Saratoga Hotlist - September 3

Today’s New York Hot List races to watch – Thursday, September 3, 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.

1^st race – (5) Holy Emperor (C) was bet down from 8-1 to 9-2 even though he was stepping back up to face maiden special weights. He lost the win by only a nose and now drops back down to a claimer and cuts back two furlongs while remaining on the grass. (7) Compliant was third in his 2020 debut for Chad Brown and will drop to the claiming ranks for the first time as Brown looks for another win in the tight race for top trainer at Saratoga. (1) Glynn County/(1A) Lokoya Road form a Michael Maker entry where both horses have a legitimate chance to win this race. (6) Magic Mojo got bumped hard last time out and was elevated up to third after an inquiry.

3^rd race – (7) Simply Ravishing (A) was a determined winner of her debut race on the turf for Kenny McPeek and now tries a stakes race. (2) Plum Ali was also a first-time winner at the Spa earning one of the better speed figures in the field for Christophe Clement and Joel Rosario. (1) Invincible Gal won her debut while sprinting on the grass at Saratoga for Graham Motion. She should have no trouble stretching out to two turns. (3) Mischievous Dream won her debut against NY-breds and then ran fourth in a sprint stakes race against open company.

5^th race – (7) Herald Angel (A) finally makes it into her second race after not drawing into a few fields since her debut second for Maker. (8) Classic Colors (B) made a big run to get third in her turf debut after tossing her head and lunging at the break. Rosario gets the mount as Manny Franco is in Kentucky for the Derby. (3) Cara’s Dreamer (B) finished third in her turf debut and it was noted that after loafing out of the gate that she would likely appreciate more distance and gets it here. (9) Big Time Lady was bet in her debut and flashed early speed for Rudy Rodriguez with improvement expected.

8^th race – (8) Spanish Point (C) dropped down to a N3L claimer and was accordingly bet down from 5-1 to 5-2 and won that race on the front end. She now returns to the second-level allowance. (3) Palace Avenger won a first-level allowance while pressing the pace and Jose Ortiz opts to stay on board with other options in this field. (4) Slimey ran his best speed figure while third in a similar spot last time out. (6) Fair Regis hit the board in 11 out of her last 12 races. The 6-year-old mare is looking for her first win for trainer Rob Atras.

Best bets: Holy Emperor (1^st); Herald Angel (5^th). Best value: Simply Ravishing (3^rd); Spanish Point (8^th).