Belmont Park Hotlist - July 12

Today’s New York Hot List races to watch – Sunday, July 12, 2020 at Belmont Park
                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.

3^rd race – (8) She’s a Lumberjane (C) returned from a four-month layoff in a N2L claimer for $16,000 and ran third after getting bet down from 23-1 to 17-1. She is in a similar spot here. (3) First Dawn gets blinkers off in the third race after a layoff and drops back to the N2L condition. (2) Heartstrings moves from turf to dirt and drops down from a $40,000 claimer. (6) Wear My Ring gets blinkers on after a try on the grass that did not work out and drops into a claimer for the first time for Todd Pletcher.

4^th race – (10) Michael’s Bad Boy (C) made his 2020 debut in a similar NY-bred maiden claimer and ran second less than a length from the win while getting bet down from 9-2 to 3-1. (3) Klickitat makes his 2020 debut as a new gelding and drops into the claiming ranks for the first time with three consecutive second-place finishes. (12) Petrus makes his second start for trainer Michael Dickinson after a late running first race where he rallied for fourth. (2) Pier Forty has been off for a year, switches to the Asmussen barn, and tries a claimer for the first time.

7^th race – (7) Violent Delights (C) just missed by a head getting his second victory after a strong closing move in a N2L condition like this spot while getting bet down from 8-1 to 6-1. (2) Bobbyfromthepalm was last seen in December breaking his maiden by nine lengths for a $30,000 tag and is now in for $16,000. (3) Prince of New York has a second and a third under similar conditions in his last two starts. (9) Thenorthremembers ships to New York from Pennsylvania and drops out of two allowance races. He did break his maiden for a $20,000 tag by 22 lengths.

9^th race – (5) Dream Chasing (B) tossed her head at the start of her 2020 debut and then finished fifth for Christophe Clement. She is back in another NY-bred claimer on the turf. (6) High School Crush switched to the turf for the first time for trainer Gary Sciacca and ran a creditable fourth. (3) Magical Romance will make her third start of the current form cycle and gets journeyman Eric Cancel in the saddle. (12) Baby Girl debuted against open company in a maiden special weight at Tampa Bay Downs and now cuts back in distance while trying NY-breds for the first time.

Best bets:  Violent Delights (7^th); Dream Chasing (9^th). Best value:  She’s a Lumberjane (3^rd); Michael’s Bad Boy (4^th).