Aqueduct Hotlist - February 27

Today’s New York Hot List races to watch – Sunday, February 27, 2022 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.

2^nd race [NY, Md 40000, 7F] – (2) BC Glory Days will drop into the maiden claiming ranks for the first time with past races that are good enough to win at this level. (4) Got the Gold has a pair of starts in this maiden claiming condition amongst maiden special weight races but the claimers are his best. (6) Mr. Buckley returns from a July layoff as a new gelding and also makes the drop in for a tag for the first time. (3) Street Culture has been off for a year having made one start and has moved from Chad Brown to Linda Rice.

4^th race [NY, Md 25000, 1 mi] – (5) Wickosity will make his third start after a layoff having shown a significant improvement last time in both finish position and speed figures. (6) Eddie the Great has been running well at the $40,000 level and now drops to the lowest maiden claiming level for state-breds at Aqueduct. (2) Lady Mucho Man pressed the pace in her debut and finished sixth at odds of 9-2 and now gets the blinkers on for Jimmy Ryerson. (3) Regal Empire will make a big drop down from maiden special weight efforts.

7^th race [OC62k/N2X, 6F] – (3) Sibelius (C) is in the best form of his career since returning from a layoff he won a N1X allowance last time and was bet down from 7-1 to 5-1. (1) Repo Rocks was second in a pair of stakes races including the Toboggan (G3) earlier in the month at Aqueduct for controversial trainer Juan Vasquez and his 30% win rate at this meeting. (4) South Sea hit the board in his last six starts and was claimed from his two most recent races. He won in his first start on the dirt at the Big A by more than nine lengths. (8) Secret Rules does his best running at Aqueduct with four seconds and a third at this allowance level.

8^th race [NY, OC45k/N2X, 6 ½ F] – (5) Byhubbyhellomoney (C) has moved between this allowance level and stakes races against state-breds. Last time he had to steady at the start and finished third while getting bet down from 7-1 to 9-2. (3) Secret Love returns from a May layoff with a pair of seconds in this condition and a stake in the last races before the break. (9) A Bit o’ Irish Sass has been off since the summer and is a state-bred stakes winner for Rick Schosberg who is good with horses from long layoffs. (11) Betsy Blue was also seen last during Saratoga when she was second at this level. She, too, is past stakes winner against NY-breds.

Best bets:  BC Glory Days (2^nd); Byhubbyhellomoney (8^th). Best value:  Wickosity (4^th); Sibelius (7^th).