Top pick: #8 (LICHTENSTEIN) - Colt has raced well in his first pair facing tougher and the Baffert barn drops him into a claimer for the first time. Son of "Hennessy" is working fast over his home track and draws a nice comfortable post at this 7 furlong trip. The horse to beat.
2nd pick: #1 (Nostalgic Bid) - Part of an entry through mutual ownership with #1a "Reprise" this expensive ($230,000) son of "Vindication" also races in a claimer for the first time. He's raced evenly in all three starts to date and gets the addition of blinkers today from a veteran trainer (Richard Mandella). Contender.
3rd pick: #2 (Seventh Star) - Lots of changes for him today. When last raced he was still in his native Ireland and was in the barn of one of the best trainer's in the British Isles (Dermot Weld). Gelding didn't show much in four starts so fast forward to today. Now with Mike Mitchell, he's training sharply on this surface and his new conditioner does very well with new arrivals to his barn (27%). Price play.