Aqueduct Hotlist - March 31

Today’s New York Hot List races to watch – Thursday, March 31, 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 [NY, Md Sp Wt, 6F] – (3) Kazmike (A) lost a head bob for the win in his debut to a Todd Pletcher firster and finished well ahead of the rest of the field. He was sent off at 5-1 and pressed the early pace. (2) Built to Last (A) made his 2022 debut, which was his third start, and finished second behind another Pletcher runner and was clear of the others in that race. (6) Ouster is a first-time starter for Mark Hennig and is a half-brother to Sal the Turtle, a winner of more than $130,000. (4) Tommy Gun will make his debut for George Weaver and has a sibling that won at first asking.

3^rd race [NY, Md 25000, 1 mi] – (4) Wickosity (B) had three improving races this year at this same level – speed figures were up and he was second last time. (5) Lord Brownie drops back down to this lowest maiden claiming level at Aqueduct where he was second twice. (9) Nova Loves a Fight gets Lasix for the first time and he will make his first start against NY-breds after a second at the Big A versus open company. (2) Bohemian Ruby has a trio of top three finishes in his last four starts.

7^th race [OC62k/N2X, 6F] – (7) Rossa Veloce (C) moved from NY-bred to open company last time and finished third while getting bet down from 8-1 to 5-1. (5) Betsy Blue loves Aqueduct where she has a 6: 5-0-1 record which includes her last two starts. She has never finished worse than third in her 11 race career. (3) Eloquent Speaker returned from a three-month layoff and was observed to be climbing to avoid the kickback which can be really bad at Aqueduct. Her prior races make her a serious contender to win. (6) Bourbon Rebellion set the pace last time and got caught at the wire in her second race off a layoff.

8^th race [NY, Md 25000, 6F] – (3) Crostata B C (D) dropped down to this level in his second start and showed speed. He will add blinkers after getting bet down from 8-1 to 9-2. (4) Boom Boom Kaboom has a trio of top three finishes at this level in his last four starts. (2) Moons the Limit returned from a layoff and moved down to this level while improving his speed figures and gets first-time Lasix now. (6) Limit Up will make the big drop down out of a pair of maiden special weight starts.

Best bets:  Kazmike (1^st); Rossa Veloce (7^th). Best value:  Wickosity (3^rd); Crostata B C (8^th).