Top pick: #9 (General Jim) (4-1) - This three-year-old Colt has three first-place finishes in five races. Two of the wins were at 1 1/6 with another at 7 furlongs. The horse has been resting for two months since upsetting 4-5 favorite Super Chow in the Claiborne Farm Swale at Gulfstream Park, rallying down the stretch. General Jim was comfortable wearing blinkers for the first time and gave a professional performance settling in third before a making a move. That was under jockey Luis Saez, who will be atop again.
2nd pick: #11 (Gilmore ) (12-1) - It's been a good six months for Gilmore with two second-place finishes along with one Maiden victory. The last time out, Joey Freshwater and Gilmore both came on strong to overtake Victory Way, ending up 1-2 with Gilmore in second. Ira Ortiz Jr will ride on Saturday, the second time Gilmore will be running one-mile - and the first time was that Maiden victory.
3rd pick: #5 (Echo Again ) (7-2) - Echo Again debuted at Saratoga earning a Beyer Speed Figure of 94 in a maiden special weight sprint victory. Over the last five races, Echo Again has two wins and one third-place finish at the Remington Springboard Mile. It's been five weeks since a 1-mile victory in an allowance at Oaklawn on dirt, so this horse should be in the top three.