Top pick: #4 (NICOLE H.) (6-5) - The probable heavy favorite, she towers over this group based on her overall record. Sprint stakes winner many times over, she's perfect 5-for-5 on this inner surface and her record at this distance is (16-9-5-0). She was an easy winner a year ago in the 2012 edition of this stakes and has a bullet half-mile work (best of 101) to go that distance at Belmont on the morning of Jan. 28 and the only negative is that with Dominguez injured, a new rider (Channing Hill) takes over.
2nd pick: #1a (Singlet) (6-1) - She finished a non-threatening third to "Nicole" in a sprint stakes here on Jan. 1 and that ran her local record to (3-2-0-1). Stalker draws outside of the speed and has a strong shot at completing the exacta.
3rd pick: #3 (Crespano) (3-1) - She's won both starts with ease and they came 11 months apart on this surface. Stalker gets a class test this afternoon, but the figure earned when winning here on Jan. 13 was impressive. J.J. Castellano, who is in from Gulfstream for the day is aboard.