Bet this race at Diamond SportsTop pick: #2 (VEKOMA) (3-1) - He won his first pair last fall in New York, taking his sprint debut at Belmont Sept. 23, then scoring in Aqueduct's G3 Nashua Stakes at a mile Nov. 4. Sent in for a four-month layoff, he returned with a good 3rd place finish at Gulfstream Park in the Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) at 8.5 furlongs March 2. This stalker has a fine post and trainer George Weaver has Javier Castellano aboard for the first time.
2nd pick: #1 (Somelikeithotbrown) (10-1) - Longshot has been sharp in six straight starts, all on either turf or poly surfaces. He's won both starts this year at Turfway Park, both stakes, and has done so in easy fashion. A son of 'Big Brown,' he has the rail and is dangerous at a big price if he can transfer his current form to the dirt.
3rd pick: #8 (Win Win Win) (7-2) - He rallied while extremely wide to finish 3rd in the Tampa Derby (G2) March 9. Home bred had won three of four prior to that and earned the highest figure of any entered when he won the seven-furlong Pasco Stakes at Tampa Jan. 19. Irad Ortiz, Jr. stays aboard, and this colt is s serious player.
4th pick: #3 (Signalman) (5-1) - Bargain priced ($32,000) colt won almost $500K in 2018 and won the G2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) after a 3rd place finish in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1). He raced evenly without threatening in his seasonal debut at Gulfstream March 2 and should be much sharper with that come-backer out of the way.
5th pick: #11 (So Alive) (15-1) - From the Pletcher barn, he's won two of four, and last out finished a very distant 3rd in a G3 at Tampa. He broke slowly that afternoon and think he can get a share of this with a late rally with a clean beginning.