Aqueduct Hotlist - December 5

Today’s New York Hot List races to watch – Saturday, December 5, 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 worst
* - 4 or more betting notches if 11-1 or more.

1^st race – (2) Thruster (B) debuted fourth on a sloppy track at Belmont at odds of 6-1 for trainer Tom Albertrani whose firsters usually need a race. The gelding had to alter paths at the 3/16ths pole. (7) Weyburn made a big improvement in his second start when he was second against a very strong field in a seven-furlong maiden special weight like this one. (5) Officiating has faced three tough fields and was second last time out on a sloppy track for Bill Mott, who now cuts the distance back from a mile and a sixteenth. (6) King of Dreams will ship up from Florida to debut at Aqueduct after a series of fast workouts at Gulfstream Park.

2^nd race – (1) Movie Score (C) took late money that dropped her odds from 14-1 to 9-1 and she ran third against a similar bunch of low-level open claimers. She comes back for a $12,500 tag. (8) Lune Lake will move from Finger Lakes where she won 8 of her last 10 starts while racing in starter allowance and allowance conditions against both open company and NY-breds. (4) Flat Awesome Jenny makes a big drop down in claiming price after being claimed in two of her last three starts. Trainer Rob Atras moves her from a $32,000 race on a sloppy track. (6) Rude Awakening was the winner of a N3L condition on a muddy track at the Big A after a three-month layoff for Linda Rice.

3^rd race – (4) Moonshine Maker was second, beaten by less than a length, in his second career start for Kelly Breen in a $30,000 maiden claimer for NY-breds. (2) Posse Can Disco had the lead in the stretch and got nailed at the wire to finish second at the same $25,000 level as today’s race. (6) Have a Heart was a late running third just a nose behind the aforementioned Posse Can Dance after racing six-wide around the turn. (8) Travelin Dani gets blinkers on, drops down in class, and moves from turf to dirt in his second career start for trainer Mike Miceli.

9^th race – (1) Malathaat (A) won both of her starts impressively including an open-length score in the Tempted at the Big A. The royally-bred daughter of Curlin and Dreaming of Julia was purchased for $1.05 million by Shadwell and goes for Todd Pletcher and John Velazquez. (3) Millefeuille (A) broke her maiden by four lengths in her second start for Bill Mott and Juddmonte Farms and is also by Curlin. (4) Malibu Curl broke her maiden in her second start for Tom Albertrani on closing weekend at Saratoga and is yet another one sired by Curlin. (5) Dollar Mountain broke her maiden by more than five lengths on a sloppy track in a race that was scheduled for the turf. She beat a horse that came back to win her next start.

Best bets: Moonshine Maker (3^rd) Malathaat (9^th). Best value:  Thruster (1^st); Movie Score (2^nd).

@NYHotList Saturday Pick 3 Special --
The Saturday Special $1 Pick 3 is on races 1-3 -- 2, 5, 6, 7 with 1, 4, 6, 8 with 2, 4 = $32.