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.

2^nd race [NY, OC 45k/N2X, 1 1/8 mi TURF] – (3) Catch That Party (A) broke last in a field of 11 in his first start of the year and rallied strongly to finish third beaten by just a length. (2) Barrage was second in that same race as the Hot List horse in his first race for the New York turf season. (4) Grape Nuts Warrior ships up from Gulfstream Park, changes barns, and moves back to racing against NY-breds after winning a starter allowance in Florida last time out. (6) Agent Creed was also in that same race as the top two while making his first start of the year.

3^rd race [Md Sp Wt, 1 mi] – (8) Hollywoodland set a contested pace and finished second by a head in her third career start for Shug McGaughey. (2) Spell On You is a half-sister to Triple Crown winner Justify and will make her debut. The dam produced another stakes winner. (6) Pitch Clock is projected to get loose on the lead in her third start after pressing the pace last time. (5) Vita de Vito draws leading ride Irad Ortiz Jr. after this filly was third in her debut at Gulfstream.

5^th race [NY, Md Sp Wt, 5F] – (1) Antonio of Venice (A) helped set the pace in his debut and finished second well ahead of the rest / (1A) Khadullah (B) was also a clear second in his first career start after setting the pace but is second on the AE List in here. (5) Works for Me ran a close third in his first career race at Churchill Downs last month. (8) Mischief Joke adds blinkers after a second and then a third this year. (9) Dr Schuster will make his debut for a trainer that wins with 24% of his firsters.

9^th race [NY, Md Sp Wt, 1 mi TURF] – [(13) Captain Party (A) will be the top choice if he draws into the field from the AE list.] (5) All Good Here (D) was bet down from 8-1 to 9-2 in April at Tampa Bay Downs where he got bumped early in the race and had to check. (6) Chulligan will make his first start of the year. He had a promising debut at Saratoga and then was off since October. He is the son of $1.5 million dollar earner Bar of Gold who won the Breeders’ Cup F&M Sprint and has produced a stakes winner on the turf. (1) Born Dancer is still a maiden but was third in a NY Stallion Series Stakes last year and makes his 2023 debut. (10) Tony O has competitive speed figures this year for a good turf trainer.

Best bets: Catch That Party (2^nd); Antonio of Venice (5^th). Best value: Hollywoodland (3^rd); All Good Here (9^th).