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.

1^st race [Md 50000, 6F] – (2) Dolly’s Jolene gets blinker on and Lasix for her third start and drops in for a tag for the first time with a third in her debut at Parx in November. (4) Doppio Espresso will cut back to a preferred sprinting distance where she was second two races back. (5) Holly Ln is a first-time starter for Amelia Green that sold for $130,000 as a 2-year-old. (3) Lucky Lucky Me was third last month.

2^nd race [NY, Md Sp Wt, 1 mi] – (5) Eagle Rising returned from an eight-month layoff to finish a close second after having the lead in the stretch. (1) Our Preferred Pal set the pace last time and gets a significant rider upgrade. (3) Juliet On Approach pressed the pace and finished third as she moved back to the dirt. (4) Morgana’s Moment was part of the early fractions in her second start and finished second, also.

3^rd race [Clm 30000B, 1 mi] – (2) Golden Plate (C) was bet down from 9-1 to 6-1 and finished third with a top speed figure. (1) Awesome Empire set the pace going nine-furlongs and cuts back to the one-turn mile. (3) Exploration improved to finish second in his first start after getting claimed by Linda Rice. (5) Military Road had a jump in speed figures when he returned to Aqueduct and ran nine-furlongs.

5^th race [NY, Md 40000, 1 mi] - (3) Major Bourbon (B) rallied from last to dead heat for second on a track that had a speed favoring bias. (6) Twenty One Red drops in for a tag for the first time with a pair of third-place finishes in December. (1) You’re Lookin Good moved from turf to dirt, dropped down, and had his best finish. (4) Big Brooklyn hit the board in his three most recent starts after pressing the pace.

Best bets: Eagle Rising (2^nd); Golden Plate (3^rd). Best Value:  Dolly’s Jolene (1^st); Major Bourbon (5^th).