Top pick: #5 (GOLDEN GALAXY) (6-5) - Hard to look past this win machine (8 for 12) as she's perfectly spotted by trainer Dave Jacobson and last out defeated three of her five rivals with ease. The ONLY question mark is the surface, as mare will be running on the main-track affectionately known as "Big Sandy" for the first time.
2nd pick: #1 (Cape Cod Carol) (6-1) - She rallied to finish second, 3 1/2 lengths back of "Galaxy" on April 11th and last fall she finished 3rd when still a maiden in her only previous start on this surface.
3rd pick: #3 (Alpha J) (7-2) - Lightly raced, she's won two in a row and owner/trainer/breeder Scott Schwartz moves her up a bit in class. Stalker fits, and this 3-year-old looks to have a bright future in the New York-bred ranks.
4th pick: #2 (Effie Trinket) (4-1) - Unraced since late October, she's 2-for-2 on the dirt and won a $100K stakes for 2-year-old state-breds in late Aug. at Saratoga. Filly trained all winter at Palm Meadows, so she shouldn't be "short" in her first back from the half-year's absence.