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.

2^nd race [NY, Md 30000, 1 mi] – (5) Ten Ten (A) ran second in her debut at 4-1 for Todd Pletcher and was well clear of the rest of the field. (1) Apollonia Vitelli will return to NY-bred competition for the second time in her career. Two races back at Aqueduct she was second for a $25,000 tag. (2) Sendera came back in just seven days and trainer Linda Rice has excellent stats with a positive ROI doing so. (3) Dancing Liana was second in her debut as a heavy favorite in March.

6^th race [Alw 50000s, 1 1/8 mi] – (5) Night Effect (C) was bet down from 6-1 to 4-1, set the pace, and then finished second beaten by a nose. (6) Debate was a winner back in October for a $40,000 tag. He returned after a winter layoff and raced in three starter allowances with a pair of third-place finishes. (4) Principe d’Oro was claimed last time from a 4 ½ length victory for $25,000. (1) Storming Chrome is the only horse in the field with a victory at nine furlongs.

8^th race [Alw 100000 N1X, 1 mi TURF] – (2) Ruse (D) took late money from 7-1 to 9-2, got jostled around, and could only finish seventh. (7) Operation Torch was last seen racing at Saratoga and changed barns this year. In five career starts he hit the board in four of them. (4) Royal Spirit comes back from a winter layoff when he finished in the top three in 7 out of his last 8 starts. (8) Scramble made his first start of the year in March when he raced on the rail and got blocked.

9^th race [Vagrancy (G3), 6 ½ F] – (2) Big Pond changed barns recently to Bill Mott after finishing seventh in the Madison (G1) at Keeneland in April. The California-bred began her career against state-breds and later was second by a nose in the LaBrea (G1) at Santa Anita. He won two Cal-bred stakes races as a 3-year-old. (1) Hot Fudge has 8 wins from 14 career starts including six at Aqueduct with three stakes victories this winter in New York. In the Distaff (G3) last month, she stumbled, grabbed a quarter badly, and tore off a shoe causing the aberrant finish. (4) Asset Purchase started three times last year with an eight-length debut victory followed by a second in the Busher at the Big A. She returned from a year layoff last month to win an allowance for Chad Brown and Klaravich Stables. (6) Beguine is a stakes winner and graded-stakes placed and most recently settled in as a sprinter. She will ship up from Delaware Park for veteran trainer Ned Allard.

Best bets:  Ten Ten (2^nd); Big Pong (9^th). Best value: Night Effect (6^th); Ruse (8^th).

Saturday Pick 3 Special --
The Saturday Special $1 Pick 3 covers races 6-8 and includes the Vagrancy (G3) à 1, 4, 5, 6 with 1A, 2, 5 with 2, 7 = $34.