Churchill Downs Hotlist - May 31

Today’s Churchill Downs Hot List races to watch
Sunday, May 31, 2020

By Bob Ehalt and Matt Shifman

Hot List Key:     

A : A preferred horse to watch                   B: Secondary horse to watch
*C: Went down 2 or more betting notches in the final 3 minutes 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.

2nd race – (1) Strong Yen (A) comes off a strong, front-running victory on the opening day of the meet. Can wire this field from the rail. (3) Cave Run drops off a claim and could be effective at this level. (5) Crush It should be closing quickly in the stretch. (4) Here’s Carlos was second to the top pick and should be in the picture again. Betting strategy: 1 to win, place. Exacta box: 1-3-4-5.

4th race - (9) Ginseng was second in her last three starts and can finally reach the winner’s circle here. (5) Swange returns to turf and should bounce back after a weak showing in a stakes. (4) Seahawk Lisa could wake up in this spot. (6) His Glory might perk up on turf. Betting strategy: 9 to win, place. Exacta box: 4-5-6-9. Doubles: 4-5-6-9 with 1-3-8-9.

5th race - (3) Paris Lights was a useful third on a sloppy track in her debut. Should move forward here. (8) Glamour Girl usually hits the board and could be the main threat while switching to Garcia. (1) Plea switches barns and might wake up here. (9) Jeweled Princess might appreciate a two-turn distance. Betting strategy: 3 to win, place. Exacta box: 1-3-8-9.

9th race – (2) Royal Flag (C) dropped from 6-5 to 3-5 and posted an impressive win in his first try against winners. Should be hard to handle here. (4) More Roses has been away since June but can continue his winning ways. (3) Sara Sea had some traffic problems last time and should benefit from picking up Johnny V. (5) Razeena missed by a head and cannot be ignored here. Betting strategy: 2 to win, place. Exacta box: 2-3-4-5. Doubles: 2-3-4-5 with 2-3-4-7.

10th race – (4) Win d’Oro had trouble at the start and then rallied quickly to finish within a length of the winner. Makes amends for that setback today. (2) Opus North flopped after a five-month layoff but may benefit from that trip and be more competitive here. (7) Vasariano may appreciate moving over to the turf course. (3) Suggested was hurt by a wide trip last time. Betting strategy: 3 to win, place.  Exacta box: 2-3-4-7.