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 worst
* - 4 or more betting notches if 11-1 or more.

5^th race [Clm 17500 N3L, 1 mi] – (8) Awesome Empire (B) broke last three weeks ago, had to rally eight-wide, and finished second. (6) Enduring Spirit came back from a layoff to win the N2L condition by almost four lengths and then was third in a starter allowance. (5) Flat On was third in his last two races which were at the N3L condition. (9) Smilensaycheese used a closing move to win the N2L claimer in October and then tried for a $30,000 tag just nine days ago.

6^th race [NY, Md Sp Wt, 6 ½ F] – (9) Hire the Hat (B) lunged and broke slowly to be last early in her debut and got to fourth. (6) Boiling Point set the pace and finished third in her debut three weeks ago in a race where the first-place horse came back to win again. (2) Liberty’s Advance ran in a pair of NY-bred stakes to begin her career and finished second and fourth. Last time she was second in the Boiling Point. (1) Tuthilltown was third in her first start at Saratoga and then missed by a head on the turf last month at Aqueduct.

7^th race [Go For Wand, 1 mi] – (3) Weigh the Risks won 4 out of her last 5 starts for Chad Brown and Manny Franco with a win in the Pumpkin Pie last month. (6) Stonewall Star won the Bay Ridge for NY-breds a year ago and returned in October to run second in another state-bred stakes. (2) Scalable won the Interborough at the Big A a year ago and was third behind the top choice in the Pumpkin Pie. (5) Just Katherine has been off since September of 2024 when last seen she won a top-level allowance and just missed winning the Bed O Roses (G2).

9^th race [NY, Alw 81000 N1X, 7F] – (5) Princess Becca (A) set the pace after an eight month layoff and finished fourth. (4) She’s Grand began her career for Linda Rice and then moved to Finger Lakes where she won 5 out of 7 starts. Now she’s back with Rice. (9) Sunshine Lily broke her maiden in September and was second at this level three weeks ago. (8) Capital Gal had top three finishes in 4 out of her last 5 races in this type of allowance.

Best bets: Weigh the Risks (7^th); Princess Becca (9^th). Best Value:  Awesome Empire (5^th); Hire the Hat (6^th).

Saturday Pick 3 Special --
Saturday Special $1 Pick 3 covers races 5-7 and includes the Go For Wand à 5, 6, 8, 9 with 1, 2, 6, 9 with 3 = $16.