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 [Md 30000, 7F] – (6) Best Coast was claimed for $40,000 in July at Saratoga from her second start after setting the pace and finished third behind a horse that won her next start. (2) Tooshay ran the best race of her career at Saratoga going a mile after stalking the pace she got to within a head of the lead and finished second. (1) Don’t Tell Amy pressed the pace in the same race as Tooshay, finished third, and gets blinkers on now. (8) Be Best was eased in her last start in August and subsequently did not miss any training and now makes her first start in a claimer for a trainer that has excellent numbers with that move.

2^nd race [Gio Ponti, 1 mi TURF] – (1) City Fever (A) was an impressive winner in his second start after pressing the pace beating a horse that came back to win his next start. (5) Appraise has a pair of seconds in Grade 2 races most recently in the Hall of Fame (G2) at Saratoga after having the lead. He finished between horses that won their next starts in stakes races. (3) Northern Invader moved from a maiden win at Belmont in his turf debut to running fifth in the Secretariat (G2). (4) Ohana Honor moved back to the grass and ran the best race of his career in an allowance at Colonial Downs.

6^th race [Clm 30000 N2L, 1 1/16 mi TURF] – (6) Carpe’s Dream (D) was bet down from 11-1 to 6-1 when he dropped into a claiming race for the first time. (3) Forwardly drops in for a tag for the first time after running in a starter allowance in his 2023 debut. (1) Forward Move ran the best race of his career on the turf in the first race of his career and then got moved to the main track in his last two starts where he showed speed. (10) Into It broke his maiden for a $40,000 tag in his first start for trainer Rick Dutrow.

7^th race [Md Sp Wt, 1 mi] – (9) Drum Roll Please (B) made a big improvement in his second start when he had an increase in speed figures and ran second behind Locked who is the favorite in the Breeders’ Futurity (G1). (5) Hunt Ball (A) broke slowly, rushed up, and finished second in his Saratoga debut at 4-1 for Bill Mott. He is a half-brother of Cody’s Wish. (8) Enlighten got off to a tangled start in his debut at 4-1 for Todd Pletcher behind a Chad Brown horse that is expected to be one of the favorites in the Champagne (G1) on Saturday. (7) Digital Ops was a $600,000 purchase in March of this year and now makes his debut for Chad Brown.

Best bets:  Best Coast (1^st); Drum Roll Please (7^th). Best value:  City Fever (2^nd); Carpe’s Dream (6^th).