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 Sp Wt, 1 mi] – (6) Watch Hill (C) was bet down from 8-1 to 6-1 and then set the pace to finish second when he stretched out to the mile distance. (5) Twirling Vine was on the lead in a mile race, ended up third, and is projected to be out front again. (1) Clever Forever gets blinkers on after rallying wide for second in his last two starts. (3) Wanna Winna has been off since April with past races and speed figures that could win in this spot.

2^nd race [NY, Md 40000, 6F] – (4) Mangia (B) was claimed for $30,000 just three weeks ago after running second well clear of the rest of the field. (7) Dolce Veloce was heavily bet in her first two starts, ran well for Bill Mott, and now drops into a claimer for the first time. (6) Speights Dance was second in a maiden claimer two races ago and then was fourth when she stepped back up to a maiden special weight. (1) Amy’s Light has been working steadily for her debut with Lasix as a 3-year-old.

5^th race [Clm 12500, 1 mi] – (2) Goldini (B) was rallying last time when he got into tight quarters on the rail and did not want to go through a narrow opening resulting in a fourth-place finish. (8) Cool Quartet was second by a nose and got claimed for $16,000 last month. The last time that he ran for today’s tag he won by more than six lengths. (7) Pit Boss was third at this level last time and should get hustled to the lead in here. (3) Grumps Little Tots is a veteran of racing at this level and frequently hits the board.

8^th race [NY, Md Sp Wt, 6 ½ F] – (2) Eastern Star (B) climbed from kickback and after settling down was able to rally briskly to get a close fourth after breaking on the lead in her first two starts. (1) Ghostbustin was the favorite in her debut, missed the win by a neck after running second the whole race, and gets projected to be on the lead. (3) Monetary Monarch was heavily bet in her second start she finished ahead of the Hot List horse back in November. (7) Accelerina improved when moving back to the dirt last time.

Best bets: Mangia (2^nd); Goldini (5^th). Best Value: Watch Hill (1^st); Eastern Star (8^th).