Aqueduct Hotlist - November 7

Today’s New York Hot List races to watch – Saturday, November 7, 2020 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 – (2) Striking Speed (A) got, to be blunt, a terrible ride last time out when the rider got off to a slow start and then rushed him up the inside to find traffic and yet he still managed to run second. Trainer Rudy Rodriguez does put up a new rider as he comes back in another starter allowance going a mile. (4) Grit and Glory ran into traffic down the stretch in a similar spot and still finished second beaten by less than a length. (1) Unrelenting Force has early speed and used it to run second in a NY-bred allowance in his last start. That race earned a career high speed figure. (3) Blood Moon was claimed from Linda Rice out of a 12 length victory in a $16,000 N2L race at Belmont that also got a high speed figure.

2^nd race – (1) Bonus Baby (B) broke through the gate in a NY-bred turf sprint and did very little running. In her prior race for a $40,000 tag at Saratoga she was second. With a smooth start back in a similar spot she is a win contender. (11) Ghostghostghost returned from a four month layoff in a race meant for the grass and ran second the entire race for the Steve Asmussen barn. They send her back looking to get that first try on the turf. (12) Excited Feeling gets blinkers on and drops back to the maiden claiming level after making two starts at Saratoga. (9) Dream Chasing flashed early speed in recent starts for Christophe Clement and that might be enough to compete in a field like this.

3^rd race – (3) Nonna Madeline won the Lady’s Secret at Monmouth Park with a pace pressing effort for Todd Pletcher. She is the likely favorite in the Turnback the Alarm (G3) going nine furlongs on the main track at Aqueduct. (2) Royal Flag was a just a nose behind the top choice in that stake at Monmouth. Before that the Chad Brown runner was second and third in a pair of Grade 3 races, one at Saratoga and the other back in New Jersey. (5) Mrs. Orb has a string of thirds in NY-bred stakes. Last year at Aqueduct she won three races in a row against state-breds. (1) Another Broad was second in this race last year and was third in the Lady’s Secret most recently. Her last win came at the Big A in the Top Flight in 2019.

9^th race – (2) Lottie’s Mizzion (C) was bet down from 7-1 to 7-2 and was a geared down winner of a $25,000 NY-bred maiden claimer by more than seven lengths. Now trainer Jorge Abreu steps her up to an allowance against state-breds. (6) Sharp Starr was overmatched in the Black-Eyed Susan (G2) but she was third in a NY-bred stakes race at Saratoga before that. (8) Blitchton Lady has four starts this year and she hit the board in all of them including a maiden special weight win and then two allowances at Belmont Park. (3) Cheatham Hill returns to Aqueduct where she had both of her wins. Last time at Belmont in an allowance condition like this she ran third after having the lead in the stretch.

Best bets: Striking Speed (1^st); Nonna Madeline (3^rd). Best value:  Bonus Baby (2^nd); Lottie’s Mizzion (9^th).

@NYHotList Saturday Pick 3 Special --
The Saturday Special $1 Pick 3 is on races 1-3:  2, 4 with 1, 2, 9, 11, 12 with 2, 3 = $20.