Aqueduct Hotlist - March 5

Today’s NY Hot List races to watch – Saturday, March 5, 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.

1^st race [Md Sp Wt, 6 ½ F] – (5) Scherzando (C) was bet down from 8-1 to 6-1 when he finished third at this level. (7) Disco Pharoah has been off since December when he ran second at Turfway Park in a race where the third-place finisher came back to win. (6) Al’s Prince was moved from the barn of Charlie Baker to Todd Pletcher and will make his first start for the new trainer as a new gelding. He ran well in his first three starts and now cuts back to sprinting. (1) Sinful Dancer returns from a June layoff when he raced against NY-breds four times with a second in a Stallions Series stake.

2^nd race [Md Sp Wt, 1mi] – (2) Don the Jeweler will make his debut for Chad Brown. He was an $875,000 yearling purchase who ships up to New York after training in Florida. Brown has a 44% win rate at the current Aqueduct meeting. (4) Long Term has three second-place finishes in his three starts which were all at Aqueduct for Todd Pletcher and Mike Repole. (3) Cathedral Beach takes the blinkers off and get first-time Lasix after two starts on wet tracks at the Big A. (6) Electability made one start back in August for Chad Brown on the turf going long. He was away from the races since then and comes back as a new gelding and with Lasix.

3^rd [Tom Fool (G3), 6F] – (5) Chateau was the winner of the Tom Fool last year with a fast front running effort. He was last seen winning the Gravesend at the Big A in December with the same kind of performance. Trainer Rob Atras is good with fresh horses. (3) Officiating ships up from Florida following a third in the Hooper (G3) at Gulfstream Park going a mile against a very strong field. In his prior start he won the seven-furlong Mr. Prospector (G3) with a stalking trip. (1) Repo Rocks was second in a pair of sprint stakes, one at Parx and then in the Toboggan (G3) at Aqueduct. (4) Prime Factor ships up to New York from Fair Grounds where he won an allowance in his first start for trainer Cherie DeVaux, a former assistant for Chad Brown.

9^th race [Busher, 1 mi] – The Busher is a [50-20-10-5] points qualifier on the road to the Kentucky Oaks. (6) Radio Days ships up from Shug McGaughey’s Florida base at Payson Park to stretch out to a mile. She won her first two starts in New York convincingly including an allowance at Aqueduct in December. She was second in the seven-furlong Forward Gal (G3) at Gulfstream with a late rally. (5) Magic Circle has never run a bad race in her career. She won the Busanda at Aqueduct last time with a front-end effort going nine-furlongs. She was third in the Demoiselle (G2) before that. Trainer Rudy Rodriguez goes for his third victory in the Busher. (4) Venti Valentine won her first two starts against NY-breds and then missed winning the Demoiselle at the Big A by a neck behind a talented filly in Nest. (3) Morning Matcha was second in her two starts at Aqueduct shipping up from Parx. She used a late rally in a NY Stallion Series stake and then the Busanda to get those place finishes.

Best bets: Chateau (3^rd); Radio Days (9^th). Best value: Scherzando (1^st); Don the Jeweler (2^nd).

Saturday Pick 3 Special --
The Saturday Special $1 Pick 3 covers races 1 – 3 and ends with the Tom Fool (G3)  à 5, 6, 7 with 2, 4 with 3, 5 = $16.