Buy TicketsBy 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 4th or worse
* - 4 or more betting notches if 11-1 or more.
1st race – (2) Saltwater Taffy was a nice second last time and has worked well for this race. (4) Uncaptured Dove switches to turf and adds Irad. (8) Tiz Ready has speed and could be tough to catch. (5) Vino Frizzante should be competitive on turf. Betting strategy: 2 to win, place. Exacta box: 2-4-5-8.
3rd race – (1) Senor Marcelo was third in his debut and gets a good boost switching from a 7-pound bug to Irad. (8) Into Pleasure tired and finishing sixth in his debut in mud. May improve on a dry track. (9) Tucson is an interesting firster from Pletcher. (2) Wistucky has enough speed to pose a problem for his rivals. Betting strategy: 1 to win, place. Exacta box: 1-2-8-9.
6th race – (2) Governing Party had some trouble last time and can bounce back with a winning effort here. (10) Cipher was third in his debut and seems to be the one to fear. (5) No More War should be well-suited by turf. (11) Cyber Security could be a factor in his initial start. Betting strategy: 2 to win, place. Exacta box: 2-5-10-11.
10th race – (10) Arzak gets some class relief after running in the Breeders’ Cup and looks best here. (11) Coppola could work out a nice trip from an outside post. (6) Okiro may respond to a switch back to turf. (1) Masseto may benefit from a rail trip. Betting strategy: 10 to win, place. Exacta box: 1-6-10-11. Doubles: 1-6-10-11 with 1-2-3-4.
11th race - (1) Tuscan Sky was second in a New York stakes and should get the win here. (2) Tumbarumba is ultra consistent but tends to finish second. (4) Digital Ops is worth a look in his first start for Joseph. (3) Cape Trafalgar cannot be ignored in this field. Betting strategy: 1 to win, place. Exacta box: 1-2-3-4.