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 [Clm 50000B, 1 mi] – (2) Bourbon Serengeti (B) got pinched back at the start, raced five wide throughout, finished fourth as the favorite, and got claimed by Linda Rice for $50,000. Blinkers go on as she returns from a July layoff. (3) Always Angels was claimed for $40,000 from her last two starts at Churchill Downs where she was third both times and is now trained by Linda Rice. (4) Ready for Trouble was claimed from 4 out of her last 5 races in New York with the three most recent for $40,000. (5) Broadway Lights will move to a claiming only race for the first time since winning a maiden in October 2024.

2^nd race [NY, Alw 35000s, 6 ½ F] – (6) Helen’s Revenge has two races following a layoff with a claiming win and a third in an open-company starter allowance as she moves to face NY-breds for the first time. (1) Dia Por Dia was a debut winner for a $30,000 tag at 3-1 in November. (4) Amy’s Light has been racing in NY-bred allowances for the most part. (3) Graceful Rose was a winner in a $40,000 claimer at Laurel Park before trying state-bred allowances.

3^rd race [Clm 30000 N2L, 1 1/8 mi] – (5) Fever Night came back from a five month layoff and now drops into a N2L condition for the first time. He won a maiden $50,000 in Kentucky in May. (2) Kavanaugh won a maiden $35,000 going a mile two races back and moves to an appropriate level to win. (3) Apalta was a clear winner when he dropped down to a $20,000 maiden claimer going nine-furlongs which makes him the only horse in the race to win at today’s distance. (6) Egyptian was claimed for $30,000 last time from a third-place finish after setting the pace.

5^th race [Moc 40000C, 1 mi] – (5) Probability returned from a 15 month layoff and changed to the barn of Will Walden. He shipped up from Kentucky and missed by a head in a maiden special weight last month. Since then he stayed in training at Belmont to comeback in this unique maiden claimer that has partial NY-bred conditions. (4) Antietam dropped into a maiden claimer for the first time and was a winner at Keeneland in October and was taken for $50,000 from Todd Pletcher by Linda Rice. (3) Sequential showed speed and ran well in recent races against open company and for the first time moves to this unique condition for NY-breds or horses that foaled in NY. (2) Nonno Joe will try dirt for the first time and changes to the barn of Jeremiah Englehart.

Best bets: Helen’s Revenge (2^nd); Probability (5^th). Best value: Bourbon Serengeti (1^st); Fever Night (3^rd).