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.

2^nd race – (5) Courageous Clay (B) closed nicely to be second at Kentucky Downs and can make amends for that setback here. (7) Executor was second at Hawthorne and should be a main threat here. (9) Altiplano could be ready for a big effort here. (11) Chapman’s Peak may perk up in his second start. Betting strategy: 5  to win, place. Exacta box: 5-7-9-11. Doubles: 5-7-9-11 with 1-2-3.

3^rd race – (2) Peak Popularity comes off two New York wins and could be hard to catch here. (1) Positano Sunset was second in a $300,000 stakes and looms the main threat. (3) Take a Stand should pose a threat in the final yards. Betting strategy: 2 to win, place. Exacta box: 1-2-3. 

5th race – (3) Vesture could lead throughout in this field. (9) Tifareeh could pose a threat if the pace gets too fast. (11) Protective may like a switch to turf. (4) The Ginger Wizard is worth a look in his US debut. Betting strategy: 3 to win, place.  Exacta box: 3-4-9-11.

7th race – (9) No Nay Hudson (B) had traffic issues last time but could bounce back here. (11) Boat’s a Rockin looks like the one to catch from an outside post. (10) Mid Day Image belongs in the exotics. (8) Jean Valjean will welcome a return to turf. Betting strategy: 9 to win, place. Exacta box: 8-9-10-11.

9^th race – The Bank of America Valley View (G2) - (8) Buttercream Babe was off slow and didn’t fire at Kentucky Downs. Gets a second chance here. (1) Opera Mundi is an interesting foreign shipper. (4) Les Reys was impressive in her US debut. (5) Kalispera might bounce back to top form with a big effort here. Betting strategy: 8 to win, place. Exacta box: 1-4-5-8.