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 worst
* - 4 or more betting notches if 11-1 or more.

1^st race [Md Sp Wt, 1 1/16 mi TURF] – (9) Asbury Park will make his debut going long on the turf with European breeding from the sire and the dam. (4) Reach for the Rose made his first start in May at Gulfstream Park in a turf sprint stakes race. (1) Sam’s Rocket tossed his head at the break in his career first appearance at 8-1 for Bill Mott. (3) Insubordination will also start his racing career as the son of two European parents.

2^nd race [NY, Md Sp Wt, 6F] – (4) The Toner (B) has made five starts already hitting the board four times including last race when he was second behind an impressive winner and was well clear of the rest of the field. (8) Friend Ofthe Devil debuts with a fast workout last week and a $145,000 yearling purchase from a $6,500 stallion. (6) But Now Am Found ran a very fast breeze for a trainer that has surprised with first-time starters in the past at Saratoga. (9) King’s Leap ran thirds in his debut at 8-1 during opening week at the Spa.

3^rd race [OC25K/SAL25k, 1 mi] – (1) Deck of Cards won her last five starts going back to last year while racing on the front-end. Two of the wins were in starter allowances. (3) Batucada drops back to a starter allowance where last seen she was a winner. She exits a pair of stakes races on artificial surfaces and gets back on her best surface. (5) Cinderella’s Cause has six top three finishes in a row with two wins at Aqueduct in the spring and three seconds in top-level NY-bred allowances. (8) Movie Moxie moves back to a better level from a second in a stakes race to a tough allowance spot.

4^th race [NY, Alw 95000, 1 mi TURF] – (2) Dusk (B) was jostled and had to check in the stretch of her second start of the year. (1) Red Burgundy won a maiden special weight on the turf and then tried an open company stakes. She gets first-time Lasix and blinkers come off. (4) She Takes Cash has been racing in Florida all year and now is back against state-breds. (7) Elliptic was claimed for $50,000 from her maiden victory against open-company in Kentucky and will go against NY-breds for the first time.

5^th race [Md Sp Wt, 6F] – (8) I Got Game was heavily bet in his first two starts. He was second in his debut but then had trouble early in his next race. (6) Classicist has excellent works heading into his career first start for Todd Pletcher. (5) Uncaged is another son of Curlin running his first race for Pletcher. (7) Sea Vista is a Godolphin home-bred runner by Street Sense out of the multi-graded stakes winning mare Sara Louise.

6^th race [Md Sp Wt, 6F] – (1) Ferocious was a $1.3 million purchase at Ocala in March from the connections by Kentucky Derby winner Mage. (10) Math Tutor will make his debut with an extensive Saratoga work tab. (9) Antietam was a $450,000 yearling purchase making his first career start for Todd Pletcher. (4) Praetor will hit the track as a first-timer for Chad Brown and a partnership of his regular owners that sold for $725,000.

7^th race [Saratoga Derby (G1) 1 3/16 mi TURF] – (3) Legend of Time (A) had no place to go while racing on the inside in the Belmont Derby (G1) losing any chance to win but still finished third. (4) Diego Velazquez will make his first American start for Aidan O’Brien after winning at Group 3 race at Leopardstown in Ireland last month. (2) Cugino for the most part raced from off the pace but in June had a front-end victory in the Audubon at Churchill. (5) Deterministic rallied to finish second in his turf debut after winning on the Kentucky Derby trail.

8^th race [Test (G1), 7F] – (4) Ways and Means broke her maiden by almost 13 lengths last summer at Saratoga and then was second in the Spinaway (G1) after a trouble trip. In March she returned from a six-month layoff in the Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2) and ran second after having the lead. She was fourth in the Kentucky Oaks (G1) and then won an allowance at Saratoga in June by more than eight-lengths earning the top speed figure in the Test field by a lot. (5) My Mane Squeeze won four races and only lost when facing Thorpedo Anna in the Fantasy (G2) and the Acorn (G1). The NY-bred’s most recent win was in the Eight Belles (G2) on Kentucky Derby weekend. (1) Emery won 4 out of 5 races in her career including the Victory Ride (G3) at Aqueduct and the Leslie’s Lady at Churchill in June. (6) Brightwork won the first four starts of her career as a juvenile including the Spinaway. This will be her first start of 2024 following a layoff after the Breeders’ Cup.

9^th race [Lure (R), 1 1/16 mi TURF] – (9) More Than Looks will make her first start since running sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1). Last year he won a pair of stakes including the Manila (G3). (5) Big Everest won several stakes races in the past and won a top-level allowance at Aqueduct in his most recent race beating a horse that came back to win. (8) Smokin’ T won the Appleton at Gulfstream in March and is a past Grade 3 winner and took the Lure last year. (2) Forever Souper has six top three finishes in a row with three stakes victories.

10^th race [Troy (G3), 5 ½ F TURF] – (6) Cogburn won 4 out of his last 5 starts with a win in the Jaipur (G1) last time earning a speed figure that towers over this field. (8) Grooms All Bizness made two starts this year and both were victories in stakes races. (7) Big Invasion was second by a neck in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1) last year and is a past Grade 2 winner. (10) Witty has 4 wins from his last 6 races with a second in the Highlander (G2) at Woodbine in June.

11^th race [Whitney (G1), 1 1/8 mi] – (9) Bright Future (A) was an impressive winner of his first start of the year in the Salvator Mile (G3) at Monmouth Park. Last year he won the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Saratoga making him one of two Grade 1 winners in the Whitney field. Overall, he is the winner of 3 out of his last 4 starts. (3) National Treasure is currently the top-ranked Thoroughbred in the country based on his more than six-length victory in the Met Mile (G1) at Saratoga in June and his win in the Pegasus World Cup (G1) in January. (10) Skippylongstocking leads the Whitney field with eight career victories as he seeks his first Grade 1 with a pair of graded stakes wins earlier in the year. (11) Arthur’s Ride is the least experienced horse in the field with six starts but his last performance in a Saratoga allowance was visually impressive and fast earning a speed figure that tops this field. He will be making his first start in a stakes race.

12^th race [Alw 110000 N1X, 7F] – (2) Striker Has Dial won her maiden at first asking at Laurel Park and then ran into Ways and Means to finish second. During opening week at Saratoga she set the pace in the mile Wilton and ended up second. (5) Audacious was part of a Pletcher entry making her first start a winning one during the June Saratoga meeting. (7) St. Benedict’s Prep was claimed for $80,000 from a win at Keeneland in April by Linda Rice. He stumbled and lost his rider but bounced back to romp in a starter allowance. In June he was second in an allowance condition like this one. (8) Nikitis gets blinkers on after running third in an allowance that came after a layoff.

13^th race [OC 62k/N2X, 1 1/8 mi TURF] – (1) Freedom Trail returns from a winter layoff with plenty of back class in stakes races and a series of excellent workouts. (4) Beuys has been racing at this allowance level for Mike Maker whose barn is red hot right now. (11) Mondego ran in a series of four graded stakes races last year finishing third in the Belmont Derby (G1). (10) Reckoning Force is a past stakes winner and is in good form with a second in this kind of allowance in his last race.

Saturday Pick 3 Special --
The Saturday Special $1 Pick 3 covers races 6 - 8 that includes Saratoga Derby and the Test à 1, 4, 9, 10 with 2, 3, 4, 5 with 4 = $16.

No.	Name	Letter last race	Today's Race	Comments
(4)	The Toner	B on 7/19	2	Lots of experience, ran second to impressive winner.
(2)	Dusk	B on 6/15	4	Had a rough trip in the stretch.
(3)	Legend of Time	A on 7/6	7	Lost all chance to win while stuck in traffic on the rail.
(9)	Bright Future	A on 6/15	11	Impressive victory in his 2024 debut.