Saratoga Hotlist - August 29

Today’s NY Hot List races to watch Sunday, August 29, 2021 at Saratoga – Day 34
                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 [NY, OC45k/N2X, 7F] – (2) Perfect Munnings will get Lasix for the first time as he drops out of three NY-bred stakes. In four career starts for Todd Pletcher he has two wins and all top three finishes. (7) Blue Gator gets a similar rundown with four starts, success in state-bred stakes, and Lasix for the first time. He runs for Mike Maker. (6) Blewitt was claimed out of a front-end win for $25,000 in an open claimer. With five career wins, he will exercise the claiming option of this condition as new trainer Carlos Martin wheels him right back in 11 days. (3) Too Early has four straight second-place finishes at this level.

7^th race [Alw 50000s, 5 ½ F TURF] – (12) Charlie Five O (B) was stuck in traffic in a N3L claimer last race and was claimed for the second time in a row and goes to Maker from Linda Rice. (7) Determined Fury will get plenty of speed to set-up a late run after running third in a similar spot for Christophe Clement. (4) Stanhope will cut back to a turf sprint and I hope that means he will run a stalking trip. (3) Loaded Joe broke his maiden for $50,000 last start and sometimes horses like this will come right back to win again. Jose Lezcano stays on board.

8^th race [OC80k/N2X, 6 ½ F] – (2) Beau Liam comes back after a win in that allowance battle with the very talented Witsel. He earned a 106 BSF as the two of them were far ahead of the others. Beau Liam is 2 for 2 in his career for Steve Asmussen. (5) Morning Breez will enter for the $80,000 claiming price and move from a fourth in a NY-bred stake last time on a sloppy Saratoga track. (4) Night Time pressed the pace last time, had the lead briefly, and was second by a nose in one of the few races that Dale Romans has entered at Saratoga this summer. (9) Cost Basis returned from a January layoff for Chad Brown and was third. Brown’s barn is red hot right now.

10^th race [Alw 50000s, 1 1/16 mi TURF] – (1) Count Down (C) was bet down from 8-1 to 9-2 and got claimed by Rudy Rodriguez for $40,000 after a third. (2) Molino snuck in and won a maiden claimer for $50,000 for Chad Brown and was not claimed. The second-place horse in that field came back to win his next start. (7) Jarreau had a bad trip two races back and got claimed by Maker. He came back in a race that came off the turf to run second. He has been in great form since April at Belmont Park. (4) Girl Dad was third in a similar spot for George Weaver in July at Belmont with two good allowance efforts in Florida before that.

Best bets:  Perfect Munnings (4^th); Beau Liam (8^th). Best value:  Charlie Five O (7^th); Count Down (10^th).