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.

6^th race [Wild Applause, 1 mi TURF] – (3) Liguria won the Jimmy Durante (G3) at Del Mar in December for Chad Brown after a maiden breaker at Aqueduct. She made her 2023 debut at Churchill Downs in the Edgewood (G2) and finished fifth on a turf course that was not to her liking but was beaten by less than two lengths. (8) Breath Away became a stakes winner at Gulfstream Park in the Sanibel Island in her third start of the year for Christophe Clemente. She backed up a race high speed figure from that victory in her next start when she finished second in the Hilltop at Pimlico during Preakness weekend. (6) Soviet Excess won her last two starts at Gulfstream for Todd Pletcher. (2) Tax Implications beat the top choice who is her stablemate in their career debuts by almost seven lengths as the favorite. She then ran second in the Chelsea Flowers in October at Aqueduct and has been off since then.

7^th race [Clm 16000, 1 1/16 mi] – (1) Cool Quartet won 2 of his last three 3 races for a $12,500 claiming price. (3) Blake B. will make a significant drop in class having run last for a $25,000 tag and won a starter allowance back in November at Aqueduct. His current form does not look good on paper, maybe the class relief is what he needs. (6) Higher Quality won his last two starts at Belmont Park and was claimed from both of them for $14,000 and then $10,000 most recently. (2) Truculent was claimed from 4 out of his last 5 starts for prices ranging from $10,000 to $20,000 with one victory in the sequence.

8^th race [Alw 95000 N1X, 1 1/4 mi TURF] – (7) Pioneering Spirit won his last two starts for Linda Rice moving from a maiden claimer to a starter allowance at Belmont. Speed figures increased and Jose Ortiz stayed on board. (6) Royal Spirit is also from the Rice barn and he has four excellent finishes in starter allowances. (1) So High was last seen in the Manhattan (G1) two weeks ago and drops back to the allowance ranks where he can use his early speed. (4) Fighter in the Win won twice in France going the ten furlong distance and has also shown a preference to go to the lead early in the race.

9^th race [OC80k/C, 1 mi] – (2) Gerrymander will exit a series of graded stakes races and gets Lasix for the first time for Chad Brown. (1) Venti Valentine ran her last four times in NY-bred stakes with a win two races back at Aqueduct. She is a past stakes winner against open company. (6) Movie Moxy won a second-level allowance convincingly back in May for Linda Rice at the Belmont. (5) Tap the Faith made her 2023 debut in a stakes race at Delaware Park having won an allowance in December at the Big A.

Best bets: Pioneering Spirit (8^th); Gerrymander (9^th). Best value Liguria (6^th); Cool Quartet (7^th).Saturday Pick 3 Special --
The Saturday Special $1 Pick 3 covers races 7-9  à 1, 2, 3, 6 with 6, 7 with 1, 2 = $16.