Top pick: #8 (ROSESINTHERAIN) (2-1) - Lightly-raced filly tries winners for the first time after a very easy wire-to-wire maiden win here at this 5-furlong distance on Jan. 5. She's in a top barn (Steve Asmussen) and home-bred has plenty of room for upside. The horse to beat.
2nd pick: #9 (Baja Oklahoma) (9-2) - Consistent sort has already proven she can be competitive against winners when she finished second here at this trip on Jan. 2. The race was her first since coming from Remington Park and joining the barn of Harlan Boutte.
3rd pick: #3 (Wisestar) (3-1) - She was a busy filly last year (8-1-3-1) and has been given some rest since Dec. 13. Daughter of "Henny Hughes" is working fast at the Fair Grounds for her first outside of the mid-Atlantic region.
4th pick: #7 (Silk Side Susan) (8-1) - In the winning barn of Karl Broberg, she rallied to finish fourth in the same Jan. 2 race as "Baja" and was just over two lengths back of that rival on the wire. Needs to do a bit better.