Top pick: #6 (LUCKY CHAPPY) - He was very highly thought of last year when Team Valor brought him here after a pair of back-to-back wins in Italy. Colt flew home to finish third in his U.S. debut in the Bourbon S.(G3) at Keeneland, then broke slowly and rallied from far back to finish fourth while six-wide in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) at Churchill on Nov. 5. Freshened-up for 2 1/2 months, Irish-bred finished second in his 3-year-old debut at Gulfstream park in a $100K stakes Jan. 21. Training fine, this will be his first ever on a surface other than the grass. Graham Motion, who won last year's Kentucky Derby (G1) has Alan Garcia come from Florida for the mount.
2nd pick: #1 (Daddy Nose Best) - Trainer Steve Asmussen won last year's version of this stakes with a runner who'd been racing on the grass, just like this colt by "Scat Daddy". Training well at Santa Anita for his 3-year-old debut, he has the rail, and regular Julien Leparoux is in for the ride.
3rd pick: #7 (Handsome Mike) - Another son of "Scat Daddy", this colt goes dirt to "poly" after finishing an even fourth last out in the Sham S.(G3) at Santa Anita. Working well, he has early speed, blinkers go on for the first time, and Corey Nakatani is in from Santa Anita for the ride.