Aqueduct Hotlist - December 11

Today’s New York Hot List races to watch – Friday, December 11, 2020 at Aqueduct
                By Matt Shifman and Bob Ehalt

Hot List Key:
 A: A preferred horse to watch                           B: Secondary horse to watch
*C: Went down 2 or more betting notches and finished 1st through 3rd
*D: Went down 2 or more betting notches and finished 4^th or worse
* - 4 or more betting notches if 11-1 or more.

1^st race – (5) Barista Vixen will drop out of maiden special weights into this $40,000 maiden claimer for the first time for Bill Mott which is OK because she was only a $23,000 purchase. (6) Zerenia will try dirt for the first time after three starts in turf sprints including a second last time out after a stumble start. Trainer John Terranova has good numbers with the surface change. (3) Mama Kin returns from a March layoff to drop into the claiming ranks after two prior races for Carlos Martin who is good off along breaks. (4) Boom Boom Girl ships up to Aqueduct from Parx for John Servis. Last race she set the pace going a mile and finished second, now she will cut back to seven furlongs.

3^rd race – (5) Make Or Break (C) was claimed out of a turf race two back by Tony Dutrow and then ran on the dirt in a turf meant N2L claimer where she finished second while getting bet down from 7-1 to 5-1. Here, she will stay on the dirt going the one-turn mile. (2) Fun Finder (C) was third in a $40,000 claimer while switching from turf to dirt for Mark Hennig. She finished third after getting bet down from 4-1 to 2-1. (1) Customerexperience was claimed in her last three starts most recently by Rudy Rodriguez who had her two races back. Joel Rosario returns to ride after two seconds and a third. (3) Big Bennys Tribute has been racing against better horses than most of this field and the class relief may be all that she needs to get another victory.

4^th race – (4) Dirty Bird (D) has not had much success recently while racing in the lowest claiming level that is run at the Big A. Yet still, she was bet down from 20-1 to 12-1 while running fourth last time out. (6) Movie Score (C) finished third at this same $10,000 level after getting late betting action that moved her odds from 14-1 to 9-1. (8) Rude Awaking returned from a five-month layoff to get a win and a second on wet tracks using her speed. Now she will drop down to the lowest level of her career for Linda Rice with an Aqueduct loving record of 6: 3-2-1. (7) Fair Regis is a horse that I have picked in the past and now she makes a huge drop from second-level allowance conditions against open company and state-breds. She has past speed figures that tower of the rest of this field.

8^th race – (12) More Graytful (C) won his most recent start in a second-level NY-bred allowance with the highest speed figure of his career for Brad Cox when getting bet from 9-1 to 5-1. With his state-bred conditions used up, he now will race against open company in a first-level allowance. (3) Charlie McCoy (B) had the lead and finished third after a 10-month layoff for trainer Michelle Nevin. He has been switching from open company and state-bred competition. (9) Money Ride won his last two races since switching to barn of Mike Miceli which include a N3L claimer and a starter allowance. (1) Fed Funds won his only start at Aqueduct last time out with a career best speed figure in a N3L claimer.

Best bets:  Barista Vixen (1^st); More Graytful (8^th). Best value:  Make Or Break (3^rd); Dirty Bird (4^th).