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 40000, 1 mi] – (1) Midnight Express (C) was bet down from 6-1 to 3-1 and then ran second the entire race which was his second try at the $25,000 claiming level. (4) West Star (C) had the lead in a $25,000 race, had the lead at the quarter pole, and also finished second after taking late money that dropped his odds from 4-1 to 2-1. (5) Wonker Warrior debuted two weeks ago at odds of 9-2 and finished fifth after racing five-wide. (2) Connect the Brocks was third last race when he dropped down from a maiden special weight and gets Lasix for the first time.

2^nd race [Clm 25000 N2L, 7F] – (6) Cheeky Tico (B) moved from his maiden victory to this N2L condition to finish second but with a noteworthy improvement in speed figures. He will cut back to seven furlongs where he was winner. (2) Semper Fidelis makes a big drop in class to run in this condition for the first time and ships up from Parx. (1) Major Spin was claimed for $40,000 in a N2L race where he raced second and then tried three races that were just too tough and now drops back to the N2L. (3) Jet Speed was claimed from his last two starts for  $16,000 where he ran third and the second with the same speed figure.

5^th race [NY, Md 25000, 6F] – (1A) Fuligni (C) set the pace and finished second in a race where she was bet down from 6-1 to 3-1. (6) Aeron Warrior ran third in her first start at the $40,000 level, then stepped up to a maiden special weight where he had a troubled trip and was last, far behind. (8) Mrs Bell returned to the NY-bred ranks after three starts at Penn National and improved her position despite having a very wide trip. (2) Follow the Fed hit the board three times in maiden claimers.

6^th race [OC50k/SAL50k] – (5) Lady Shylock (C) won her debut for a $30,000 tag when she was bet down from 7-1 to 7-2 and then was third at this level last month after setting the pace. (6) Curlins Choir won her first two starts while racing on the lead and was claimed for $32,000. (3) Howzyourcashflow won her debut race by almost 10 lengths for a $20,000 tag as part of a 2-1 entry. (2) Grace and Charm won a maiden special weight at Laurel Park by four lengths and then tried a stakes race three weeks later.

Best bets:  Midnight Express (1^st); Fuligni (5^th). Best value:  Cheeky Tico (2^nd); Lady Shylock (6^th).