Top pick: #12 (MR. MAGENTA) - He finished second here on Dec. 14, his first race in four months and first for trainer Ben Perkins Jr. He's had a month since that race and is working well. The pick in a good betting race.
2nd pick: #2 (Happy Bull) - Debuted last June and showed good speed while being heavily bet. On the sidelines since for Tony Dutrow, he's working fast and trainer is great on the layoff angle (28%).
3rd pick: #1 (Count the Gold) - Big speed and he has the rail. State-bred has shown a big early gear in all his starts before tiring each time. He has a tremendous workout on January 13, and could be tough to catch.
4th pick: #8 (Perfect Song) - First time starter from the fine barn of Mike Trombetta. Works are solid at Fair Hill and trainer wins at a 20% rate with debuting stock.