Belmont at the Big A Hotlist - October 28

Today’s New York Hot List races to watch – Friday, October 28, 2022
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 40000, 1 mi] – (2) Winning Connection (B) got bumped hard at the break and then was taken up. From last he raced very wide and got up for third. (5) Going in Style moved forward in his second start which was at BAQ as he finished third after pressing the pace behind a runaway winner. (3) Outlaw Country will drop into a maiden claimer in his second start for George Weaver. (8) Uncle Dan was in a very strong maiden special weight last time where the top two finishers came back to win their next starts.

2^nd race [Clm 14000 N3L, 1 mi] – (1A) Mr. Briggs (B) set the pace and finished third in his first race since a five-month layoff. (6) Lord Gatling was a winner in his first start for Linda Rice after getting claimed in July at Saratoga. (3) El Mayor will move back to the main track which looks to be his best surface and makes a big drop down in claiming price. (5) Forestwood Lane won his two races in the spring at Aqueduct and he was second at today’s level last time at BAQ.

4^th race [OC 62k/N2X, 1 mi TURF] – (5) Mirth ‘n Merriment (C) was last seen in August at Saratoga as a front-end winner when she was bet down from 15-1 to 11-1 in a $50,000 claimer. She earned the best speed figure of her career in that win. (2) Oakhurst drops out of three stakes races and will make her first start for trainer Michelle Nevin who is having an excellent meeting at BAQ. (7) Bramble Bay is the recent winner of two NJ-bred turf stakes races at Monmouth Park, one sprinting and one going a mile. She is projected to be the pace setter in this field. (3) Silvestri won her first start in North America in an allowance at Woodbine for Christophe Clement. In France, she ran second in a Group 3 race at Longchamp.

8^th race [Chelsey Flower, 1 1/16 mi TURF] – (1) Tax Implications was an impressive maiden winner for Chad Brown at Monmouth as the favorite defeating a filly that came back to break her maiden at BAQ. (2) Implicated got her first win last month at BAQ for Chad in her second start which was her first on the grass. (6) Smokie Eyes needed three tries to her first win but was second in her other races for the Clement barn. (5) Grand Oak will stretch out for Graham Motion who sent her to Royal Ascot after a maiden win at Churchill Downs. Since then she was fourth three times in stakes races.

Best bets:  Mr. Briggs (2^nd); Tax Implications (8^th). Best value:  Winning Connection (1^st); Mirth ‘n Merriment (4^th).