Top pick: #10 (NEW HOUSE RULES) - Well-bred grey colt finished a solid fifth in his debut here Dec. 10 racing at this distance for $40K. Heavy bet that day, trainer Tony Dutrow will drop him down a bit in price, and brings him back quickly for his second start. The horse to beat.
2nd pick: #12 (Dark Invader) - Has a nice work here on this surface 10 days ago and races today off a trainer switch to Juan Guerrero (a strong 49% winning angle). Nicely bred runner drops into a claimer for the first time and should be competitive in this spot.
3rd pick: #5 (Palace Causeway) - Has excellent early speed and drops a bit off a pace-pressing try here 6 weeks ago facing tougher. Home-bred has a nice recent work and must be left in the final mix.