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 [NY, Md 25000, 6 ½ F] – (6) Trevor Bardette (C) was bet down from 9-2 to 5-2 as he dropped into a maiden claimer for the first time. He pressed the pace, got the lead, but lost a head bob to finish second. (2) Steerage has a pair of second-place finishes in $40,000 maiden claimers. (4) Makart finished in the top three in his last three starts. (1) Zeebar will make the first start of his career for Linda Rice.

2^nd race [NY, Md 40000, 1 mi] – (2) Two Redheads (B) was second last time in her first start for Linda Rice and now drops into a maiden claimer for the first time. (7) Bernt Again (A) set the pace and lost by a nose at the wire while far ahead of the rest of the field. (4) Hypnocurrency will get Lasix for the first time as she returns to a claiming race against NY-breds. (5) Strange Fruit finished third in her debut on a muddy track at Aqueduct and now stretches out to a mile.

3^rd race [NY, Broadway, 7F] – (2) Betsy Blue won a pair of open company stakes races at Aqueduct where she has a stellar record of 12: 8-1-1 and has four wins at the seven-furlong distance. Although the pace may not be very fast, she will still be able to sit in her usual stalking position. (4) Bank Sting is another Aqueduct lover with a record of 9: 6-2-0 with four wins at today’s distance. Last seen in December she did finish ahead of the top choice in the Go for Wand (G3). (1) November Rein has been off since November and is a past winner of a NY-bred stakes race. (3) Know It All Audrey won 4 out of her last 6 starts, all of them were at the Big A.

9^th race [Md 40000, 6 ½ F] – (7) Paros (D) was bet down from 15-1 to 10-1 in his first start for Linda Rice and finished fifth and now he drops into a maiden claimer for the first time. (6) Super Coach Fred was second in his debut that was at this level and he finished well ahead of the rest of the field. (4) Chess Spectacular will make his first start of the year as a new gelding with blinkers on and first-time Lasix and moves to the claiming ranks for the first time. (2) Financial Strength made one start last year on the turf at Monmouth Park for Chad Brown and also tries a claimer as he returns as a gelding.

Best bets:  Two Redheads (2^nd); Betsy Blue (3^rd). Best value:  Trevor Bardette (1^st); Paros (7^th).