Top Pick: #11 Sierra Leone (12-1) - Sierra Leone hasn't won since taking the Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes in April but has been right there, finishing 2-3-2-3 in the last four races. That includes a second-place finish in the Kentucky Derby and third at the Belmont Stakes. Time off will be a plus, as Sierra Leone has rested since late August.
Second Pick: #9 Fierceness (7-2) - Fierceness has been in three Grade 1 races in 2024 and won two of them. Fierceness just won the Travers Stakes at Saratoga with jockey John Velazquez in a battle to the wire against Thorpedo Anna.
Third Pick: #1 Forever Young (4-1) - This 3-year-old colt just won the Japan Dirt Classic at this distance despite bobbling slightly from gate one. Forever Young finished third in the Kentucky Derby in June to Mystik Dan and Sierra Leone, also at 1 1/4 miles.
Fourth Pick: #3 City of Troy (3-1) - Three Grade 1 races since June, and the competitive City of Troy won them all. That includes the Coral-Eclipse at this same 1 1/4 mile distance. The ground was slower than he preferred, but City of Troy won anyway despite being unbalanced midway through the race. City of Troy made his big move with a quarter mile left to battle for the lead.