LONE STAR PARK

POST TIME 1:35 p.m.Star-Telegram horse racing writer Gary West highlights his picks for today's races. Odds are provided by Lone Star Park, with program number, post position (where different), jockey, trainer and weight. The thoroughbred racing season continues through July 27.

10TH RACE Today's card is easily the best so far of the Lone Star season. The horses entered in today's four stakes have earned $5.75 million in their careers, and the cohort includes 19 stakes winners.

The featured Texas Mile has attracted a small field of six; they're all stakes winners and all formidable. But they're all going to be chasing Monterey Jazz.

The main question about Monterey Jazz is one you'll be hearing frequently in the upcoming weeks about many horses: Is he as good on real dirt as he was on California's faux dirt? In other words, are his performances genuine, or are they synthetic-track hocus-pocus?

The main factor, though, is his speed. With a stroll on the early lead, Monterey Jazz should be able to resist the late charges of Zanjero and Going Ballistic.

EIGHTH RACE The Richland Hills Stakes has attracted several accomplished fillies, such as Valid Lilly, who won a stakes here last year and fellow stakes winners Timely Reflectionand Miss Missile.

Miss Missile and Timely Reflection have been training sharply, but the one to beat is Twisted Tale. She disappointed in the Houston Oaks, but she turns back here to a sprint, which appears to be her preferred distance.