Saratoga Hot List - July 31

Today’s New York Hot List races to watch – Friday, July 31, 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.

3^rd race – (6) Sursum Corda will contest this 11 furlong turf maiden special weight after running third in another long grass race at Keeneland in her last start for trainer Ian Wilkes who has won with two out of three starters at Saratoga this summer. (8) Sengekontacket missed by a nose in her turf debut at Belmont Park when in for a $75,000 tag for Brad Cox. (1) Fashion Mo ran in that same race as the top choice for trainer Nacho Correas, so we know she should handle the distance.

5^th race – (6) High School Crush (D) got bet down in her recent start from 7-1 to 9-2 in a turf sprint $40,000 maiden claimer against NY-breds. The apprentice rider is off and Tyler Gaffalione is in the saddle. (4) Silent Empress is a first-time starter for Christophe Clement who wins with 31% of his debut maiden claimers. Jockey Joel Rosario had his choice of two for Clement and opted for this filly. Over the last two years the Clement/Rosario combo have won at a 34% clip. (10) Menzamenz had the lead in the stretch and got beat by a nose in her first try on the grass in a similar spot. (7) Little Red Button will return to the NY-bred ranks where she was fourth in her debut. Her last race against open company came off the grass at Monmouth Park.

6^th race – (6) Cause of Action (C) won a N2L claimer with a $40,000 tag by more than four lengths after getting bet down from 3-1 to 9-5. Now he steps up to the N3L level going seven furlongs. (3) Zealous exits three first-level allowance races to drop down to the N3L condition for the first time. Last summer he won a starter allowance at Saratoga going today’s distance. (1) Empire Line was second by just a part of a length in a N3L race at Belmont Park that earned a very competitive speed figure. (8) Jerome Avenue was claimed out of this condition when he had the lead and then lost by a neck. New trainer Mertkan Kantarmaci is particularly adept with consistent performers like this.

9^th race – (5) Shippy has found her best stride since switching to the barn of George Weaver. In April at Gulfstream Park in her turf debut she missed an allowance win by a nose and then recently at Monmouth Park she won a stake that came off the grass by more than four lengths. (6) Bredenbury won the Lady Shipman in a turf sprint stakes race at Belmont and returns in a similar spot here for Graham Motion. (4) Miss J McKay was third in the Lady Shipman and is a past stakes winner at Laurel Park and Monmouth last summer. (9) She’s My Type was second in the Lady Shipman and is also a stakes winner. She will run for Clement and Rosario in here.

Best bets:  Sursum Corda (3^rd); High School Crush (5^th). Best value:  Cause of Action (6^th); Shippy (9^th)