Bet this race at Diamond SportsTop pick: #8 (A 1 INITIATIVE) (8-1) - Longshot is lightly raced and working fast at the Palm Meadows Center for his first since Sept. 16 and first off a Patrick Reynolds. For those not familiar with that name, he was the first trainer of 'Big Brown'. This stalker has finished second in his last pair in New York and can take this at a big price if ready.
2nd pick: #3 (Teryn It Up) (9-2) - Colt drops to a new low after finishing 5th of 11, beaten almost three lengths when racing here against tougher Dec. 23. Colt was bumped at the break that day in his first back from a two-month rest and he gets a big rider upgrade to Jose Ortiz. A strong win candidate.
3rd pick: #1 (Confidence Level) (4-1) - The field's only first-time starter, he cost $160,000 and runs in his debut for a $50K tag. That's a negative, but he's from the barn of Chad Brown (19% with debuting stock), is working steadily, has the rail, and Javier Castellano s aboard.
4th pick: #6 (Mjolnir) (5-1) - He tired badly facing tougher in a contest that was taken 'off the turf' here Dec. 9. Competitive in three of four on the grass in the past, the grey colt has early speed and must be left in the mix.