The Meadowlands begins the weekend with a 14-race card. The 0.50 Late Pick 4 starts in Race 10. The sequence has a $50,000 guaranteed pool with a 15% takeout, and it will be my focus. Comments and selections below are based on a fast track.Race 10 (10:05 PM EST)2-Pressure Cooker (4-1)-Shipped in from Yonkers and was off 3 weeks before an even effort on 1-2. The Linda Toscano 5-year-old has done good work at M1 in a limited number of starts (5-2-1-0). Has enough gate speed to be on the point or in 2-hole and will look for a big try after a race on the oval.5-Laurie Lee (6-1)-Landed here after a race at Stga and put in a no-move mile. Gets some post relief and comes right back. Will look for Tyler Miller to have her forwardly placed and like the one above should be better tonight.9-Tick A Loch A (3-1)-Aussie bred makes its M1 debut after a pair of qualifiers. The last tune-up signals the 5-year-old is ready to battle as it won in 153.2 with a 55.1 back half. The post draw helps the price and looks like a threat with a smooth steer.Race 11 (10:30 PM EST)1-Iwon't Backdown AS (3-1)-This 7-year-old is 0-7 at M1 and has been off since 12-19, but now drops to a soft spot. Not automatic but could post an overdue win with a top of the stack trip and Brett Beckwith can execute that plan.5-Rocket Man Hill (4-1)-The Amanda Fine entry was off a month and stayed inside to finish 3rd in a needed race on 1-2. Comes right back, has some gate speed, and may try to go gate to wire versus this crew.Race 12 (10:55 PM EST)7-Dream Shot (10-1)-Comes out of TM race in its M1 debut and had pretty much a no-move mile from the 8-hole. The price is right to use, even though this is considered a move-up in class. In reality this group doesn't like to win and should fit. Has the speed to get the job done and will need a smooth steer by Ridge Warren.10-Cover The Crown (5/2)-This mare got to town in early December and cashed smaller checks against tougher foes. The question marks are the post draw and Bradley Chisholm putting her in a position to win. This is a soft bunch and needs to be used even with some reservation.Race 13 (11:20 PM EST)3-Roma Amor (3-1)-Slow starter makes it more difficult on herself as was the case last time. Austin Siegelman steers for his 2nd straight, that could make a difference and gets some post relief. Using and hoping it won't be bet down.9-Paige Perfect (7/2)-This is a rag-tag bunch and that makes this 1-time winner last year the 2nd chalk. But most important, this should be a meaningful drop in-class. Does have gate speed to get a close-up seat and did take a 1.52 mark here last year.$1 Late Pick 42,5,9/1,5/7,10/3,9Total Bet=$24Check me out on Twitter!

EXTRA INCENTIVESBet $25, Get $5 | Gulfstream Park | today’s racesSPECIAL WAGERSCoast-to-Coast Pick 5 | Gulfstream Races 8,9,10; Santa Anita Races 8,9,10Sunset Pick 6 | Gulfstream Races 7,10; Santa Anita Races 2,4,5TOURNAMENT TIME$100 Gulfstream Park Feeder | details$40 Santa Anita Feeder | detailsNOTABLE CARRYOVERSSunset Pick 6 | $12,702 | Gulfstream / Santa Anita | begins GP Race 8 | 3:50 pm ETJackpot Pick 6 | $75,892 | Turfway Park | begins Race 4 | 7:25 pm ETLONGSHOT RACE ALERT FROM BETMIXTampa Bay Downs | Race 8 | 3:58 pm ETTurfway Park | Race 1 | 5:55 pm ETSanta Anita | Race 10 | 7:30 pm ETTRAINERS TO WATCHAnthony Farrior | Charles Town | 4 of 5 entrants 9-2 or less oddsDID YOU SEE?Yesterday | Gulfstream | Rainbow 6 hit on single ticket for $416,348.44PUT US ON YOUR HANDICAPPING TEAMScott Shapiro: Santa Anita Spot Plays for FridayRon Nicoletti: Gulfstream Park Full-Card Picks for FridayFrank Carulli: Tampa Bay Downs Late Pick 4 Analysis for FridayFrank Carulli & Brian W. Spencer best bets today in Xpressbet.com member’s section

The Pegasus World Cup Bankroll Builder continues Friday for 1/ST BET and Xpressbet players. Bet $25 on the Gulfstream Park card and receive a $5 wagering credit to be deposited prior to the Jan. 24 huge day of racing in South Florida. The PWC Bankroll Builder will be offered each racing day through Jan. 23, giving 10 opportunities for players to earn up to $50 in credits. To help you along the way, Gulfstream Park track handicapper Ron Nicoletti has his Friday full-card picks.Race 1:5 Call the Bullpen7 Miss Magical1 NieceyRace 2:7 Kazooza3 Lovethisbizz8 Don’t Go AstrayRace 3:2 Diriyah5 Flatter Fanatic6 Five Eyes OnmichelRace 4:7 If I Can Dream4 The Last Page6 Win N WinRace 5:7 I C Light4 Itza Lock9 WootunRace 6:5 Skellig Michael1 Miami Frank3 Lou the BodyRace 7:3 Camm’s Princess5 Dialithic6 WhirlwindRace 8:1 Operation Overlord6 Gold Sovereign7 Peak PerformerRace 9:6 Phoebeinwonderland (BB)5 Bad Gal Party8 Prism Pool PatRace 10:7 One Sweet Girl (LS)6 Covered in Crystal2 BackgammonBest Bet: R9: 6 Phoebeinwonderland-- Exits key turf sprint at Aqueduct when 2nd vs better.-- W Ward is 37% with Turf to Tapeta-- Rosario/Ward are 21% togetherLongshot: R10: 7 One Sweet Girl-- Goes for 3rd straight victory’-- Proven on grass and Tapeta-- C David 23% winning back-to-back-- Gets the pace need to close with rail at 31 feet-- David & Vazquez 28% together

The racing week continues on Friday afternoon at the Great Race Place with a 10-race card that kicks off at 3 pm ET / noon local time. The card has a couple of intriguing maiden races, as well as the allowance feature at one-mile over the race track that goes as Race 9. Here are the horses I like most on Day 2 of what we are hopeful is the first full racing week of the year at Santa Anita Park.Race 6:I am far from creative in this MSW event at one-mile over the turf, but it is an important race for horizontal players since it is included in the Pick 6 and kicks off the late Pick 5 and All-Turf Pick 3. Therefore, I am willing to chalk it up with #6 Kokosan. The 4YO colt has had his chances so far, but is a stand out in this spot. Often times I am against horses at shorter prices that may look best, but have struggled to seal the deal for the first time despite a lot of tries. That is not really the case with this colt because he has never gone off the favorite. In fact, his lowest off odds were two-back at Del Mar when he was sent off at 7-2 in a compact group of 6. Trainer John Sadler thought enough of him to run him in the Hollywood Derby (G1) last out. He should finally find his friends in his first start of 2026.Play: #6 Kokosan (9-5 ML)Race 9:The aforementioned Friday feature drew a compact group of 6 going 8-furlongs over the main track and there is not much early zip signed on. I am hopeful Kyle Frey takes advantage of the inside draw and sends 5YO mare #1 Chai to the front. The Washington-bred daughter of Race Day has competed in three consecutive one-turn races since arriving in the Bob Hess, Jr. barn midway through 2025. The fact she has been up close to the pace in the sprints leads me to believe the plan will be to go and see how far she can take them on the engine. The price should be fair enough on one of just two runners in the field with more than one lifetime victory.Play: #1 Chai (5-1 ML)Race 10:The finale is a full-field $25k open claimer at 6-furlongs over the grass and I am hoping to take them gate-to-wire to close the day with #1 Cyprus Moon. Trainer George Papaprodromou put the blinkers back on this 5YO mare two-back against better and she ran off on the front end before tiring to finish a mid-pack sixth. She performed much better last out though whendropped into a spot much more similar to this one at Del Mar. Papaprodromou is off to a strong start to the meet and I like the fact Umberto Rispoli sticks around. This gal should be tough to catch with a clean break.Play: #1 Cyprus Moon (4-1 ML)

Saturday’s Tampa Bay Downs card includes the co-featured Gasparilla Stakes and Wayward Lass Stakes, the latter kicking off the late pick 4. Horseplayers tackling that sequence will play for an additional 1 Million 1/ST Rewards Points in a Hit & Split promotion. First post will be 12:30 pm ET with the late pick 4 starting in Race 7 at 3:32 pm ET. Let’s get to work.Tampa Bay Downs: Race 7 | Wayward Lass StakesLate-running Kentucky Oaks runner-up #6 Drexel Hill came back solidly in November off the layoff in the Mother Goose. She’s never faced elders and the pace scenario here can be orchestrated by a trio of Saffie Joseph Jr. trainees, so she has some challenges. Respect her while noting the Joseph runners are difficult to separate and not worthy of making the ticket 4 times the price in a 6-horse field.Tampa Bay Downs: Race 8 | allowance#4 Mystic Sea for Bill Mott and #2 Perky for Miguel Clement have to be considered off these connections at Tampa. But a couple of stats plays merit depth in this race, including jockey Antonio Gallardo aboard #3 Expecting a Winner. If you’re concerned about the mare stretching out a bit in distance, not this jockey is 26% winners and 15-35 in the exacta over 9 furlongs on turf at Tampa the last 3 years with a $1.58 profit for every $1 bet. He rides the trip best. Also include #8 Frida for a Jose D’Angelo barn that is a fantastic 10: 4-3-0 in Tampa 9F turf races the past 3 years with $19 and $21 winners ($2.56 ROI for every $1 bet).Tampa Bay Downs: Race 9 | maidenExperienced horses win about twice the rate at first-time starters historically in Tampa 3-year-old maiden special weight sprints at this trip the past decade. Only 3 of these 12 have appeared in the afternoon so far, so the likelihood of a rookie obviously increases. But experienced filly #2 Inspire Courage is most interesting to me on the cut-back in distance. She’s fast enough in prior turf sprints to play at this trip and note sire Medaglia d’Oro gets a strong 19% winners on the Tampa dirt with a $1.33 ROI for every $1 bet. She’s bred to handle the surface change and gets Lasix for the first time. Among the first-timers, #7 Princess Vekoma’s sire Vekoma is a strong 17: 3-6-2 on the Tampa dirt with more than 50% in the exacta, while #8 Muffin Thief’s sire Maximus Mischief gets an outstanding 22% winners on the local main track … this one has a bullet workout for the first try.Tampa Bay Downs: Race 10 | maiden#7 Celtic Motif has had 7 chances to break her maiden, but her only 2 in US maiden races were very good second-place finishes for Chad Brown (who wins nearly 33% in Tampa turf MSW in January starts). She’s an obvious threat. #5 Queen Dancing got no pace help at Gulfstream, but ran on decently and her start at Keeneland puts her in contention for Bill Mott. You could likely stop there. A couple of others to consider on back-up tickets are useful enough, but not required. Sharp-training British export #6 Vronti adds Lasix off solid overseas form, but note Graham Motion just 3-for-42 in Tampa turf MSW races in Januarys past. #10 Pop Art was a clear-cut second last out with a big gap to the rest in a similar Tampa spot, though this field projects to be a bit tougher. $750K purchase needs to break this maiden condition to up her broodmare stock potentially.The Ticket6 with 3,8,4,2 with 2,7,8 with 7,5 = $12 for 50 cents

The Tampa Bay Downs entry box was overflowing for the card this Friday, Jan. 9. All four legs of the 50-cent Late Pick 4 drew full fields of 10 with several others waiting their turn on the also-eligible list. That’s 10,000 combinations to choose from. Here’s a closer look with a suggested $72 play.TAM 6th race (2:58 p.m. EST) -- Had trouble narrowing the list of contenders with half the field arriving from different venues with a combined 2-for-41 record at 6F. BLOODY COLORS WAVE is appealing with a 6/1-2-1 mark at the distance and two good races on conventional dirt, including a third-place rally as the favorite in her local audition last out. Still going to go 8-deep in leadoff leg of the Pick 4, with fewer options to follow.TAM 7th race (3:28 p.m. EST) -- SPECIALAGENTJONSON was a model of consistency with an 8/1-4-1 record in turf route races last year, but he was on the wrong end of three photo finishes and seeks his first win in eight tries on the Tampa lawn. He could have class-rising AEGON TARGARYEN to catch after he ‘shook free into the far turn’ and held safe a trio of deep closers to prevail at one mile with a 79 Beyer, the par for this level.TAM 8th race (3:58 p.m. EST) -- PARTY HARDY stalked a fast pace in the 5-path and got up to finish an improved third at 7F behind a next-out, odds-on repeat winner. He draws the rail for his third start after five months away and has a long-distance victory on his resume to summon. YEMREHANACRISTOS ranged up on the leaders while in-hand and made a winning-type move in a longer route race, only to flatten out late as THEO’S THUNDER sustained a 5-wide rally to finish ahead of him in second. Both runners are live in here.TAM 9th race (4:28 p.m. EST) -- Not much separating this field, with mid-60 Beyer types galore in this $25,000/nw3 claimer on the turf. BONITA BREEZE is a must use off a troubled trip despite drawing post 10. In her prior start, she rallied inside and past the two favorites but was out-kicked by Princess Javoncia, a nine-time winner and $320k earner on the lawn. On top of that, the fifth and seventh-place finishers won right back with low 70 Beyers, respectively. Her former stablemate, SEA SHANTY, makes the ticket at a good price. She won grass routes at Laurel Park and Delaware and new trainer Gerald Bennett is 42 for his last 293 (14 percent) turf starters in the last five years. BUDDHIST PRODIGY lost all chance when her saddle slipped in her first start off a nine-month layoff, but she can’t be overlooked. She stalked a soft pace 4-wide and out-kicked the odds-on favorite to win on the Gulfstream Park lawn two back and gets more pace to rally into today from the rail.Suggested 50-Cent TicketTAM 6th Race: 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10TAM 7th Race: 4, 6TAM 8th Race: 1, 4, 9TAM 9th Race: 1, 9, 10Cost: $72

EXTRA INCENTIVESBet $25, Get $5 | Gulfstream Park | today’s racesBet $100, Get $10 | Turfway Park | today’s racesSCHEDULE NOTESanta Anita | makeup day racing | first post 3:00 pm ETTOURNAMENT TIME$100 Gulfstream Park Feeder | details$40 Santa Anita Feeder | detailsNOTABLE CARRYOVERSJackpot Pick 5 | $47,611 | Parx | begins Race 1 | 12:05 pm ETJackpot Pick 6 | $303,613 | Gulfstream Park | begins Race 5 | 2:21 pm ETSuper Hi 5 | $28,543 | Gulfstream Park | Race 10 | 4:55 pm ETJackpot Pick 6 | $72,507 | Turfway Park | begins Race 4 | 7:25 pm ETKEY RACESSanta Anita | Race 3 | 4:06 pm ET | Eddie Logan StakesSanta Anita | Race 7 | 6:11 pm ET | Bobby Frankel StakesLONGSHOT RACE ALERT FROM BETMIXGulfstream Park | Race 1 | 12:20 pm ETFair Grounds | Race 7 | 4:45 pm ETTurfway Park | Race 2 | 6:25 pm ETTRAINERS TO WATCHBob Baffert | Santa Anita | all 6 entrants 5-1 or less odds (4 at 5-2 or less)DID YOU SEE?Yesterday | Parx | jockey Mychel Sanchez | 3 wins, 2 seconds, 2 thirds from 8 mountsPUT US ON YOUR HANDICAPPING TEAMScott Shapiro: Santa Anita Spot Plays for ThursdayRon Nicoletti: Gulfstream Park Full-Card Picks for ThursdayScott Shapiro: Turfway Spot Plays for ThursdayFrank Carulli & Brian W. Spencer best bets today in Xpressbet.com member’s section

For those of you who missed it on Tuesday, I am here to introduce to you a new promotion for the month of January. It is called Frosty Funds, it is simple, and worth diving into starting tonight at Turfway Park. Just head to the promotional landing page, register and be set to earn a $10 bonus every Tuesday and Thursday until the month ends. Just bet $100 on the select track for that day (schedule on promotional landing) and get a $10 bonus. With Parx Tuesday in the rearview mirror, there are still seven chances to play starting tonight in Northern Kentucky. Here are a few horses I like most on the card over the all-weather at Turfway Park this evening.Race 5:This MSW event for newly turned 3YO fillies at 6-furlongs drew an oversubscribed field that includes a number of first-time starters. However, I will side with a filly with experience in #2 Naughty by Nature. The Rusty Arnold trainee has been hammered down to favoritism in two starts as a juvenile, but disappointed badly in both starts. That said, they not only came over different surfaces, but also came without the anti-bleeding medication, Lasix. Since the Into Mischief filly turned 3YOs a week ago, she now can use Lasix. This should benefit her chances against an unproven bunch. I am hopeful the fact she went off 6-5 and 2-1 for a patient barn to kick off her career suggests there is far more to this gal then we have seen in the afternoons thus far. I will take my chances at anything above 6-1.Play: #2 Naughty by Nature (8-1 ML)Race 6:The pace should be contentious in this open $16k claimer at two-turns given the presence of #1 My Romeo Lima, #3 I Lucked Out, #5 Texas Free, and #9 Eye Witness. This should set things up for a runner that can settle early and come with a strong run late. #7 Tres Soles is the likeliest to do just that. I was on the Churchill Downs simulcast set back in September ’22 when this son of Justify broke his maiden on debut for trainer Steve Asmussen. Things did not go as planned from there and a little over four years later I plan to back him in a much different type of spot. That said, he has run twice over this surface since being claimed by trainer Eric Foster in November and has performed well without big setups for his late run both times. He came back on just two weeks rest on December 19 and split the two speeds late to finish second. The Justify gelding should get a perfect setup today off of a bit more rest. Hopefully, he takes advantage.Play: #7 Tres Soles (4-1 ML)Race 8:I found the Thursday night feature to be wide-open since I do not trust the ML favorites #8 Blanco and #4 My Own. Blanco is an LNJ Foxwoods homebred that is bred to be a star, but has somewhat surprisingly only competed over the all-weather thus far, while My Own has run well over this course, but is unlikely to have things his way from a race shape perspective. I will take a swing with #6 Dr Ruben M. Trainer Doug O’Neill had a strong Holiday Meet with limited starters (4-2-0-2) and sends out this first-time gelding that has kept better company throughout his career. He is not quick enough to be make the pace versus these, so ideally Victor Carrasco can settle him mid-pack early and come with a big run late. At his double-digit morning line offering, he makes for an interesting swing towards the back end of the card.Play: #6 Dr Ruben M (10-1 ML)