Top pick: #5 (DISCREET MARQ) (7-2) - New York bred has had an excellent career on the grass (18-7-5-3, $1.05M), and professional stalker lands in a good spot for her return to Del Mar. She won the G1 Del Mar Oaks here in Aug. of 2013, and she has a clear speed to track. The horse to beat.
2nd pick: #3 (La Tia) (5-2) - Clearly the main speed, she's been competitive in all seven starts this year (7-3-1-2) with five of those coming in "graded" stakes. A major threat to take this field from start-to-finish.
3rd pick: #1 (Queen of the Sand) (4-1) - Irish import has won four in a row and scored impressively here at this distance in a small stakes on Nov. 7th. Strong finisher may not get the pace help she needs, but is a win candidate if she does.
4th pick: #2 (Strathnaver) (7-2) - No speed type is another that's at the mercy of what happens up front. English bred has been facing top competition all year and can factor if the pace doesn't hold.