Woodhaven puts turf racing in focus at the Big A on Saturday

By NY Hot List Staff | Thursday, April 20, 2023

Spring is in the air. Baseball is back. The Kentucky Derby is around the corner and there’s even a turf stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack. While Saturday’s Woodhaven Stakes attracted only a field of six – and will be run as the third race on the card – it still rates as a harbinger of the prime racing season of the year in New York. And with trainers Chad Brown and Christophe Clement both having horses in the race, it certainly feels like a summer day at Belmont Park or Saratoga.

Here’s the Hot List picks for the Woodhaven:

The $100,000 Woodhaven, Aqueduct, Saturday, Race 3

(6) Neural Network (C) was placed first by disqualification after getting bumped repeatedly when he was bet down from 5-1 to be the 6-5 favorite. After winning that stakes race, Chad Brown moves him to the turf. (5) Inflation Nation will make his first start of the year with the return of turf racing at Aqueduct. Last year he was third in the Atlantic Beach and fourth in the Futurity (G3) and now he stretches out in distance. (4) Belouni made his American debut for Chad Brown at Gulfstream Park in a stakes race after starting his career in France where he had two wins a pair of seconds. (2) Winter’s Lion moved to the turf for his last two starts for Joe Sharp and was third in the Texas Turf Mile at Sam Houston and then had a less than ideal trip at the Fair Grounds last month.

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