Keeneland Hotlist - July 9

Today’s Keeneland Hot List races to watch
Thursday, July 9, 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.

1st race – (4) Rustler (A) was taken up at the start in his debut and then rallied to finish third. Should take a step forward with a clean start. (5) Fauci was second to a well-meant Pletcher juvenile and should be fine on turf. (6) Frosted Prayer might improve on turf. (12) King Uhtred has an interesting pedigree for turf. Betting strategy: 4 to win, place. Exacta box: 4-5-6-12.

3rd race - (4) The Great Dansky returns to a claimer and looks like the one to beat. (9) Pyron drops a notch after a good second place finish and could be the main rival. (1) Holly Blame should benefit from a switch to Rosario. (6) Riverboat Gambler might wake up on dirt. Betting strategy: 4 to win, place. Exacta box: 1-4-6-9. Doubles: 1-4-6-9 with 1-4-7-10.

4th race - (1) Quarterback Dak comes off a sharp maiden win and can score another touchdown here. (10) Revenio figures to be a factor at this level. (4) Urbanite debuts off the Foster claim and should be closing late. (7) Stealth was a distant second last time and could be closer here. Betting strategy: 1 to win, place. Exacta box: 1-4-7-10.

7th race - (11) Moral Reasoning made a wide, belated rally in a Churchill Downs stakes and has the kind of running style that should help her overcome a bad post. (4) Love Beach had some traffic issues in her first start in eight months and should be more competitive here. (6) A K’s Song shapes up as a factor in the final furlong. (9) Ella Brilla has never been worse than third and belongs in the exotics. Betting strategy: 11 to win, place. Exacta box: 4-6-9-11. Doubles: 4-6-9-11 with 2-8-9-10

8th race – (8) Dos Vinos (C) dropped from 5-1 to 7-2 and overcame an awkward start to win his last try. Should work out another winning trip here. (9) Lead Guitar can make sweet music while moving over to the main track. (10) Club Car won decisively last time and should be a major contender. (2) Cardamon didn’t care for turf last time but should rebound on dirt. Betting strategy: 8 to win, place. Exacta box: 2-8-9-10.