Aqueduct Hotlist - March 19

Today’s New York Hot List races to watch – Friday, March 19, 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.

2^nd race [Clm 20000, 6F] – (4) Take It Off (D) stepped up to a tough starter allowance after her maiden win for a $30,000 tag where she was bet down from 7-1 to 5-1 and she flashed speed. Now she drops down to a more suitable claiming level. (1) Overdressed has been racing against better since she broke her maiden for $20,000 at Keeneland in the fall. Mike Maker ships her east from Oaklawn Park where she was third last time in a $30,000 starter allowance. (5) Miss Comedian also drops down to her lowest claiming level since her first win against NY-breds for $40k. (3) Magnificent Mags broke got her maiden score last time out for $25k at Aqueduct for Wayne Potts. Sometimes these kind like the feeling of victory and come right back to win again.

3^rd race [NY, Alw N1X, 1 mi] – (3) Too Early (C) has a pair of second-place finishes at this level including last time out when he was bet down from 7-1 to 3-1 and dueled with the winner from the eighth pole to the wire. (6) Tiergan stalked the pace and won a starter allowance and now returns to face NY-breds after two good efforts against open company for the meets leading trainer Rudy Rodriguez. (5) Wild Banker has been racing against open company for the past year with a win and a second in his last two starts in a N2L and then a N3L claimer. (2) Moonlight Now makes his return from a year off for hot trainer Charlie Baker. Last seen he was a state-bred maiden special weight winner at the Big A.

5^th race [Clm 14000 N3L, 6F] – (4) Truebelieve (D) was bet from 5-1 to 3-1 in his last start in a N3L race with a $35,000 tag. My notes said he needed to drop down and so now he is. (5) David’s Gem won a N2L condition and then tried a starter allowance. Now trainer Chad Summers, who has been winning races this winter, drops him back down. (8) Larceny broke his maiden two races back for trainer Joe Lee who used to be Kiaran McLaughlin’s top assistant in New York. (6) Cobble Hill made his first start after an October layoff on a sloppy Aqueduct track last month for Rudy R. He, too, will drop down in price.

7^th race [OC50k/SAL50k, 1 mi] – (5) Blu Grotto was a runaway winner on the front end of a $40,000 maiden claimer last time. I don’t usually like that move but this is a field that is mostly horses following their first victory. (6) Civil War was a $40,000 maiden claiming winner who we saw in the Champagne, Nashua, and the Withers where he was not competitive. He gets first-time Lasix. (9) Noctilucent was a winner of a NY-bred maiden claimer for $40k after a short layoff where he added blinkers and Lasix for the Bond barn. (8) Judge Bern was a maiden special weight winner against state-breds last time out and moves to the barn of Linda Rice.

Best bets:  Too Early (3^rd); Truebelieve (5^th). Best value:  Take It Off (2^nd); Blu Grotto (7^th).