Belmont Park Hotlist - June 3

Today’s New York Hot List races to watch – Wednesday, June 3, 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.

1^st race – (2) Cobble Hill (D) dropped down to his lowest point in a $20,000 maiden claiming race back in October and switched from turf to dirt. His prior two races looked bad on paper, the latest was a failed try on the grass and in the other he was out classed in a maiden special weight. Bettors were expecting an improved effort, as was I, and his odds dropped from 9-1 to 7-1. He was very wide the entire race and down the stretch the jockey did not even ask him. He has switched to the barn of Rob Atras who wins with 27% of his new runners and Irad Ortiz gets the mount. (5) Vero Sun ships up from Parx and drops out of a series of good maiden special weights. (9) Dodged a Bullet will likely be on the lead at the start and again ships up from Parx, but he has a second at Aqueduct at this level in February. (4) Star of the West was claimed from Joe Sharp by Rudy Rodriguez at Saratoga and now returns with blinkers on.

5^th race – (6) Remoane (A) makes her second career start for Tom Morley and goes from dirt to turf after a tough trip in her debut where she got rank when stuck in traffic. The trouble does not show up in the PPs, so good odds are likely. (1) Strongerthanuknow is a well-bred Colts Neck Stable runner who returns from a September break. She ran second in the Colleen at Monmouth Park in August. (10) Saratoga Love had two competitive efforts on the Aqueduct turf in the fall. She returns with Lasix for the first time for Christophe Clement. (9) Fractorzation showed promise in her first turf sprint when second in November. Something happened in her next start on the dirt and she returns back on the grass for John Kimmel.

7^th race – (5) Our Troubadour (C) broke from the far outside of a 10-horse field having gotten bet from 8-1 to 6-1. Going six-furlongs, he had a wide trip throughout and picked up a few spots to rally from seventh to get the show spot. He’s back in another NY-bred maiden claimer for a $25,000 tag. (10) Inside Info switches to the barn of Brad Cox and now returns from a September layoff when he ran fifth in a state-bred stake at Finger Lakes. (4) Bronze Lion was last seen in February getting second after racing on the lead in another NY-bred maiden claimer. Speed is always dangerous from the Asmussen barn. (11) Forest Spirit ran third in his debut after flashing some speed in a maiden special weight and now drops into the claiming ranks for Carlos Martin.

10^th race – (7) Justice of War (C) made that difficult jump from a $20,000 maiden claiming victory to face winners in a $40,000 N2L claimer and was bet from 6-1 to 7-2 for Linda Rice. My rule of thumb is that in the move to face winners the claiming price should be below that of the maiden race. Making a jump in tag, he picked up a couple of positions to get third. Now, he returns at an ideal level at the N2L condition for $16,000. (1) In the Loop was a debut winner and then ran fourth in a Grade 3 at Gulfstream Park last year. He takes a huge drop in class after a September layoff. (6) Beach Front has a third and a second at this level before Aqueduct closed in March. (4) Our Stormin Norman has hit the board 11 times and is likely to do so again.

Best bets:  Cobble Hill (1^st); Justice of War (10^th).  Best value:  Remoane (5^th); Our Troubador (7^th).