Top pick: #7 (EL PADRINO) - He's just one of a half-dozen talented 3-year-olds in the barn of Todd Pletcher and he fired a "triple digit" speed figure when winning his seasonal debut at Gulfstream on Jan. 29. Highly thought of since day one, he just failed in late November at Aqueduct going 9 furlongs in the (G2) Remsen, his firs against winners. $210K son of "Pulpit" has worked twice at Palm Meadows since his recent win and gets the call in a very "deep" field.
2nd pick: #5 (Z Dager) - He's already proven that he likes this surface as he broke his maiden here at this trip Dec. 15, then missed by a head to today's rival "Mr. Bowling" in the (G3) Lecomte Stakes here on Jan. 21. Stalker is in the win mix.
3rd pick: #1 (Mr. Bowling) - As just mentioned above, he won the (G3) Lecomte here by a head over "Dager" Jan. 21 in his first start since late October when he ran third at Churchill in the Iroquois S.(G3). Working fast since, he has a flexible style and is in the mix.
4th pick: #8 (Shared Property) - Interesting gelding he flew home in the Lecomte(G3) her to finish righ behind both "Bowling" and "Dager" and he had a tough outside post and was forced to race very wide. He looks like the type that will like it the farther he goes. Stretch threat.