Belmont Park Hotlist - June 11

Today’s New York Hot List races to watch – Friday, June 11, 2021 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.

6^th race [NY, Md Sp Wt, 1 mi TURF] – (10) Kreesa La Wrote (C) finished second sprinting last time behind a Jorge Abreu firster in a quality maiden race when she was bet down from 6-1 to 7-2. (9) Epona’s Dream was third beaten by less than a length in his return to turf racing going a distance of ground. (3) Marvelous Maude will make her debut for Chad Brown after lots of workouts beginning in Florida. (8) Just Ok is Not Ok raced five wide in his second career start for Todd Pletcher behind the second choice above.

7^th race [OC 80k/C, 6 ½ F] – (2) Slam Dunk (C) has three excellent starts this year beginning with an allowance win at Gulfstream Park which led to a stakes race in Florida and then a second at Belmont Park in the next level allowance behind a very fast filly where she was bet down from 8-1 to 5-1. (7) Finding Fame won the first two races of her career at Gulfstream last year and then faced some tough fields. Back at Belmont she was second going a mile after having the lead at the top of the stretch. (6) Don’t Call Me Mary has been off since a four-length allowance win in Florida in March for Todd Pletcher. (3) Dealing Justice had a big allowance victory at Churchill Downs last month for Ray Handal.

8^th race [Alw 92000 N1X, 1 ¼ mi TURF] – (2) Box N Score (D) was fourth against a tough field in April at Aqueduct when he was bet from 9-1 to 7-1. (11) Point Him Out (C) also took late money and in his case his odds dropped from 11-1 to 7-1. That was in a NY-bred allowance race. (7) Shamrocket last seen was fourth in the Man O’War (G1) at Belmont. In 14 starts he was off the board only twice. He began his career with Christophe Clement and is now racing for Pletcher. (6) Compliant will make his 2021 debut for Chad Brown and Klaravich Stables. Last year, he raced in long-distance turf races like this one and was second by a nose in November before turf racing ended at Aqueduct for the winter.

9^th race [NY, Md 40000, 1 mi TURF] – (12) Damilano (D) has four career starts and three times caught sloppy tracks, one was in his last start in a race carded for the grass where he was bet down from 8-1 to 6-1. He’ll hope to finally get to race on a dry grass course. (4) Masked Marauder will return to the grass and stretch back out while dropping into a claimer for the first time. His best race was at a mile on the turf. (7) Majestic Sky made a significant improvement when he switched to the turf and ran second going seven furlongs for John Kimmel. (9) Tanners Neck Lane gets first-time Lasix in his 2021 debut where he, too, will move back to the grass and drop in for a tag. [If (13) Portfolio Hedge draws into the race from the AE list he will become the fourth choice.]

Best bets:  Kreesa la Wrote (6^th); Slam Dunk (7^th). Best value: Box N Score (8^th); Damilano (9^th).