Bet this race at Diamond SportsTop pick: #5 (LA CONTESSA) (5-2) - Filly drops in class and is switching from grass to dirt for this attempt. $200,000 daughter of 'Congrats' raced both wide and evenly here when beaten four lengths facing special weights in a turf sprint Aug. 11. Trainer Todd Pletcher wins at a 31% rate second time out and at a 36% clip when dropping maidens into claimers.
2nd pick: #3 (Tied Up) (5-1) - Grey filly tired after being sent hard from the rail when debuting here facing tougher Aug. 6. Her trainer (Steve Asmussen) wins at a 20% rate second time out he's picked it up at the Spa over the past two weeks following a very slow start at the meet.
3rd pick: #4 (Card Club) (20-1) - Filly is making her third start and has had legitimate excuses in her first pair. She raced both greenly and evenly when debuting at Churchill June 24, then stumbled at the start and was bumped later on while racing wide here Aug. 3.
4th pick: #7 (Strategic Dreams) (4-1) - One of two fillies making their debuts, she's working steadily on the deep training tracks both here and at Belmont Park. Trainer Rudy Rodriguez (15% first out) has Irad Ortiz Jr. signed on. The pair have won with 148 of 591 (25%) when teamed up over the past 19 1/2 months.