I think Chris is on the right track. Who will pair or run a little better than their top (after you toss EMaker)?

Funny Cide has good spacing and started the year stronger than the others. For some reason I can see him backing up a little just as easily as pairing up his last. He'll be a price so I should be more enthused. Not thrilled with running without a work over the CD strip, but Tagg's comments on the NYRA website made some amount of sense. Gelding curse gives me pause as well.

By comparison Brancusi has done more then FCide in a pretty short period, so I think he's more likely to back up off his last. In his favor is that the price is right and he's fast enough. Also may have run against a bias in last (3w at KEE). I'm not big on jockey angles, but the rider in a big field like this can make a difference and that seems like an obvious knock. Offlee Wild has done nothing in months, and I don't think he's going to wake up all of a sudden and run a new top and blow by them in the Derby. I'm leaning against these two.

I think Baffert's Indian will pair up. He's been getting his horses to run for the past few years and I don't see any big reason to doubt this one. Looks like he'll be a square price too (8-1?).

Day is a good bet to work out a trip with Ten Most Wanted and he should have something to run at, but the price will be less than great. Will enough of the pace/press types fall apart in front of him to make up for his ground loss? There are a lot of fast horses in here and it's hard for me to see all of them collapsing enough in the last furlong. His top is "ugly" but he gets four weeks off coming in.

Buddy Gil may end up forgotten. I don't like him much on the top end, but he can back up a bit and still end up in there. Another one who gets an extra week off to recover.

Scrimshaw will probably be a nice price and can't be tossed.

If I play tris (it will probably be hard to resist at least one stab at it), I will probably use Lone Star Sky a little. He'll be a bomb, has a nice pattern, and a new top may get him 3rd.

The draw and the workouts are always big, but this looks like about it for the TG end of it. Good luck to all.

P.S. -- Anybody know anything about Weld's horse?

HP