Top pick: #9 (GOLD D'ORO) - She raced well in a pair travelling 7-furlongs on the Belmont lawn last fall. On the shelf since October 19th , she's working fine at Payson Park for her seasonal debut. Barn (Bill Mott) is having a solid meet, and is good off the layoff (20%).
2nd pick: #5 (Mimi's Kids) - Daughter of "Lemon Drop Kid" raced wide in her debut after breaking from a poor post (11). Race was a useful "prep" and this 1 1/8th mile race may have been their intended target. Barn (Ken McPeek) is strong 2nd time out (26%).
3rd pick: #2 (Rajpur Road) - Sharp 3rd place finish on Jan.14th in his first on the turf. Well-bet that day, and her effort was encouraging. Fast work on Feb.7th indicates she'll fire another good one.
4th pick: #3 (Treasure Trail) - Beautifully-bred filly will try the turf for the first time. She broke slowly in her seasonal debut from the rail, going a mile on the dirt, and should improve today. Trainer "Shug" McGaughey adds blinkers for this attempt.
5th pick: #6 (Irish Channel) - Slow start in a 5 furlong turf sprint on Jan. 17th led to a mid-pack finish. "Big Chief" Jerkens sends her 9 furlongs today, and she could be a player at a big price.