Aqueduct Hotlist - January 1

Today’s NY Hot List races to watch – Saturday, January 1, 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 worst
* - 4 or more betting notches if 11-1 or more.

3^rd race [Clm 12500, 6F] – (1) Dream Bigger will make a significant drop down in class which the third choice in this race used to win his last start. (4) Next Flight ran fifth after a long layoff for a $16,000 tag in his most recent start which came following a barn change from California. (5) Dark Money was a more than four length winner of his last start following a claim by Linda Rice and the aforementioned drop down. (2) Stanhope will move from turf to dirt for Rudy Rodriguez where he has had plenty of early speed. He will make a significant drop in class and maybe his speed will help with the move back to the dirt where he did once run a second.

4^th race [Alw 50000s, 6F] – (1) Enter Sandwoman broke her maiden at Aqueduct early in the year and most recently won a $50,000 N2L claimer at Churchill Downs. This NY-bred appears to be back to the Big A for the winter. (6) Violent Vixen was a five-length winner in a maiden special weight last time which gives her a class edge over most of this field. (4) Boss Cara got her maiden victory last time in her second start following a layoff and got the best speed figure of her career. (7) Thegoddessofsnakes set the pace and finished third in a similar spot to this race. That came after her maiden win.

5^th race [NY, Md Sp Wt, 6F] – (1) Impressionist (A) ran third in her debut after getting bumped at the start, having to check, and then race wide. (7) Relate will get Lasix for the first time for the Asmussen barn and Stonestreet after finishing a length behind the top choice in her first career start. (3) Bustin Up will move from turf to dirt after running second in her initial race in a turf sprint at Aqueduct. The sire Bustin Stones is certainly known as a dirt sire. (8) Waheel was second in his debut at Finger Lakes against open company for one of the trainers that has success shipping to the City.

8^th race [Jerome, 1 mi] – (8) Hagler is a horse that has improved in all three starts in his career and that is moving into an ideal spot. He will stretch out from seven furlongs to this one-turn mile and appears to have the tactical speed to control the race right from the start. Trainer Rudy Rodriguez has always had success at the Aqueduct winter meeting. (1) Cooke Creek is the horse to beat as the only stakes winner in the field. He won his first two starts at Delaware Park including the Rocky Run. Most recently, he was second in the Nashua (G3) behind Rockefeller who shipped east for Bob Baffert. (7) Mr Jefferson is an allowance winner at Laurel that last time ran fourth in a very tough field in the Remsen (G2). His speed figures have gone up steadily in his five starts. (3) Ohtwoohthreefive made all six of his starts on the grass including a nose loss in Central Park last time at Aqueduct. His sire Union Rags was a classic winner on the dirt and is better known as a dirt sire.

Best bets:  Impressionist (5^th); Hagler (8^th). Best value: Dream Bigger (1^st); Enter Sandwoman (4^th).

Saturday Pick 3 Special --
The Saturday Special $1 Pick 3 covers races 3 – 5  à 1 with 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 with 1, 3, 7, 8 = $24.