Saratoga Hot List - July 17

Today’s New York Hot List races to watch – Friday, July 17, 2020 at Saratoga
                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 worse
* - 4 or more betting notches if 11-1 or more.

4^th race – (6) Touch of Nirvana (D) returned from a three-month layoff after winning a maiden claimer. was facing winners in an open claiming race, and got bet down from 9-1 to 5-1 for a very low-profile trainer. She ran a solid race to get fourth and now takes a drop down to the $25,000 level. (2) Leaveuwithasmile won a maiden special weight last summer at Laurel along with two starter allowances at the Maryland track for Jeremiah Englehart.  This may be an easier spot for this filly. (1) Customerexperience will have to ship up to Saratoga from Florida for trainer Saffie Joseph. She was a debut winner at Aqueduct last year when she was in the Chad Brown barn and was claimed out of that race for $75,000. (4) Pick Up the Fone was a wire to wire winner for Todd Pletcher in his first start since being removed from the Navarro barn. That was a $20,000 claimer at Gulfstream Park.

5^th race – (7) Scuttlebuzz (B) changed to the turf in a sprint after a layoff from February and just missed the win by a neck after breaking a bit slowly. He comes back quickly and stretches out for the very cautious trainer Jonathan Thomas.  (1) South Africa (D) was bet down from 8-1 to 6-1 when he debuted at Saratoga last summer and raced the widest of four horses that were vying for the lead, got to the front at the 3/8th pole, and tired down the stretch. He was making his debut for trainer Michelle Nevin whose first-timers usually need a race. He is back for start number two a year later and switches to the turf. (10) Sandro the Great gets the services of Joel Rosario as he makes his second start on the grass for Christophe Clement. (2) Voliero will make his third start off the layoff for the Bond barn after improving to get second just three weeks ago.

8^th race – (3) Lady Lawyer (D) made her N. American debut for Chad Brown in a second-level allowance at Belmont Park after previously racing for John Gosden in England. She got Lasix for the first-time and ran second for the entire seven furlongs on the grass. She was not the favorite but got bet down from 9-1 to 5-1. (4) Lost Ticket won an allowance last time going six furlongs for the hot Bill Mott barn with a big late rally. (6) Turf War will switch from the Brown barn to Clement and will make her 2020 debut after winning a turf sprint stake at Belmont last year. (1) Guacamole will take her early speed back to the turf for Pletcher after a series of seconds and thirds.

10^th race – (1) K. K. Ichikawa (B) ran third in her career debut for Nevin and gained valuable experience while racing in the pocket and then swinging out wide. She gets Lasix for her second start in a similar NY-bred maiden claimer on the grass. (11) True Grace made her 2020 debut with a drop down to this claiming level and she ran third but now returns to the grass for Clement. (6) Operative will make her third career start in this maiden claimer for trainer David Donk who knows where to place his turf runners to win. (5) Diannesimpazible keeps the services of Irad Ortiz in her second start of the year after racing behind the top choice.

Best bets:  Scuttlebuzz (5^th); Lady Lawyer (8^th). Best value:  Touch of Nirvana (4^th); K. K. Ichikawa (10^th).