Top pick: #2 (PRESSURE TIME) (3-1) - He's dropping a bit in class and the extra 1/16th he travels today is in his favor. Gelding finished a solid third here for a $12.5K tag Oct. 4 in his first off a Bob Hess Jr. claim and can take this if he avoids any traffic in this large field.
2nd pick: #1 (Mahalo Arturo) (6-1) - Lightly-raced and speedy, he just missed last out at Los Alamitos and was placed first following a disqualification. He's nicely spotted in his first facing winners, draws the rail, and is a win candidate.
3rd pick: #13 (Newport Red) (10-1) - Longshot moves out in the gate and drops to a new low for this attempt. Lightly-raced speed/stalker tired last out facing tougher from an inside post and his lone win came here at this distance on June 15th.
4th pick: #10 (Ebony Gold) (8-1) - He's racing third back from a long layoff and is dropping down to a new low. Once classier type has raced evenly in his return pair facing tougher and must be left in the mix.
5th pick: #4 (Green Tag) (20-1) - Not a strong win threat, Irish bred has been freshened up since Sept. 13 when he raced evenly at Los Alamitos for a $16K tag. He has some ability and he would love a fast and/or contested pace to close into.