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 10-1 or more.

4^th race [Clm 16000, 6F] – (5) Ragtime Blues (D) was bet down from 7-1 to 4-1, set the pace, finished fourth, and now drops down in class. (10) No More Talk gets a fast pace that should set up his closing move as he drops down to the level at which he was claimed two races ago. (2) Handsome Cat has been off since April and now drops from allowance races to this claimer. (6) In Sky We Trust is another one that will benefit from a fast pace as a horse that likes to run late.

5^th race [Alw 149500, 6F] – (1) Lafitte’s Fleet / (1A) Daufuskie Island are both win contenders for trainer Rudy Rodriguez. (8) Durante has two wins in a row moving from California to the barn of David Jacobson both by six lengths and most recently in a first-level allowance at Penn National that had a small enough purse to run at that same condition again. (3) Abadin was a front-end maiden winner earlier in the Saratoga meeting. (5) A La Carte gets blinkers on for Bill Mott and was fourth at this level last time.

6^th race [NY, Md 40000, 1 1/16 mi TURF] – (3) Berning Honor (A) got shuffled far back in her last start and had to try and rally very wide and now drops back to the claiming ranks. (4) Dream Road pressed the pace, got the lead, finished second and now gets a huge rider upgrade. (9) Leadership Ability returns to make her second start and drops down to claiming with first time Lasix. (11) Arisaema (A) is first on the Also Eligible List and will be used if she gets in otherwise (7) Jayla is the fourth choice.

9^th race [Alabama (G1), 1 ¼ mi] – (3) Julia Shining won her first two races impressively for Stonestreet Stables and Todd Pletcher as a 2-year-old including the Demoiselle (G2) at Aqueduct. After a pair of thirds this year with the Ashland (G1) in April being one of them, she returns to the races. The four months off may have been by design to give the daughter of Curlin and Dreaming of Julia time to mature. With her breeding she will benefit from the ten-furlong distance. (2) Wet Paint won four stakes races already, including three on the road to the Kentucky Oaks (G1) and then the CCA Oaks (G1) at Saratoga. She was fourth in the Ky. Oaks which was a bit of a disappointment. (7) Gambling Girl has a series of top three finishes in graded stakes including the CCA Oaks, the Ky. Oaks by just a neck, and the Gazelle (G3). (10) Defining Purpose won the Ashland at Keeneland in April which made her 1 of 3 Grade 1 winners in this field. Most recently she won the Indiana Oaks (G3).

Best bets:  Entry (5^th); Berning Honor (6^th). Best value:  Ragtime Blues (4^th); Julia Shining (9^th).

Saturday Pick 3 Special --
The Saturday Special $1 Pick 3 covers races 4-6 à 2, 5, 10 with 1, 3, 8 with 3, 4, 7, 9, 11 = $45.