Top pick: #6 (MENSA HEAT) - He enters this in career best form with three wins in a row including the $104K Pirate's Bounty S. at Del Mar on Sept. 7 in a race for fellow Cal-breds. He's won here in the past and has a pair of sharp recent works on this surface. There's lots of speed to his left in the gate and he can run this crew down late.
2nd pick: #1 (The Factor) - Highly though of colt was on the "Triple Crown Trail" earlier this year, but was derailed after a poor effort at Oaklawn Park in the G1 Arkansas Derby ion April 16. Sent in for a 4 1/2 month layoff after that outing by trainer Bob Baffert this grey son of "War Front" went wire-to-wire in a "gutsy" effort when winning the G1 Pat O'Brien at Del Mar in his return race on August 28. His best ever from a "figure" stand-point came on this surface when he broke his maiden last Dec. Working fast for this, has the rail, and I came very close to making him the top choice.