Here we are again, Friday and time for the weekly 5:

NFL Playoffs – Giants, Patriots…

Biased? Absolutely.  Record to date: 5-3, with two of those losses coming when picking against the Chargers in the first two rounds.  And as much as I want them to win now (not being a Boston sports fan in Boston is the equivalent of sports hell), I think third time will be the charm.

Shot of the Week – Looking to build on the momentum of having both last week's Shot of the Week and Bonus Pick coming home winners, we’ll be  picking Champs Elysses...

... to come through in the Gr-II San Marcos Handicap.

Books: How Few Remain

Having been on 8 different planes over the past two weeks, I got to read a lot.  If you like historical fiction, I highly recommend this book.  It is the first of an on-going series (I think there are at least 7 out already) about what could have happened if the South had won the Civil War and how the US, and the rest of the World, went on afterwards. If features all the famous persons you know, love and/or hate (Lincoln, Stonewall, Custer and Roosevelt among others) and seeing them in roles you would not have previously thought off was quite enjoyable.  I am looking forward to starting the next one, which takes place during WWI.

Movies: Cloverfield

I don’t know why this stupid looking movie is drawing me in, but it is.  I have to admit, although I do enjoy the occassional brainy / making-you-think movie, there is a lot to be said about seeing a movie for the sole purpose of forgetting about reality and enjoy it just because its not real.  So I’ll see if I can sneak out to the theather this weekend and check it out.  It’s getting 76% positive reviews at Rotten Tomatoes, so maybe there will be something to it.

NY Giants again:

1 win from the Super Bowl? Even as I type it, I can’t believe it.  I take back a lot (not all) of the criticism I’ve thrown towards Coughlin and ask those that called for Reese to be fired even before his first season as GM had started to admit the error of their ways. Anyone that saw all those rookies flying all over the field and making plays that Reese just may know a bit more about football than us casual fans. 

There are three graded stakes in the US this weekend, all in Santa Anita: The Gr-II Palos Verdes Handicap (4yo+, 6f) (actually to be run on Monday), The Gr-II San Marcos (4yo+, 1-1/4m, turf) and the Gr-III Tuzla Handicap (4yo+, F&M, turf).

Monday’s  Palos Verdes features the ’08 of (likely) ’07 Sprint Champion, Midnight Lute, who is coming off a disappoiting second in the Cigar Mile back in November.  All things being equal though, he should dominate the field.  But if he slips, look for veteran sprinters Greg's Gold and In Summation to fill the gap.

The San Marcos features a deep field with no particular standout.  High weight and likely favoritism will go to Gr-IIIT Del Mar Derby winner Medici Code, who on the flip side has not won since that race back in September although he has been closed.  So we will look for either Rocket Legs, coming off an allowance win, or perhaps Champs Elyssess, a Gr-III winner in France who is coming off a tough second in the Gr-1 Hollywood Turf Cup.,  to take advantage of their weight breaks and spring a mild upset.

Finally, we have the Tuzla Handicap, where Unspoken Word looks like the best choice out of a wide open field, coming off a strong second in the Gr-I La Brea Stakes.  Looking to challenge her will be Audacious Chloe, although she’s had a mixed bag of efforts since her win in the Regret Stakes last summer.

We will also give due props to now 10yo Evening Attire, fresh of his win in the Gr-III Queens County Handicap, and making his ’08 debut in the ungraded Aqueduct Handicap on Saturday, a race he won back in 2002.  Good luck.