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.

3^rd race [Clm 16000 N2L, 1 mi] – (3) Bobby the Tank drops down in class and finds a field of horses that are slow breaking from the gate, so he is projected to get loose on the lead for Linda Rice. (1) Papi On Ice has several top three finishes at this level and is one to use underneath in exotic wagers. (4) Lucky Lucky Luke moves back to the dirt where his best races were run. The last time he raced at this level on the main track he finished third and got claimed. (7) Phantom Jewel was a maiden winner two races back and runs for the $16,000 tag for the first time.

4^th race [Clm 25000 N2L, 6 ½F] – (4) Frannie Lew is likely to get the lead and set the pace. She has run well twice at this level. (1) Jay’s Love was a maiden winner for a $30,000 tag, ran twice against tougher competition, and gets blinkers on. (7) Moonlit Weekend also broke her maiden for $30,000 and she gets blinkers off. (2) Dolce Sera was third in her most recent starts at this N2L claiming level.

6^th race [NY, OC 45k/N2X, 6F] – (1) Little Luca is projected to get loose on the lead and goes back to NY-bred competition where last he won a first-level allowance. He goes in here for the $45,000 claiming option and Manny Franco opts to stay on board. (5) Locke and Key has four top three finishes in a row and all of them were in state-bred allowances. (3) Ten Cent Town has a record that is similar to that of Locke and Key with strong performances against NY-breds. (4) Light Man won his debut at Saratoga in 2022 and then was away for a year and a half. In January he did not miss a beat and was second leading to an allowance score against state-breds.

7^th race [Clm 10000, 7F] – (7) Chocolate Shake came back from a seven month layoff, got claimed for $25,000 and then won for $14,000 in a N3L condition. (3) Honorary Degree was a winner for $10,000 in March and has raced against tougher competition since then. (6) Cajun Casanova was claimed five times for a smaller amount each time from $32,000 down to $16,000. (1) Datesfreedom won for $10,000 in February.

Best bets: Frannie Lew (4^th); Chocolate Shake (7^th). Best value: Bobby the Tank (3^rd); Little Luca (6^th).