Saratoga Hotlist - August 19

Today’s NY Hot List races to watch – Friday, August 19, 2022 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.

2^nd race [Md 75000, 1 mi TURF] – (1) Beachfront Bid (A) was badly impeded in the stretch for Chad Brown at Belmont Park and still finished fourth just a length behind the winner but was moved up to third by DQ. Now, she drops into the claiming ranks for the first time. (2) Birthday Time (B) was a hard-fought second last time and was claimed by Joe Sharp. (8) Lady Firefoot (B) was last early after a slow start, then had to check a few times, and still finished fourth in her debut turf sprint. (7) Gather the Facts was second in her debut for Chad Brown and then had a rough trip against a strong field in her second start as the favorite.

4^th race [Md Sp Wt, 1 1/16 mi TURF] – (1) Transactional will make his debut and (1A) Indemnity who was second in his first at Saratoga make a strong entry for Chad Brown and Klaravich Stables. (4) Whiskey Lullaby set the pace, finished third, and was claimed by Jose Camejo who wins with 33% of his new horses. (5) Logan’s Runner is a debut runner for Bruce Levine who has surprised with his first-time starters recently. (2) Outperform will move from dirt to turf for Todd Pletcher and Repole Stable.

8^th race [Summer Colony, 1 1/8 mi] – (1) Army Wife is a past multiple graded stakes winner last year and the winner of an undercard stake on Ohio Derby day at Thistledown. This restricted stake is an ideal spot for this Mike Maker runner. (4) Leader of the Band comes off a pair of very good performances at Monmouth Park with a second in the Molly Pitcher (G3) behind Search Results and a win in the Lady Secret. (7) Bonny South is a $1 million earner based on many board hitting performances in graded stakes. (3) Envoutante is another mare that we are used to seeing in graded stakes. She won the Fall City (G2) in her last start of 2021. Her 2022 debut in the Beholder (G1) was not good.

10^th race [Skidmore, 5 ½ F TURF] – (3) Oxymore (A) was a brilliant debut winner in a turf sprint at Belmont Park in June. Since then, he was sold privately and now is in the barn of Chad Brown. (8) Appraise won his first start at Saratoga for Chad Brown. (2) Fadethenoise won his second start by six lengths at Ellis Park when he moved from dirt to turf. (4) No Nay Hudson was a debut winner on the dirt at Keeneland in the spring and then tried the Tremont at Belmont. Trainer Wesley Ward does well with surface switches like this guy will try in here.

Best bets:  Beachfront Bid (2^nd); Chad Brown entry (4^th). Best value: Army Wife (8^th); Oxymore (10^th).