Delta Downs Picks & Predictions — June 13, 2026
It's a scorcher out at Delta Downs today — clear skies and 88°F mean that fast dirt is very much in play on Saturday, June 13. Nine races are on the card, and this one leans heavily Quarter Horse, with a trio of 350-yard trials (Races 6, 7, and 8) anchoring the back half of the afternoon and giving us some legitimate multi-race ticket opportunities.
The headliner by our numbers is Hi Octane in Race 7 — a 6/5 morning-line favorite who clocks in with a 89.71 TrackWiz rating, the highest mark on the entire card. But don't sleep on the early sprints either. The opener goes just 220 yards and the action stays tight and fast all the way through a 220-yard closer in Race 9. Short races, hot day, fast ground — this card rewards sharp handicapping.
We've got three races open to all readers today, plus six premium deep-dives for subscribers. Let's get into it.
Best Bets
Race 1
Maiden · 220 yd · Dirt
A wide-open maiden dash at 220 yards where TrackWiz ratings separate the field into a clear top tier and a group of longshots just trying to make noise.
Mr Johns Fury draws the morning-line favoritism at 2/1 for good reason — his TrackWiz rating of 58.33 leads this entire maiden field. Rolando Cabrera gets the call in the irons, and in a sprint this short, breaking clean and running a straight line is everything. With no career numbers to lean on from any horse in here, the ratings edge is as good a separator as you'll find.
Sweetheart Eagle V sits just a tick behind at 56.67 on the TrackWiz scale and gets a fair morning line of 3/1 from the book. Trainer Alex P. Clark sends her out with Pedro Chavarria Espinosa up, a competent pairing for this level. If the top choice stumbles out of the gate or drifts, this one is right there to collect a piece.
Jrs Jess a Jewel rates third-best in the field at 55.00 and is actually the second choice on the morning line at 4/1, suggesting the book likes her chances too. Trainer Brenda Foster and jockey Rene Hernandez are a capable combination for a race this quick. She's a logical show ticket in trifecta structures — enough upside to land on the board without the top rating to guarantee the win.
Race 2
Starter Optional Claiming · 550 yd · Dirt
Ana Maria's massive rating advantage makes her the clear class of this Starter Optional Claiming field, but Sheet N Gheet and Jess Cheer for Me both flash real career numbers worth respecting.
Ana Maria is the standout here — an 86.35 TrackWiz rating that towers over the field and a career win rate of 20% that shows she knows how to close the deal. Lucas Constantin picks up the mount for trainer Salvador G. Flores, and at 7/2 on the morning line, there's still some value attached to a horse this dominant on paper. In a Starter Optional Claiming race at 550 yards, class and consistency matter, and she brings both.
Sheet N Gheet is no pushover — a 72.69 rating and a 21% career win rate make her the second-best profile in the race by TrackWiz metrics. Bobby Ransom, one of the more reliable hands in this barn area, takes the mount for trainer Orlando Orozco. She's the morning-line favorite at 9/5, and while she doesn't have the edge over Ana Maria in our model, she's a natural land-on-the-board candidate.
Jess Cheer for Me rounds out the top three with a 71.45 rating and a matching 21% career win percentage — she wins at a clip comparable to Sheet N Gheet. Trainer Gary Shane Mason has her ready at 5/1 on the morning line, which gives exotic players a reason to include her in trifecta bets. She's the kind of consistent performer who quietly lands on the board in these mid-level sprint events.
Race 3
Maiden Claiming · 250 yd · Dirt
Ultra Cartel looks like a standout in this Maiden Claiming 250-yard sprint, but a pair of intriguing longer prices give the trifecta some genuine structure.
Ultra Cartel's 88.54 TrackWiz rating is simply in a different zip code from the rest of this maiden claiming field — it's a 25-point gap over the next contender. Servando Ramirez rides for trainer Kenneth Weeks, and at 8/5 on the morning line, the book agrees this is a heavy favorite situation. In a 250-yard maiden dash where pure athletic ability often wins out, an edge this large in the ratings is hard to fade.
La Pantera Jp rates third in the field at 63.66 but gets a generous 9/2 morning line, suggesting there may be more here than the public realizes. Bobby Ransom is a strong booking for trainer Emily Jeane, and if Ultra Cartel faces any trouble at the break, this one has the rating to grab second. She's the right price for a place ticket in what figures to be a short-priced exacta.
Heza Higher Fire is the sneaky piece of this ticket — a 56.85 rating puts him right in the mix with the middle of the field, but a 12/1 morning line means the public is largely ignoring him. Trainer Jose Medrano sends him out with Humberto Vital, and in a wide-open maiden field, one good break can mean a share of the purse. The price makes him an interesting show bet and a must-use in trifecta horizontals.
Our three free picks today span the early part of the card and give you a nice cross-section of what Delta Downs is serving up. Mr Johns Fury opens the day at 2/1 in a 220-yard maiden sprint — a short, sharp test where gate speed is everything and our top rating suggests he has the edge. In Race 2, Ana Maria steps up to 550 yards in a Starter Optional Claiming affair, carrying an 86.35 rating at 7/2 on the morning line — a price worth noting if she holds it into post time. Race 3 brings us back to the short stuff at 250 yards, where Ultra Cartel tops our maiden claiming field at 88.54 — the highest-rated free pick of the three and listed at 8/5.
One angle worth keeping in mind across the free races: in this heat, early pace advantage in the ultra-short distances (220–300 yards) tends to be nearly insurmountable. Horses that can get out of the gate cleanly and establish position in the first stride are at a serious premium today. All three of our free top picks profile as clean-breaking types, which is a big part of why TrackWiz has them at the top of their respective fields.
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Bottom line: today's Delta Downs card is fast, furious, and loaded with Quarter Horse action. Hi Octane in Race 7 is our marquee play of the day, and Ultra Cartel in Race 3 is the best-rated free pick on the card. For the full picture — trials analysis, pace projections, and exotic ticket recommendations — the complete breakdown is available to TrackWiz subscribers at /pricing. Good luck out there, and let's cash some tickets.