Top pick: #5 (GAME ON DUDE) (3-1) - Veteran has been sub-par in his last pair, and age may be starting to catch up to him a bit. He's seeking a repeat win in this "Classic," is working fast as is his norm, and 7yo has beaten tougher fields than this in the past. Gelding has earned almost $6.5M, is 9-5-2-0 on synthetic surfaces, and can take this on the front end.
2nd pick: #11 (Shared Belief) (5-2) - Lightly raced, he's undefeated (five for five) and is four for four on synthetic surface. 3yo was an easy winner last out of the G2 "Los Alamitos Derby" going eight-furlongs, so the extra furlong he travels today should not be an issue. Mike Smith takes this 3yo with unlimited potential over his old pal "Game On Dude," and this race will tell us a lot more about his potential. Obvious win candidate.
3rd pick: #7 (Majestic Harbor) (9-2) - This veteran has become a much better horse since coming off a 7 1/2 month layoff in January and joining the barn of Sean McCarthy. He's 5-2-1-1 since then and was an easy winner of Santa Anita's G1 "Gold Cup" at this distance on the dirt June 28. Freshened up since, he's training well locally, but gives away a lot of "poly" experience to the top two picks.
4th pick: #9 (Clubhouse Ride) (8-1) - He's earned $1.3M by finishing second and third in a lot of big stakes and last out was no match for "Harbor" while finishing second, six back of him in the "Gold Cup" G1. He has gotten better with age and has been training nicely for this attempt.
5th pick: #8 (Toast of New York) (15-1) - Lightly raced colt ran evenly last out on the Belmont turf and is back on synthetic footing where he's gone 4-3-1-0 and earned over $1M. This is the strongest field he's ever faced, but he still has room for upside. May grab a share at a big price.