By Bob Ehalt and Matt Shifman

Hot List Key:

A : A preferred horse to watch                   B: Secondary horse to watch
*C: Went down 2 or more betting notches in the final 3 minutes 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.

2nd race – (5) Air Combat hasn’t raced since January but switches to Cox’s barn and takes a big class drop. (2) Fire Bryan steps up off a win and claim and merits respect. (8) Trigger Happy has speed and could be tough to catch. (3) G T Five Hundred is worth a look despite moving up after a claim. Betting strategy: 5 to win, place. Exacta box: 2-3-5-8. Doubles: 2-3-5-8 with 1-3-6-10.

3rd race – (1) Away From Home should appreciate the shorter distance here. (6) Empire’s Best will be dangerous in a claimer. (3) We Will Conquer drops a notch and cannot be overlooked. (10) Café Racer should be competitive in this group. Betting strategy: 1 to win, place. Exacta box: 1-3-6-1010.

5th race – (3) Risk Profile returns to a claimer and should prove best. (5) Upstriker has speed and could be tough to catch at this level. (7) Steinbeck might perk up off the Asmussen claim. (1) Devoted to You will benefit from a rail trip. Betting strategy: 3 to win, place. Exacta box: 1-3-5-7.

7th race – (6) Attache (A) was claimed out of an impressive victory by Hartman and deserves top billing. (3) Born Flawless seeks a third straight win and will be a main contender. (4) Chance should appreciate the distance. (2) Supremely won nicely last time and fits in nicely. Betting strategy: 6 to win, place.  Exacta box: 2-3-4-6.

9th race – (10) Salming rallied belatedly in his debut for fourth and should take a big step forward here. (8) Gagliardi could be a main threat in his debut. (12) Yaqui Valley has enough speed to offset the outside post. (2) Mohawk River was fifth in his debut and could be closer today. Betting strategy: 10 to win, place. Exacta box: 2-8-10-12.