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 worst
* - 4 or more betting notches if 11-1 or more.

1^st race [Md 20000, 6F] – (7) Union Belle flashed some speed in her third start, drops down in class, and gets first-time Lasix. (6) Brown as a Biscuit comes back in seven days after her 2024 debut which was her first start after the claim for Linda Rice. She pressed the pace and now cuts claiming price in half. (2) Extra Dirty has shown speed in most of her starts and also moves down from a $40,000 claimer. (4) Amy’s Light is a home-bred that did a little bit of running in her debut.

4^th race [Alw 50000s, 1 1/8 mi] – (2) Grandpa’s Kid was second and then third in a pair of starter allowances back in December after getting claimed for $14,000. (6) Proven Hope won her last two races moving from a N2L to the N3L claimer. (4) Night Effect is projected to get loose on the lead and used that speed to finish fourth in a starter allowance after getting claimed from a win for a $16,000 tag. (3) Centavo has the most career wins in the field with four including a win last time in an open claimer.

8^th race [OC 50k/N1X] – (7) Coppa Girl has three finishes in the top three at this level since November with speed figures that top this field. [(1) Toned Up / (1A) Essaouira] make an entry for owner Michael Dubb where both halves enter with the claiming option and multiple victories. (4) I Feel the Need was second in a starter allowance in her second start since being claimed by Linda Rice. (2) Rayya Valentine gets a pass for that start in the Ladies last month following her four-length maiden breaker.

9^th race [NY, Md Sp Wt, 1 mi] – (8) Berning Beauty (A) broke slowly in his debut, got far behind in a large field, and rallied with energy to finish fourth. Blinkers go on. (9) Saint Gaudens (A) was sent off at the favorite in his debut for Chad Brown. He broke at the back and got forced out wide on a track that was favoring the inside and speed horses. [(1) Quiet Wisdom / (1A) Big Ego] are part of a Repole Stable entry where both are contenders. (5) Merlin’s Moment is a first-time starter out of a mare that won $221,000 and has produced one runner that won at first asking.

Best bets: Grandpa’s Kids (4^th); Coppa Girl (8^th). Best value: Union Belle (1^st); Berning Beauty (9^th).