Top pick: #3 (PATRIOT'S VOYAGE) - $625K son of "Awesome Again" continues to show excellent early speed and tire during "crunch" time. He's faced better fields than this along the way and has a trio of quick drills since he last raced. Tough to catch this afternoon.
2nd pick: #8 (Tiz Golden) - Gelding raced evenly last out in his first race in 12 1/2 months and trainer Ron Ellis has had him work five times since. Heavily bet in all three starts, he draws a nice outside post for this 6.5 furlong distance and is a win candidate.
3rd pick: #1 (Ultimate Decision) - Comes from the same barn as "Golden" and the pair will race as separate betting interests. Unraced since last Sept., this gelding by "Rock Hard Ten" has been bet down to favoritism in both outings and finished close up in each. Training steadily and well above average for his return and Ellis wins at a solid 24% clip off of long layoffs.