Older turf horses return to Aqueduct in the Danger’s Hour on Saturday

April 14 // By NY Hot List staff

A field of seven older male horses was drawn for the $100,000 Danger’s Hour which will be run at a mile on the inner turf course at Aqueduct on Saturday. The Danger’s Hour is the first stakes race on the grass of 2023 in New York. Four of the six that are entered to run on the grass are returning from a layoff and three of them are making their first start of the year.

Celestial City shipped up from Shug McGaughey’s winter base at Payson Park in Florida to make his first start of the year at the Big A where he won both of his starts including the Hill Prince (G2) back in October.

“That was in my thinking. He had run very well over that course last fall,” McGaughey said. “He had some time off at Niall Brennan’s for a little while and was at Payson for a good while. He’s been working well over the turf there.”

He will have to beat Big Everest who also is a winner of his two starts at Aqueduct. The Christophe Clement runner won the Artie Schiller in his most recent start in November.

Here are the Hot List picks for the Danger’s Hour:

The $100,000 Danger’s Hour, Aqueduct, Saturday, Race 3.

(5) Celestial City will make his 2023 debut having won the Hill Prince (G2) last year as a 3-year-old. (3) Big Everest will return from a Winter break after winning the Artie Schiller at Aqueduct in November. He is the winner of 4 out of his last 5 starts. (1) Anaconda made two starts this year in a Grade 3 in California and a sprint at Turfway Park on the Tapeta. Last year he was second in the Turf Sprint Championship at the Big A. (6) Koolhaus will make his first start on the turf after two races at Turfway this year with an allowance win.

The rest of the NY Hot List picks and the Special Saturday Pick 3 are available free of charge at this website.