Top pick: #6 (ROPE A DOPE) (7-2) - Colt goes turf to "poly" and shortens up in distance for this attempt. Son of "Broken Vow" won his latest going a mile on the local lawn and has now been competitive in five of his six starts. In shape, working well, and he gets a slight edge.
2nd pick: #2 (Creative Art) (5-2) - Very competitive sort has won more races (five) than any other entered. Stalker has gone 7-3-2-0 here on this surface and ran a career best figure when he won facing a bit cheaper on June 29th. Obvious threat.
3rd pick: #5 (County Corrections) (2-1) - Lightly-raced gelding comes in from Churchill Downs where he won back-to-back starts during the spring. Stalker has improved noticeably since blinkers went on and has worked fast for this outing. A major player if he can switch his dirt form to the "all weather" surface.
4th pick: #3 (Solar Flair) (10-1) - He's been facing tougher state-bred company of late and will be racing in a claimer for the first time this afternoon. One-run type fits with his best and strong finisher would love a fast and/or contested pace to develop.