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.
2nd race – (2) Kid Mattie Matt gets plenty of speed to chase and can work out a winning trip. (8) Bad Gal Party flopped in a stakes but can rebound here. (5) Maddy R looked good in winning her turf debut. (1) Glory Glory gets the benefit of a rail trip. Betting strategy: 2 to win, place. Exacta box: 1-2-5-8.
4th race – (2) Oconee Life was third last time and can take a step forward here. (3) Steeler Mischief drops off the Fawkes claim and should be a main threat. (6) Freakazoid looked good in his first try on Tapeta. Betting strategy: 2 to win, place. Exacta box: 2-3-6. Doubles: 2-3-6 with 1-3-11-12.
5th race – (1) Salamis moves to turf for Brown and should thrive on it. (3) Murabeh is an interesting firster. (11) Battle Drum will welcome a return to turf. (12) Roscoe Pine should benefit from his debut but landed a rough post. Betting strategy: 1 to win, place. Exacta box: 1-3-11-12.
8th race – (5) Oscar Season missed by a head at Churchill Downs and looks best here. (7) Fredo has been rested and seems set for a sharp try. (9) Princetown turned in a solid effort to win his turf debut and cannot be ignored. (8) Samburu fits in with this group. Betting strategy: 5 to win, place. Exacta box: 5-7-8-9.
10th race - (2) Lord of War has been away but returns at a level where he can prevail. (10) Yono was fourth at this level last time and switches to Gaffalione. (1) Lucky Curlin will get a boost from a ground-saving trip. (11) Space Launch has a bad post but has talent. Betting strategy: 2 to win, place. Exacta box: 1-2-10-11.