Weekend Harness Preview for 2/7/2014

This weekend many sports enthusiasts will shift their focus from the end of the professional football season to the gradual start to the pending "March Madness" that revolves around the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. But it will also offer standardbred players a chance to cash some tickets at several ovals.

Friday evening's 12-race card at Yonkers Raceway looks contentious throughout, but the two best plays of the night could come in the track's two top overnight events.

In the sixth, the $33,000 Filly-Mare Open for pacers, look for Ramalama to emerge victorious following a good second-place effort last week behind the razor sharp Economy Terror. Ramalama moves in several slots and should be able to work out an ideal trip from post four and continue to tune up for a likely appearance in the upcoming, lucrative Bluechip Matchmaker Series for pacing distaffers over this oval.

Then two races later in the $33,000 Open Handicap for trotters, give Zooming a chance to turn the tables on Dw's Ny Yank in a reversal of last week's exacta. Last week Zooming settled well off the early pace as Dw's Ny Yank overcame the eight hole to gain command and dictate the tempo. But expect Zooming to be on the move considerably sooner this week and with a second over trip he should be able to unleash his late kick in time to overhaul Dw's Ny Yank at the wire.

Then on Saturday night at Yonkers, a quartet of pacers could offer some value on flat bets and in the exotics.

In the second, give Bullet Speed a genuine chance at redemption in this non-winners of $12,000 last six class. Last week as the 2-1 favorite in this class, Bullet Speed was reserved well off the pace and raced third over into a swift back half and settled for fifth. He moves in several slots and should be able to work out a better trip on Saturday.

Midway through the card in the $33,000 Open, look for Fat Mans Alley to emerge victorious this weekend after a game, second-place finish behind Money Twitch A last week. Fat Mans Alley moves in several spots to post four, while Money Twitch A gets assigned the outside slot. Fat Mans Alley will have to do his pacing from well off the pace, but this time he will get the jump on last week's winner.

Several races later in the ninth, a non-winners of $18,000 last six condition, take a shot on Tarpon Hanover despite drawing post seven. Last week he raced a long way first over attempting to chase down odds-on Eighteen in a one-mile and one-sixteenth affair. This weekend he drops back into a mile event and despite the outside draw he should be able to work out a good trip at a good price.

Then in the very next race on the card, the other half of the split, non-winners of $18,000 last six class, give Thanks For Stoppin a chance to prevail despite drawing the seven hole. Last week he also raced a long way first over in the same class and just missed. Once again he will have to race from well off the pace and be at the mercy of the trip and tempo, but Thanks For Stoppin should be good enough to overcome both at 10-1.

That same evening at Pompano Park, two pacers look like solid plays. In the 6th, the Open II, take a shot at Legends Luck. Despite being unable to win in two condition races recently, Legends Luck has had little luck while racing first over and just missing. Listed at 10-1 on the morning line, Legends Luck could make the modest jump into the lower Open and prevail at a very nice price.

Then three races later in the ninth, the Open I for pacers, Northern Companion should benefit from the absence of Prairie Jaguar and triumph in this group. Fourth last week as Prairie Jaguar romped home to his fifth straight score in the top class and seventh straight at Pompano overall, Northern Companion looks poised to succeed in this event while the Jaguar gets another week off.

Friday and Saturday mark the return of the Meadowlands, following a brief Super Bowl break and they also will usher in the start of the Miami Valley harness track in Ohio. This weekend we'll let the form settle a little at both tracks, but next weekend we will certainly look to take a plunge at both venues in order to find several potential value plays.