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 [NY, Md Sp Wt, 6F] – (6) Mama’s Middie (A) was nervous and hard to handle pre-race but rallied from last to finish second at 5-1 odds. He gets blinkers on for his second start. (7) Gucci Man will make his debut after shipping east from Hawthorne as a NY-bred for Larry Rivelli. (8) Quiet Wisdom will make his first start for the team of Todd Pletcher and owners Mike Repole and St. Elias Stable. (5) Tall Paul ships to Saratoga from his first start atDel Mar when he set the pace and was third for Bob Baffert.

6^th race [NY, Md Sp Wt, 6F] – (2) Nolita (B) had a poor start in his debut, dropped back to eighth, and rallied wide to finish third at odds of 9-2. (10) Souffle moved to the dirt after three turf starts and ran second the entire race. (5) Neigh Jude makes his first start with a bullet work last week to prepare for this race for a trainer that is good with firsters in Kelly Breen. (7) Irish Crystal will make her debut for Horacio DePaz who is an underrated trainer with first-time starters. She has been preparing at Laurel but ships up as a NY-bred.

9^th race [Fourstardave (G1), 1 mi TURF.] – (1) Emmanuel won the Poker (G3) at Belmont Park in June with a late run to get up by a neck earning the highest speed figure of his career. Breaking from the rail, he might show more early speed as he did last year when winning the Pennine Ridge (G2). (4) Annapolis has a great record at Saratoga and at the mile distance. He was a Grade 1 winner of the Turf Mile in October at Keeneland. He won the Opening Verse in his first start of the year which was at Churchill Downs. Regular rider Irad Ortiz stays on board. (6) Casa Creed is the horse to beat in the Fourstardave. He already has a win at Saratoga in the Kelso (G3) four weeks ago. He won this race last year tying the highest speed figure of his career. The Bill Mott runner has more than $2.1 million in earnings. (7) Ice Chocolat finished second in the Jacque Cartier (G2) at Woodbine and stretched out on the turf to finish fourth in the Kelso.

11^th race [NY, Alw 95000 N1X, 1 1/16 mi TURF] – (6) Solib (B) was very rank in his last start and then had to check costing him any chance to be competitive. (4) Stella Mars won her last two starts against open company. She was claimed two races back for $35,000 and then won a starter allowance by two lengths. (2) Waterville was second at this level last time at the beginning of the meeting and gets blinkers on. (10) Rheaume experimented with blinkers last time and they come back off now. Last year she was second against open company twice.

Best bets:  Mama’s Middie (1^st); Emmanuel (9^th). Best value:  Noilta (6^th); Solib (11^th).

Saturday Pick 3 Special --
The Saturday Special $1 Pick 3 covers races 9 - 11 and begins with the Fourstardave (G1) à 1, 4, 6 with 4, 6 with 2, 4, 6 = $18.