Buy TicketsBy Bob Ehalt and Matt Shifman
Hot List Key:
A : A preferred horse to watch B: Secondary horse to watch
*C: Went down 2 or more betting notches in the final 3 minutes and finished 1st through 3rd
*D: Went down 2 or more betting notches and finished 4th or worse
* - 4 or more betting notches if 11-1 or more.
1st race – (8) Ghazaaly ships in off some fast races in California and gets the nod here. (5) Light the Way drops in class and may shine in this field. (6) Alternate Reality should fare better against claimers. (3) I Don’t Get It could be a factor in this field. Betting strategy: 8 to win, place. Exacta box: 3-5-6-8.
3rd race – (1) Haute in Herre seems to have speed and could be tough to catch from the rail. (3) Fast Amy put in a fast gate work for her debut. (5) Ez Miss Sassy may rebound from a poor debut. (10) Dazzling could be primed for a fast effort in her first start. Betting strategy: 1 to win, place. Exacta box: 1-3-5-10.
5th race - (7) Admiral Dennis flopped in his comeback race but could rebound here. (2) Chunk of Gold will be hard to beat if he can return to his 2026 form. (6) Publisher will be dangerous with the proper pace in front of him. (5) Gould’s Gold usually brings home a check with a competitive effort. Betting strategy: 7 to win, place. Exacta box: 2-5-6-7.
7th race – (3) Epic Reign should benefit most from the added distance. (2) Pierette looks like the main rival. (6) Lack of Riesling has sharp early speed and could be tough to reel in. (5) Valkyrie cannot be ignored off a debut win. Betting strategy: 3 to win, place. Exacta box: 2-3-5-6. Doubles: 2-3-5-6 with 4-5-7-8.
8th race – (4) Sargent Bilko closed fast to win his debut and looks best here. (5) Captain Luke showed a lot of promise in his debut win. (7) He Is No Lie ships in off a big Santa Anita win. (8) Hey Tough Guy exits a convincing maiden win. Betting strategy: 4 to win, place. Exacta box: 4-5-7-8.