One of the few races which will pull me away from March Madness this weekend. Mostly we have the locals, those that ran well in the LeComteand and Risen Star. Of those, it appears to me Mandaloun is the most accomplished to date.

Asmussen's colt [b]Midnight Bourbon[/b] seems to have developed nicely since last season. Connections hopes may be trumping patience as 3rd in the Risen Star may signal - give me some time to recover. Regardless he'll attract plenty of bettors just because of his trainer Asmussen's stats.

The Brian Cox colt [b]Mandaloun[/b] proved best the last meeting of the three amigos. Differing opinions from he improved, [b]MB[/b] regressed and [b]Proxy[/b] had a troubled wide trip.

It could be Trainer Stidham's colt [b]Proxy[/b]'s turn to win. He probably earned the best figure last out and I haven't watched the replay yet to ascertain if and how much the bump in his last affected his race.

It would seem these "Three Amigos" are comparable. Not Funny Cide, Empire Maker, and Peace Rules. OR Silver Charm, Captain Bodgit, and Free House.

[b]Run Classic[/b] probably adds to the crowd up front. Did Run Happy ever win a race beyond a mile even though his breeding should not have inhibited? However, imo the dam in this case suggests sprint to a middle distance. Crazy old bloodline consideration. Price may justify a stab.

[b]RightandJust[/b] reminds me of a Dusty Springfield chorus. That's wishing-and-hoping for the younger readers. He was 30/1 in his last meeting with these and did nothing to reduce that price. So sounds like a good one to put in the 4th place slot.

[b]Starringinmydreams[/b] trained by Dallas Stewart and owned in partnership with Winstar put him on my radar. Add-in, the colt was rank in the Risen Star yet comes back in this race. How many times do we have to see one of Stewart's colt surprises in a 3 y/o classic at a price to pay attention to.

For me, it gonna boils down to what price we can get on [b]Hot Rod Charlie[/b]. This colt ran second in last year's Breeders Cup Juvenile. I was a fan of Oxbow (the sire) in his 3 y/o season which makes this one a sentimental pick (don't be ridiculous). What's curious to me is trainer Mora has to ship to the BIG EASY away from Baffert to earn any Ky Derby qualifying points. He's no cinch and will have to pass more than a couple of contenders. I don't expect Rosario to ride as he did in the Rebel and I'm OK with a well-timed race that runs them down in the stretch can I get 2/1?

Subject to prices, I'm thinking, tri's H[b]ot Rod[/b] over [b]Proxy & Mandalown[/b] over [b]Starryinginmydreams[/b] and [b]Run Classic[/b].