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Keeneland Select

Saratoga Hotlist - August 9

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

7th race [Clm 25000, N2L] – (4) Asymmetric returns from a March layoff and drops into the N2L for the first time for Chad Brown. (10) Clubhouse was second in the Jimmy Winkfield in February at Aqueduct, most recently ran in an allowance, and makes the big drop into this restricted claimer. (8) Morning Cup was fourth in this condition for a $30,000 tag after pressing the pace and got claimed by Linda Rice. The recent turf race was a throw out. (2) Red D G P broke his maiden for $30,000 at Belmont Park by more than 16 lengths.

8th race [OC 50k/N1X, 1 mi] – (5) Pharoah’s Heart gets a pass for the turf start at Belmont in June because before that she won a second-level allowance by 19 lengths. She gets into this race with the claiming option. (4) Fancy Azteca was claimed from Linda Rice by Rick Dutrow after a $40,000 race that she won by five lengths. (3) Raging Sea will make her 2023 debut for Chad Brown after last being seen running third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies and the Alcibiades (G1). (1) Into Happiness won her last two starts moving from a N2L to a starter allowance.

9th race [NY, Johnstone Mile, 1 mi] – (3) Know It All Audrey (A) had to check badly, lost all momentum at the quarter pole, and still managed to finish third. She is stakes-placed amongst state-breds. (2) Sunset Louise has three front running victories in a row with the last against open company. She is expected to be loose on the lead again. (5) Betsy Blue returned from a four month layoff in a NY-bred stakes race. She won a pair of open company stakes at Aqueduct in the winter. (1) Venti Valentine is a past NY-bred and open company stakes winner.

10th race [NY, Md Sp Wt, 1 mi TURF] – (12) Chulligan (B) was twice bumped, taken up, and then had to race wide in what was his first start of 2023 in June. (6) Slapintheface was second beaten by less than a length in his 2023 debut at the beginning of June. (9) Tony O has several good results at this level and when he is on the turf he is at his best. (1) Morethanafeeling has a pair of second-place finishes in his last two starts.

Best bets: Asymmetric (7th); Pharoah’s Heart (8th). Best value: Know It All Audrey (9th); Chulligan (10th).

No.NameLetter/
last race
Today's RaceComments
(3)Know It All AudreyA on 7/209Checked badly, lost all momentum, and finished third.
(12)ChulliganB on 6/2310Bumped twice, taken up, and then went very wide.
(13)HeroneandonlyD on 7/810First on Also Eligible list.