Top pick: #10 (SIR LAUFEN) - Son of "Medaglia d'Oro" showed nothing when debuting on the Ellis Park turf August 12 and was claimed away from Bill Mott that day for $10K by trainer Godsey Marshall. New barn brings him back 45 days later with a switch to the dirt and halves him in price. Look for a much better effort this evening.
2nd pick: #9 (Saintly Tale) - Gelding by "Tale of the Cat" ships back from Presque Isle where he was competitive in a sprint Sept. 3, but raced evenly 10 days later when going two-turns. He ran very poorly here as a heavy favorite July 11 on a sloppy surface in his only previous dirt race.
3rd pick: #6 (Plate Up) - Lightly raced, well-bred, and improving, this gelding by "Pleasant Tap" set the pace and tired to finish third here at this price and distance on a very muddy track on Sept. 6. In a very good barn (Doug Shanyfelt) and a threat from start to finish.