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 [Gallant Bloom (G2), 6 ½ F] – (2) Nic’s Style (A) returned from a nine-month layoff to win an allowance easily. She is now undefeated in three starts, all by open-lengths as the favorite for Bill Mott. (3) Ways and Means won her last two starts moving from an allowance to the Test (G1) at Saratoga as the odds-on favorite. (1) Sterling Silver is a multiple winner of NY-bred stakes races with a nearly 10 length score at Saratoga. (4) Pacific Rose had a pair of allowance wins at Monmouth Park this summer.

4^th race [Clm 10000, 7F] – (8) Optic Way (C) was bet down from 12-1 to 7-1, set the pace, and got caught by the heavy favorite. (9) Classic Mark makes a significant drop down in claiming price with good efforts at $16,000. (1) High Heat comes from a pair of starter allowances at Monmouth where he finished in the top three. (5) Hatch was claimed from his last three races where he finished second twice.

5^th race [Clm 40000 N2L, 1 1/16 TURF] – (6) Brainstorming (A) got checked badly early in his last race and was third in a blanket finish. (2) Frizzante (A) was unlucky to lose by a nose when she got floated out very wide on an inside favoring track and got claimed. (10) Decanted will drop into a claimer for the first time after racing in large strong fields recently. (7) Adventurous Spirit returned from a layoff to win in his first try in a maiden claimer.

9^th race [OC 50k/N1X, 1 3/16 TURF] – (5) Classic Creation (B) got steadied at the quarter pole after he rallied to be in second and was forced to finish third. (8) Bourbon Day is in for the $50,000 claiming option because of his five victories that include a second-level allowance win. He was claimed for $30,000 earlier in the year. (1) Spirit Prince is a past stakes winner and is twice graded-stakes placed. (9) L’Antharis came back from a year layoff after racing in France to start his career. In a Saratoga allowance he rallied, had the lead, and was beaten by only a half-length.

Best bets: Nic’s Style (2^nd); Optic Way (4^th). Best value: Brainstorming (5^th); Classic Creation (9^th).