Aqueduct Hotlist - January 14

Today’s New York Hot List races to watch – Friday, January 14, 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.

1^st race [Md 30000, 6 ½ F] – (5) Dario’s Angel (C) set the pace in her last start and finished third after getting bet down from 5-1 to 5-2. Blinkers go on for her fourth career start. (7) Becauseofthebrave was claimed for $20,000 when she was second ahead of the Hot List horse. (2) S Oh S returns from a November layoff and gets Lasix for the first time as a 3-year-old. (6) Frosted Wild Ride flashed speed in her prior race and gets Lasix for a current high percentage winning trainer.

3^rd race [Md Sp Wt, 6F] – (1) Khuluq makes her third start for Chad Brown after setting the pace and finishing second last time out in a similar spot at the Aqueduct. (3) Masabeeh raced greenly in her debut on the grass and was claimed for $50,000 from Chad Brown. Sired by Union Rags, I’d expect that she would take to racing on the dirt. (7) Oh Mrs. Maisel has been off since November and this will be her fourth start for trainer Horatio DePaz. (5) Into Happiness also returns from a November layoff when she was fifth in a key race where the top three finishers came back to win their next starts.

5^th race [NY, Md Sp Wt, 6F] – (5) Lookin for Trouble (C) exits a pair of seconds at this same level where he was the pacesetter and got bet down from 9-2 to 5-2. (1A) Deep Cover was a speedy front-end winner of his debut race for Tom Morley and now switches from turf to dirt. (4) Forty Comets was also a wire to wire winner to break his maiden in his most recent race when blinkers were added. (6) Our Man Mike has experience at this allowance level and a late running style which should work in this race that was lots of early speed.

8^th race [NY, OC45k/N2X, 1 mi] – (8) Water’s Edge (C) was a first-level allowance winner last time for trainer David Donk when he was bet down to be the 3-5 favorite from 5-2. Both halves of the entry of (1) Seven Lilies and (1A) Jemography are win contenders in this spot. (2B) Yankee Division was a winner at this level last start with a big speed figure, so he will come back with the $45,000 claiming option. (7) No Salt has the right closing style for this field that has plenty of early speed.

Best bets:  Dario’s Angel (1^st); Khuluq (3^rd). Best value:  Lookin for Trouble (5^th); Water’s Edge (8^th).