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

1^st race [Md Sp Wt, 1 1/16 mi TURF] – (7) Noted (A) was 3-1 in his debut but got taken up at the start and made a late run for second for Todd Pletcher. (1) Ask Isaac will make his debut for Bill Mott and is out of a mare that won $339,000 as a stakes winner and produced a winner from her only starter. (4) Noble Wave got bumped at the break in his first start and was forced to run on the inside on the turn. (5) Uncle Bo will make his first start being from a dam that had a winner from her first foal.

9^th race [CCA Oaks (G1), 1 1/8 mi] – (5) Hoosier Philly has regained the excellent form that she had as a 2-year-old when she won her first three starts. She got loose on the lead and won the Monomoy Girl at Ellis Park last month and is likely to get the lead easily again in this small field that lacks other frontrunners. (4) Gambling Girl missed winning the Kentucky Oaks by a neck in her last start for Todd Pletcher. The NY-bred has been racing open company stakes. (2) Wet Paint won three stakes races in a row at Oaklawn Park and then was fourth in the Ky. Oaks and second in the Monomoy Girl. The Oaklawn form has not held up well at other tracks. (1) Southlawn won her first two starts of 2023 at Fair Grounds including the Fair Grounds Oaks (G2) but at 5-1 she was 10^th in the Ky. Oaks. She has been off since then making you think that something went wrong in Kentucky.

10^th race [Alw 149500 N1X, 6F] – (6) Daufuskie Island has won three races in a row moving from a $32,000 claimer through the NY-bred allowance conditions but is still eligible for the first-level allowance against open company. (8) Accretive has been off since last summer at Saratoga where he was second in the Amsterdam (G2). (7) Who Hoo Thats Me rarely runs a bad race and won through the NY-bred allowance conditions. He was second in his first try at this level. (9) A La Carte was a heavy favorite in his first three starts where he was in the top three. Bill Mott tried the turf last time which did not go well.

11^th race [Clm 25000, 6F] – (7) Senor Jobim (B) returns from a February layoff when he broke last, rushed up on the outside, and finished fourth in a blanket finish. (1) Catchyasoon/(1A) Flint Ridge are both win contenders for Linda Rice. (8) Digital Future was a winner at this claiming level two races back. (6) Seven Nation Army was claimed for $32,000 at Ellis Park last time when he finished second and the blinkers go on along with Irad Ortiz.

Best bets:  Hoosier Philly (9^th); Daufuskie Island (10^th). Best value:  Noted (1^st); Senor Jobim (11^th).

Saturday Pick 3 Special --
The Saturday Special $1 Pick 3 covers races 9 - 11 and includes the CCA Oaks (G1) à 4, 5 with 6, 7, 8 with 1, 6, 7, 8 = $24.