Aqueduct Hotlist - January 1

Today’s New York Hot List races to watch – Friday, January 1, 2021 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 – (4) Magnificent Mags will make her debut for trainer Wayne Potts who is winning at 27% at the current Aqueduct meeting. Potts drops her from maiden special weight to this $30,000 claimer. He has done well with these kind of new horses to his barn. (2) Cashmere Queen had the lead while racing for a $40,000 tag and finished a distant second in a race that came up with a suspiciously low speed figure. (3) Take It Off gets Lasix and blinkers and drops out of a maiden special weight after catching a sloppy track in her debut for Tony Dutrow. (7) Don’t Cry Anna is a first-time starter for Chris Englehart who does his best work at the Big A in the winter. The dam was stakes-placed as a NY-bred.

5^th race – (6) Road to Meath has some tactical speed that Dylan Davis can use as he stretches out to nine furlongs in a return to the starter allowance ranks. (7) Tri Saint Lorenzo is the winner of his last two races – a $25,000 maiden claimer and a N2L for the same tag. (3) Beachwalker broke his maiden going ten furlongs at Churchill Downs in November and has since been moved to the New York barn of Jorge Abreu. (8) Our Country switched to the dirt by George Weaver after racing exclusively on the grass. He finished third going a mile behind a horse that came back to win his next start.

6^th race – (7) Coolboy (A) now has been claimed from his last two starts including a $16,000 N2L condition where he had a hole close and got blocked but still was able to rally to get third. Now in the barn of Rudy Rodriguez, he comes right back for $25,000 looking for career win number two. (6) Spitball missed by a neck last time in similar spot for Kelly Breen. His two best races were on the dirt and they were mixed in with some turf races. (12) Joint and Several won his debut for a $30,000 tag and then was moved up to a starter allowance. Now he drops to the N2L and cuts back in distance but must overcome the far outside post. (4) Victory Built had the lead in his last start and finished third behind Spitball on a muddy track.

7^th race – (1) Aasr returned after a year away from the races to win a maiden special weight at Churchill in November in his first start for Michael Maker since moving from the Chad Brown barn. He will try winners for the first time in this mile allowance. (2) Obsessed had an unsuccessful try on the grass for Todd Pletcher after having broken his maiden going long at Keeneland in a front running effort. (4) Tenderfoot is the winner of his last two starts including a $40,000 maiden claimer and then a big setup to a starter allowance. He is still eligible for this first-level allowance for Charlie Baker. (6) Twelth Man has three speed figures in his last starts that make him a contender in this field. 

Best bets:  Magnificent Mags (1^st); Aasr (7^th). Best value:  Road to Meath (5^th); Coolboy (6^th).