Bet this race at Diamond SportsTop pick: #7 (CUPID) (4-1) - Grey colt rated, made a solid bid, then weakened to finish fourth when debuting at Los Alamitos in a race common to several others Dec 20. In the Baffert barn, $900,000 son of 'Tapit' has since come back with a sharp half-mile work Dec 30.
2nd pick: #3 (Rim Nick) (7-2) - He showed excellent early speed while under pressure when debuting Nov 29 at Del Mar. Colt tired very late that day and has some solid local drills showing for his return. Win candidate.
3rd pick: #5 (Opportunistic) (6-1) - He's one of seven making their debuts. Gelding has a fine series of drills showing and he has a pair of Hall of Famers in his corner. He's trained by Jerry Hollendorfer (28% first out) and has Mike Smith aboard.
4th pick: #1 (Champion's Dinner) (12-1) - Another making his debut, son of 'Harlan's Holiday' has been in steady training here since late October. He has the tricky rail first out, but can factor with an alert beginning.
5th pick: #6 (Bullish On Steve) (30-1) - Long shot races first off a Gus Headley claim and is moving way up in class. He ran both wide and evenly for a $30K tag Nov 22 at Del Mar. His latest trio of works are encouraging and he may grab a share at a big price.