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 worse
* - 4 or more betting notches if 11-1 or more.

2^nd race [NY, Bouwerie, 7F] – (2) Pinky Brier (C) was bet down from 9-2 to 3-1, got to the lead, and finished second. (7) Hot Currency came back from a three-month layoff to win the Fourstar Crook by more than eight lengths in April. (5) Galinda won 3 out of her 4 career starts and is a neck from being undefeated with wins in the East View and an open company allowance. (3) Victory Hall won the Maddie May in March before trying the Gazelle (G3).

5^th race [NY, Critical Eye, 1 1/8 mi] – (1) Walk With Me (B) checked back to last early in the race and finished fourth. (4) Valtellina will make her 2026 debut after winning the Empire Distaff in October and then running fifth in the Comely (G3). (7) Bernietakescharge won the Bay Ridge before finishing second in the Ladies and fifth in the Top Flight against open company. (3) Landed is a past NY-bred stakes winner who was second in an open company allowance in her 2026 debut.

6^th race [NY, Alw 105000 N1X, 5 ½ F TURF] – (3) Lightning Strike (A) was geared down in her debut as an open-length winner and the odds-on favorite. (5) Boston’s Phinest made her first start of this year in May and was third in a similar spot. (1) Disco Star used a late rally to get second at 3-1 with first-time Lasix in her initial race of the year. (6) Queens Cat has a great record with five wins at Finger Lakes.

7^th race [NY, Alw 105000 N1X, 1 1/8 mi TURF] – (7) Homewood Hustle (C) was bet down from 4-1 to be the 2-1 favorite, was an impressive winner at first asking, and gets first-time Lasix. (11) Willpowered raced twice at Tampa this winter with a maiden win and an allowance second. (8) Six Fortyfive returned to NY-bred racing and rallied late to finish third after running in Florida. (9) Jack’s World made her first start of the year and finished fourth in a full field.

9^th race [NY, Commentator, 1 1/8 mi] – (8) Drake’s Passage (B) returns from an August layoff when she stumbled at the break, got steadied in the early going, and finished third. (7) Iron Dome won the Albany at Saratoga last summer and came back to be second in an open-company allowance after a layoff. (6) Bank Frenzy switches back to the barn of Rudy Rodriguez for whom he won this race last year along with the Empire Classic. (3) Alan Turing was second in an open company allowance.

Best bets: Walk With Me (5^th); Homewood Hustle (7^th). Best value: Pinky Brier (2^nd); Drake’s Passage (9^th).