Top pick: #4 (EIGHTTOFASTTOCATCH) (2-1) - Looks like a two-horse race on paper with this Maryland-based veteran and No. 7 "Last Gunfighter." When last in action this 7-year-old gelding went wire-to-wire on this course when winning the $90K "Henry Clark" stakes on April 20th. Effort came second off almost a two month freshening and the "figure" earned was a career best. Gets a slight edge because of a bit of a "home field advantage."
2nd pick: #7 (Last Gunfighter) (7-5) - Serious challenger has gone (9-5-2-2) and those five wins have come in succession heading into this. Home-bred has taken three stakes in a row, is still improving, and the 9-furlong distance won't be an issue. Strong win candidate.
3rd pick: #6 (Concealed Identity) (15-1) - Longshot goes turf to dirt and has won 2-of-4 starts on this surface. No match for "Eighttofastocatch" the four times they've met, and a small slice would appear to be his ceiling.
4th pick: #5 (Richard's Kids) (7-2) - Two-time winner of the rich "Pacific Classic" hasn't been sub-par dating back to last fall. He's now an 8-year-old with 44 lifetime starts and in an attempt to "shake him up a bit," trainer Doug O'Neill will remove this gelding's blinkers.