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 – (3) Mohawk River picks up Irad and may finally break his maiden. (7) Ben’s Hero will be well served by a dry track. (6) Nice and Good is an interesting firster from Brown. (2) Sunday Song has speed and should be in the picture. Betting strategy: 3 to win, place. Exacta box: 2-3-6-7.
3rd race – (5) Royal Quality will benefit from a turnback in distance. (4) Rachel’s Coach has speed and could be tough to catch. (3) Three Zero belongs in the exotics. (1) Adios Now fits in nicely here. Betting strategy: 5 to win, place. Exacta box: 1-3-4-5.
5th race – (9) Bird Wildcat has speed and can control the pace from the outside. (5) Gone Nuts will like the shorter distance. (1) Woke Up Quickly should benefit from a rail trip. (4) Solomons Gold can work out a good trip in this field. Betting strategy: 9 to win, place. Exacta box: 1-4-5-9.
7th race – (5) Oconee Life may rebound with a better effort while switching to Irad. (7) Whiting Field comes off a game, winning effort. (1) Secret Lover gets the rail after a wide trip. (6) Speed Control may hang around for a share. Betting strategy: 5 to win, place. Exacta box: 1-5-6-7.
9th race - (9) Hollywood Mayhem seeks a third straight win and gets top billing. (8) Thunder Cane can make some noise with more distance. (3) Coastertothemoon may pose a late threat. (1) My Sergeant cannot be ignored off a maiden win. Betting strategy: 9 to win, place. Exacta box: 1-3-8-9.