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.

1^st race Md Sp Wt, 6 ½ F] – (7) Cody’s Approval moved from turf to dirt and basically ran second the whole race three weeks ago. (1) Atlas a Eye was 4-1 in her debut in a restricted earnings maiden like this race and also had a second-place trip. (3) Lady Starstruck gets Flavien Prat for George Weaver who is 21% with first-time starters. (6) Belmont C. C. had a wide trip and improved from ninth to fourth.

4^th race [Md Sp Wt, 5 ½ F TURF] – (1) Vajra move from dirt to turf in her third start and finished second in August 2025 and a year later was a close third at Ellis Park. (4) Fletch’s Rockette showed early speed in her only turf start going a mile at Gulfstream Park in March and finished fifth and then was second in July at Saratoga on the main track. (2) Saint Tropez set the pace in her only race which was in July going two-turns and was eighth. (8) My Divine Spirit was second in October and then had a layoff until June where she was seventh. Blinkers go on.

5^th race [Md Sp Wt, 1 1/16 mi TURF] – (9) Al Mowashaah changed to the turf and was second going long three weeks ago. (1) House of War was touted by trainer Jorge Abreu as a 2-year-old to watch for at Saratoga. (7) Calling Mr. Mo was 7-1 for his debut for the Clement barn and ran fifth. (3) Our Warrior is a first-time starter for Linda Rice and Lady Sheila Stable.

8^th race [NY, Md 35000, 7F] – (4) Forever to Go (D) was bet down from 7-1 to 7-2, stalked the pace, finished fourth, and the trainer won a few races at the Spa recently. (3) Starship Lizzy made her 2026 debut at the beginning of the month and ran second the whole way. Javier Castellano rides as he seeks his 6,000^th career win. (9) Raised was claimed for $30,000 from her first start in June at Churchill Downs and then had the lead before finishing third at Ellis Park last month. (7) Hanna’s Hideaway was third and then second in a pair of $25,000 maiden claimers against open company.

Best bets: Cody’s Approval (1^st); Al Mowashaah (5^th). Best value: Vajra (4^th); Forever to Go (8^th).