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.

2^nd race [Md Sp Wt, 1 1/16 mi TURF] – (8) Jerry’s Out (B) was sent out with blinkers on for his second start and trainer Rudy Rodriguez said, “he needed a race and would be best going longer.” He did run into Showcase who went on to win the Saratoga Special (G2). (4) Dragoneer was entered two other times during this meeting. The $450,000 yearling purchase trained twice on the grass and has some fast main track times. (7) Royal’s Pride has an excellent turf pedigree with two of the top European sires showing. (1) Asbury Park was entered once before for Chad Brown and also has top grass bloodlines from both the sire and dam.

3^rd race [Alw 110000 N1X, 6F] – (6) Killy Start (A) broke last, rushed up under restraint, had to idle in traffic, finished second, and got claimed for $25,000. (2) Bandita won her debut at Gulfstream Park in January by almost nine lengths as the even money favorite. (4) Nic’s Style won her first two races by a total of 16 lengths at Gulfstream in a May 2022 maiden and a December 2023 allowance. (5) Girls Weekend broke her maiden at Indiana by more than 10 lengths in May and then tried a turf sprint at Saratoga where she set the pace.

6^th race [NY, OC 45k/N2X, 1 1/16 mi TURF] – (6) Bettrluckythangood (B) got stuck behind traffic in the upper stretch. (4) Call Me Harry was fourth behind recent Grade 1 winner Carl Spackler in the Kelso (G3). (8) Agent Creed has been racing well against open company this year and drops in for a tag. (7) Let’s Go Big Blue was third and then second at this level in her last two races.

10^th race [Alabama (G1), 1 ¼ mi] – (7) Candied is the only Grade 1 winner in the Alabama field having taken the Alcibiades as a 2-year-old before running a close third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. Her 2024 campaign started with a fifth in the Ashland (G1) and then moved to Monmouth Park where she won the Lady’s Secret by more than four-lengths as the odds-on favorite. In her loss to Thorpedo Anna in the CCA Oaks she was well clear of the rest of the field. (3) Power Squeeze ships up to the Spa from Monmouth Park where Jorge Delgado is currently third in the trainer standings. She broke her maiden in her third start to finish 2023. This year in six starts Power Squeeze won four stakes including the Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2) and the Delaware Oaks (G3) by a nose in July. (6) Miss Justify won for the second time in a row in the Wilton at Saratoga on the second day of the meeting with a late rally. She began her career racing at Laurel and moved to the barn of Todd Pletcher for 2024. (4) Just Basking became a stakes winner when she won the Iowa Oaks last month with the best performance of her career that earned the top speed figure in her five races.

Best bets:  Bettrluckythangood (6^th); Candied (10^th). Best value:  Jerry’s Out (2^nd); Killy Start (3^rd).

Saturday Pick 3 Special --
The Saturday Special $1 Pick 3 covers races 8-10 and includes the Alabama (G3) à 6, 7, 9, 10 with 6, 7 with 3, 6, 7 = $24.