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 20000, 6 ½ F] – (4) Chocolatechocolate has a third and then three second-place finishes this year and finds the right field here. (1) Darty Time was claimed for $35,000 in July after setting the pace when she was second as the favorite and then caught a sloppy track after stepping up to $50,000. (2) Kate Barry was claimed from the same race as the #1 horse and was third in that race on the sloppy track also. (5) Sheer Will dropped down to this level last time, set the pace, and finished second.

5^th race [Md Sp Wt, 1 mi TURF] – (1) Bint Al Dandy (C) ran at Saratoga twice this summer and finished third and second. Most recently she set the pace and was bet down from 5-1 to 7-2. (10) Time Stone was last seen running second at Saratoga in June. (7) Mystic Sea was third last month at the Spa for Bill Mott. (5) Just So Pretty was third twice and second twice going from Gulfstream Park to Keeneland to Saratoga.

6^th race [NY, Md Sp Wt, 6F] – (6) Three Thirteen (B) had troubled trips in both of his starts getting carried wide both times and blinkers come off. (3) Sir Walta set the pace in his debut last month on the dirt as a 2-year-old that sold for $80,000 and was sired by a $2,500 stallion. (7) Make a Prediction finished third just a nose behind the Hot List horse. (1) Daisy Doo was well supported in both of his starts when he finished fourth at 10-1 and then 5-1. Blinkers go on.

7^th race [Alw 88000 N1X, 7F] – (7) Alyeska missed the win in her second try against winners by a neck after a rally as the favorite for Chad Brown. She was a winner in her debut in September 2024. (6) Senza Parole was an open-length debut winner in August of 2024, came back exactly a year later to set the pace, and just was passed nearing the finish line. (2) Mazayaat found two salty fields to start out where she was second both times behind horses that were entered in the Cotillion (G1) on Saturday at Parx. She broke her maiden at Aqueduct in May and then tried the Wilton where she set the pace. (1) Practical Lov was fourth behind the top choice last month after a rough start.

Best bets: Chocolatechocolate (1^st); Bint Al Dandy (5^th). Best value: Three Thirteen (6^th); Alyeska (7^th).