Churchill Downs Hotlist - November 26

Today’s Churchill Downs Hot List races to watch
Thursday, Nov. 26, 2020

Happy Thanksgiving!

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.

1st race – (7) Folly (C) dropped from 7-1 to 5-1 and pulled out a hard-fought win. Fits in nicely with this group and can make it two in a row. (5) Shackleford County stretches out to a mile but has enough speed to be a main factor. (6) Seeds of Time might welcome a switch to dirt. (3) Centerfold Angel was fourth in her last two starts but should be helped by more distance. Betting strategy: 7 to win, place. Exacta box: 3-5-6-7.

4th race - (1) Charlie’sarchangel (C) took late action in dipping from 8-5 to 6-5 and responded with a solid win. Moves up off a claim but is in sharp enough form to handle it. (2) Lone Rock was claimed by Mott out of a win and should be the one to fear. (4) Intrepid Heart might rebound here. (6) Hardly a Secret debuts for Diodoro and should be considered a threat. Betting strategy: 1 to win, place. Exacta box: 1-2. Exactas: 1-2 with 4-6 and 4-6 over 1-2.

9th race – (11) Tough Love (C) was bet down from 2-1 to 8-5 and posted a frontrunning win. Should be tough to catch in this spot as well. (7) Sombeyay would prefer turf but ran well enough on dirt in the past to be a factor here. (8) Borracho has been working quickly and might wake up here. (1) Strike Power is worth a look in his debut for Asmussen. Betting strategy: 11 to win, place. Exacta box: 1-7-8-11. Doubles: 1-7-8-11 with 1-3-4-6. Pick 3: 1-7-8-11 with 1-3-4-6 with 1-5-6-10.

10th race – (3) Bonny South just missed while trying to rally from last over a speed-favoring course at Pimlico. She figures to work out a winning trip here. (4) Smooth With a Kick can build off a win in her last start and be a factor in this spot. (1) Envoutante broke through with a graded stakes win last time and cannot be ignored. (6) Cash Out won via DQ after being bumped and seems capable of a competitive effort. Betting strategy: 3 to win, place. Exacta box: 1-3-4-6. Doubles: 1-3-4-6 with 1-5-6-10.

11th race – (1) Answer In (A) will need some scratches in order to run but if he gets in, he should be tough to beat. Last time, he was steadied and then hard held for a while before rallying in the eight path. Only lost by two lengths and can make amends here. Entrymate Gallant Plunger also seems like a main threat on his best try. (6) Pirate Rick (B) set fast fractions and recorded an impressive win against claimers. He should be hard to reel in here as well. (10) Girolamo’s Attack was a game third last time and should not be ignored. (5) Wild Behavior didn’t fire after a long layoff but recent works indicate he can perk up here.  Betting strategy: 1 to win, place. Exacta box: 1-5-6-10.