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.

2^nd race [Clm 16000, 1 mi] – (8) Keystone Field (D) took late money last time dropping from 6-1 to 7-2, finished fourth, and takes another move down in class. (7) Simply returned from a nine month layoff in a second-level NY-bred allowance and clearly needed a race. Before the break he won a state-bred allowance with a speed figure that makes him a win contender as he drops in for a tag as a 7-year-old. (6) Hang Tight won at this level two races back and cuts back to a mile. (2) Lord Gatling had a fast short workout the other day signaling that he is ready to run well as he drops back to the $16,000 level.

3^rd race [Jimmy Winkfield, 6F] – (3) Stolen Music broke his maiden in his third try but did it by almost two lengths while cutting back to a sprint distance after his first two starts were going long. The first was on the turf where he missed by a neck to a talented horse in Agate Road and then was third after setting the pace in a race that was meant for the grass. Trainer Linda Rice won the Winkfield in 2020 and 2003. (5) Bergen won his first start at Keeneland for Brad Cox and then rallied from well back against a big field at Churchill Downs to get up for second going a mile. (2) Iridescent is the only horse in the field that has won twice. He was a debut winner while racing for Cox in Kentucky. Cox brought him to Aqueduct where he ran second and got claimed for $50,000 from an optional claiming allowance by David Jacobson. He kicked clear to win an allowance by more than three lengths in his first start for the new trainer. (4) Air Cav is another Cox runner that won his debut and that was at Horseshoe Indiana in August. He was then a distant fifth in the Champagne (G1).

6^th race [Md Sp Wt, 7F] – (3) You’re Forever (B) finished second in her debut well ahead of the rest of the field and was claimed. (8) Value Area has four second-place finishes in a row, twice behind return winners for Todd Pletcher and gets first-time Lasix. (4) Martingale was an odds-on favorite in both starts for Chad Brown and cuts back in distance for her third race. (7) Shake the Sugar was second in her debut at Laurel Park as the favorite for Brittany Russell.

7^th race [OC 62k/N2X, 1 mi] – (7) Bold Endeavor (B) was blocked at the eighth pole and rallied for third once clear and got beaten by a half-length. (6) Maker’s Candy won through the NY-bred allowance conditions and then beat open company in a first-level allowance with the best speed figure in today’s field. (5) Un Ojo was a winner of the 2022 Rebel (G2) and just won the second-level state-bred allowance at Aqueduct last month. (3) Champions Dream comes back from an August layoff and makes his first start for Rick Dutrow. He won the Nashua (G3) in 2022.

Best bets: Keystone Field (2^nd); Stolen Music (3^rd). Best value: You’re Forever (6^th); Bold Endeavor (7^th).

Saturday Pick 3 Special --
The Saturday Special $1 Pick 3 covers races 2-4 and includes the Jimmy Winkfield à 2, 3, 6, 7, 8 with 3, 5 with 2, 3, 8 = $30.