Ajax Downs Picks & Predictions — May 20, 2026
Ajax Downs is putting on a full 7-race card today under clear skies and a crisp 62°F — about as clean a racing day as you can ask for at this track. The fast, dry dirt should play true, which means speed figures will hold up and early quickness will be rewarded. No weather excuses today; the horses that are ready will show it.
The card spans distances from a lightning-quick 250 yards all the way out to 770 yards, so you've got everything from pure burst sprinters to horses that need a little more ground to find their best stride. There's variety here, and our TrackWiz models have strong opinions across all seven races.
The headliner is Race 6, a Derby going 300 yards — that's your prestige race of the afternoon. But don't sleep on Race 7, a Speed Index Race where Kissin Ella posted the highest TrackWiz rating on the entire card at 89.27. It's shaping up to be a sharp closer to the day.
Best Bets
Race 1
Allowance · 770 yd · Dirt
A clear class standout sits at the top of this allowance opener, but a live second choice and a sneaky show contender make the exotics worth building around.
General Skywalker (3) tops our TrackWiz ratings at 89.12 — a meaningful gap above the rest of this field — and that edge is hard to ignore in a five-horse allowance over 770 yards. Trainer Bob Broadstock sends him out with Ramiro Sanchez Castillo in the irons, a solid combo at this level. The 8/5 morning line reflects public respect, but the rating separation suggests he's the right favorite here. Back him to win and build your exotics around him.
Sea to Air (5) posts a TrackWiz rating of 71.58 and an average speed figure of 51 — one of only two horses in the field with a recorded avg speed — giving her a measurable edge in the speed department over most rivals. A 23% career win rate is respectable, and trainer Jeff Voyce also conditions the field's other speed horse, which gives him a clear read on the pace scenario. At 2/1, she's a natural place play behind the top selection.
Tell Him No Secrets (2) checks in with a 49.97 rating and a 25% career win rate, making her a credible third wheel in this spot. J.B. Botello gets the call for trainer Joe Tavares, a barn that knows how to place horses. At 9/2 on the morning line, there's real value if she runs to her number in a race where the top two draw most of the betting action.
Race 2
Speed Index Race · 300 yd · Dirt
Favorite Interest looks like the class of this Speed Index dash at 300 yards, but Eye Spy My lurks just off the pace with a rating that could make this closer than the morning line suggests.
Favorite Interest (4) carries the field's top TrackWiz rating at 89.12 and boasts a 37% career win percentage — by far the best winning record in this five-horse field. Trainer Jason Pascoe puts J.B. Botello up, a jockey who knows how to fire horses out of the gate in these short sprints. The 8/5 morning line is a fair reflection of her standing, and the rating gap over the next closest rival is substantial enough to make her a confident top selection.
Eye Spy My (5) sits second in the TrackWiz ratings at 79.52 — a solid score that puts her clearly ahead of the middle tier. Alexis Sanchez takes the mount for trainer Richard W. Kennedy, and at 5/2 on the morning line there's a touch of value here relative to her rating. In a 300-yard speed index race where fractions of a second decide everything, her figures suggest she belongs right in the mix for second money.
Ms Fixin to Win (3) rates out at 61.96 and carries a 16% career win percentage, which isn't flashy but is enough to land in the exotics at 2/1. Trainer Bob Broadstock saddles her with Ramiro Sanchez Castillo, a reliable combination at Ajax. She's third-best by the ratings, and if either of the top two has a gate miscue over this ultra-short 300-yard trip, she's right there to benefit.
Race 3
Maiden · 300 yd · Dirt
With Drouillard scratched, this maiden 300-yarder gets a little thinner, but Oppy towers over the remaining field on ratings and shapes up as a straightforward top choice in a race where nobody has broken their maiden yet.
Oppy (5) leads all remaining runners with an 87.81 TrackWiz rating — a significant margin over the field in a five-horse maiden sprint. Trainer Ruth Barbour sends her out with Cristian Benitez, and the 5/2 morning line actually offers mild value given how dominant the rating is relative to the competition. Every horse in this race is winless, so past results are limited, but Oppy's underlying figures give her the clearest edge on paper.
Trip Corona (4) slots in second on the TrackWiz ratings at 72.53 and draws a manageable 7/2 morning line. Trainer Jason Pascoe has two runners in this race, which suggests he's confident about his barn's form right now. In a maiden sprint where gate speed is everything, Trip Corona's rating puts her in a strong position to be the second horse home.
Royal Zanbo (1) rates at 53.33 — third-best in the field after the scratch — and gets Jose Nabor Cruz aboard from the inside post for trainer Brooke Sisson. The 5/1 morning line means there's genuine value if she runs to her TrackWiz number. In a short maiden dash with no clear pace pressure concerns, the inside post could be an asset, and she's a logical show inclusion in any exotic ticket.
The first three races are unlocked for every reader, and they're a solid starting point for the afternoon. General Skywalker opens the card in an Allowance sprint at 770 yards — the longest race of the day — and sits as our top pick at 8/5 on the morning line with an 89.12 TrackWiz rating. At that distance on a firm, fast track, stamina and pace control are everything, and our analysis likes his profile. Race 2 brings a 300-yard Speed Index Race, where Favorite Interest also checks in at 89.12 — the same rating as General Skywalker but in a very different context. Speed Index Races reward pure acceleration, and the clean conditions today mean the surface won't take anything away from a horse's best number. Then in Race 3, maiden runners get their shot at 300 yards, with Oppy drawing our top call at 5/2 and an 87.81 rating — the lone free-race pick coming in at a price, which is exactly the kind of spot worth noting.
The through-line on today's free picks: fast dirt, honest pace scenarios, and horses whose TrackWiz ratings suggest they belong at the top of their respective fields. No exotic bias on the surface today — just good horses in straightforward spots.
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Clear skies, fast dirt, and a Derby on the card — Ajax Downs is set up for a quality Wednesday afternoon. General Skywalker, Favorite Interest, and Oppy headline the free picks in Races 1–3, and Kissin Ella's card-best 89.27 rating makes Race 7 the most compelling race of the day. Full pace projections, exotic breakdowns, and premium picks for Races 4–7 are available to TrackWiz subscribers at /pricing. Good luck out there — let's make it a profitable one.