Top pick: #5 (YOUNG DUDE) (3-1) - Claimed in early March by last year's leading trainer (Jamie Ness) in number of wins in North America, he sent this gelding in for an immediate seven week freshening. 4-year-old returned in a high-end starter-allowance at Pimlico April 26th and after an "awkward" start he raced evenly. He's since come back with a bullet 5-furlong breeze here on May 16th and can take this with an alert beginning.
2nd pick: #1 (Won the War) (6-1) - Price play is gradually racing back into shape following a pair of layoffs and last out at Pimlico he raced evenly when facing entry-level allowance foes sprinting on the turf. Drops to a new low, goes turf to dirt, and has the rail. Win candidate.
3rd pick: #7 (Avarice) (2-1) - Unracced since early October, he went (9-1-3-2) in his initial season and ran well on this surface without winning (2-0-1-1). Speed/stalker is working fine, draws a nice post out of the 6-furlong chute, and he runs in a claimer for the first time.
4th pick: #6 (Ifrit) (4-1) - Very lightly-raced Roy Jackson home-bred, gelding has been freshened up since early April when he tired badly in a Pimlico allowance. 4-year-old by "Broken Vow" was a bit "keyed up" before that contest and will be cutting back in distance and dropping down for his Delaware debut.