to size up the horses against each other as well as equating times earned on different size tracks.  But opening nights are part of racing so this is no different from any other, except the track has been flipped.

Because of this, you do need to remember is the track has been flipped so when the wind has blowed in the past down the stretch, the wind will be now be blowing up the homestretch, slowing horses up so I am not sure you will get explosive moves down the stretch when the wind is going ('when' being the operative word).  Of course, you have no way to know how the wind will be until close to post time.   

Race day, the track should be fast as any rain should end by 9am with any potential snow showers not expected until after racing has concluded.  The temperature should be in the mid to low 30's at post time falling into the 20's as the race card continues with winds coming out of the northwest between 10-17 miles per hour.

Anyway, first week or not, here are my predictions for the inaugural card at Meadowlands Racing & Entertainment:

1st Pace - $14,000; B-2 Horses & Geldings
  4 - Giddy Up Blackfly (Tetrick, 9-2)
  8 - Alexie Mattosie (D Miller, 3-1)
  2 - Damon Blue Chip (Gingras, 7-2)
  6 - Six Gun (Bongiorno, 12-1)

2nd Trot - $50,000; TVG FFA
  3 - Arch Madness (Smedshammer, 7-2)
  2 - Market Share (Tetrick, 4-5)
  1 - Uncle Peter (D Miller, 4-1)

3rd Pace - $9,000; C-2 Horses & Geldings
10 - Airbust Hanover (Gingras, 6-1)
  3 - Stonebridge Bonus (Bongiorno, 4-1)
  4 - Kaufman Hanover (Landy, 8-1)
  7 - Upfront Cosmo (Gingras, 6-1)

4th Pace- $25,000; 3yo Fillies Open
  5 - Charisma Hanover (Gingras, 8-5)
  3 - Aunt Caroline (Zeron, 8-1)
  2 - UF Dragon's Queen (Tetrick, 9-2)
  7 - Mattie Terror Girl (D Miller, 20-1)

5th Pace - $11,000; C-1 Horses & Geldings
  4 - Black Hat (Tetrick, 9-2)
  6 - Cosmicpedia (A Miller, 8-1)
  3 - Stonebridge Terror (D Miller, 6-1)
  8 - Casino King (Martin, 15-1)

6th Pace - $16,000; B-1 3yo Colts & Geldings
  8 - Rockin Amadeus (Pierce, 5-2)
  6 - Doctor Butch (Tetrick, 9-2)
  1 - Courageous Cat (Callahan, 20-1)
  3 - Trapon Hanoger (A Miller, 7-2)

7th Pace - $50,000; TVF FFA Seroes
  6 - Warrawee Needy (Tetrick, 4-1)
  4 - Foiled Again (Gingras, 8-5)
  2 - Golden Receiver (Callahan, 8-1)
  7 - Sweet Lou (D Miller, 8-1)

8th Pace - $11,000; C-1 Horses & Geldings
  5 - Seek The Dragon (Gingras, 6-1)
  1 - Major Belle (A Miller, 7-2)
  4 - That's Justice (M Lancaster, 15-1)
  3 - Cruising Yankee (Pierce, 8-1)

9th Pace - $16,000; B-1 Horses & Geldings
  6 - Mojo Terror (Macdonald, 8-1)
  3 - Yo Cheyenne Rocky (Pierce, 4-1)
  4 - Alsace Hanover (Bongiorno, 8-1)
  1 - Erle Dale N (Tetrick, 7-2)

10th Pace - $11,000; C-1 Horses & Geldings
10 - Ashley's Husband (Tetrick, 6-1)
  8 - Bluebird Shooter (Callahan, 4-1)
  3 - Thirty Two Red (Schnittker, 12-1)
  7 - Bullville Kyle (Gingras, 3-1)

11th Pace - $30,000; A-2/FFA Handicap Horses & Geldings
  7 - Statesman N (Callahan, 5-2)
  8 - State Treasurer (D Miller, 3-1)
  4 - Southwestern Dream (Gingras, 4-1)
  5 - Della Cruise (Pierce, 8-1)

12th Pace - $12,500; 2, 3 & 4 Year Olds NW2 Ext PM Races or $15,000 Lifetime
  2 - Ari Allstar (Campbell, 5-2)
  1 - American Paparazzi (Bongiorno, 8-1)
  4 - Barbarian (Pierce, 9-2)
  7 - One Shark Road (Tetrick, 6-1)

13th Pace - $9,000; C-2 Horses & Geldings
  1 - Gratias Deo (Pierce, 3-1)
10 - Astreos Flash (D Miller, 12-1)
  3 - Come On Ridge (Berry, 9-2)
  2 - Yanother Round (Gingras, 15-1)