Albuquerque Picks & Predictions — July 17, 2026

La Traviesa sits at a 62.65 TrackWiz rating and gets Larry Marquez in the irons for trainer Joel J. Gonzales — a pairing that has shown they can get horses to fire in claiming company. At 7/2 on the morning line, she's attractively priced for a place bet and her 9% career win rate means she knows how to compete without always being the one crossing first. She's the natural second horse to back in exotics.

Sapello Sicario (62.40 rating) is essentially a dead-heat with La Traviesa on the model and brings a posted average speed figure of 54 — real, measurable data in a field where most runners don't have one. Gabriel Medrano takes the mount for trainer Martin Manuel Valdez-Cabral, and at 9/2, there's solid value threading this one into trifectas as a hedge behind the top two.

Diamond Crown sits at 82.71 on the TrackWiz model — only 3.3 points behind Simpli Fli — and gets Francisco Zamora aboard for trainer Gerardo Quinonez. The 6/1 morning line represents genuine value for a horse this close in ratings to the top pick, and in a crowded 12-horse field, the price could stay up even as the money flows. This is a strong exotic play and a live place bet.

Legal Separation at 62.60 represents the only other horse above 60 on the TrackWiz model and is trained by Jacob Renteria with Jaime Parga Leos in the irons. The 9/2 morning line is a bit short for a show-tier horse, but the ratings justify it — there's a meaningful gap between Legal Separation and everything else in the bottom two-thirds of this field. Use this one as your third leg in trifectas.

Bart Sip Some draws the morning-line favoritism at 5/2 for good reason — a 20% career win rate is the joint-highest in this field and a 78.71 TrackWiz rating puts him firmly in the conversation. Trainer Jeffrey J. Trujillo sends Enrique Portillo Gomez out at 1,000 yards, where stamina matters more than a quick first step, and this horse's win percentage suggests he knows how to close the deal when it counts. A solid place play even if Apuro gets the edge on ratings.

Ultimate Decision brings a 22% career win rate — the best in the field outright — and a 67.07 TrackWiz rating that makes him a legitimate contender despite a 7/2 morning line. Trainer Danny E. Martinez and jockey Victor M. Castro team up on a horse that clearly wins races; the question is whether the longer 1,000-yard trip suits him today. In exotics, his win pedigree makes him a must-include in trifectas as the horse most likely to surge late.

Czar Catrina slots in at 84.90 on the TrackWiz model — barely a point behind the top pick — and trained by Wesley T. Giles with Noe Garcia, Jr. in the irons. An 18% career win rate is respectable, but it's the closeness of the model ratings that makes this horse the natural place play: if anything bumps Merlot Arrives in 25 out of the win slot, Czar Catrina is right there. The 9/2 morning line is fair value for this caliber of horse.

Flashn Milagro at 6/1 checks in with a 55.71 TrackWiz rating and a 9% career win rate, modest on its own — but in a sprint where the top two are closely matched, a clean trip could propel this horse to third. Gabriel Medrano gets the call for trainer Heber Deyta-Melendez, a partnership that has shown up competitively throughout this card. Use Flashn Milagro as your trifecta anchor at a workable price.

Exemplory posts a 64.32 TrackWiz rating and draws a 6/1 morning line that offers genuine value — especially noteworthy is that trainer Marco A. Flores gets Jose Enrique Ortiz aboard, the same combination that took the top spot in Race 6 analysis. In a 12-horse field at 400 yards, having a horse with solid ratings and a live jockey-trainer connection makes Exemplory a smart place play in exotics.

Philippe sits at a 61.83 TrackWiz rating and draws a 9/2 morning line, with Sergio Becerra, Jr. in the irons for trainer Jaime Dominguez. An 11% career win rate is steady for Allowance company, and his position in the gate gives him a chance to break cleanly in a big field. Include Philippe as the natural third leg in trifectas — he's close enough to Exemplory in the ratings to finish in either order.

Daddy Tungsten checks in at 77.14 on the TrackWiz model and is handled by Marco A. Flores — one of the busiest and most effective trainers on today's card — with Jose Enrique Ortiz up. A 12% career win rate and a 9/2 morning line make this a serious place contender, and the Flores-Ortiz combination has already shown up as a top play in Race 6. Expect this one to be right there in the thick of it at the wire.

Batomacho Ronacorona sits at 75.44 on the model — only 4.35 points behind the top pick — and draws a 7/2 morning line that makes him the most backed horse in the race. Trainer Daniel A. Cano gets James A. Flores in the irons, and while the 10% career win rate isn't flashy, in a tight 350-yard sprint it only takes a perfect break to overachieve. In a race this competitive, boxing the top three in exactas is genuinely defensible.

Zooming Dynasty at 6/1 brings a 55.44 TrackWiz rating and a 33% career win rate — the second-best win percentage among the top contenders, which signals this horse genuinely knows how to compete. Trainer Ashlee Wolf puts Alfredo Sigala up in a spot where the heavy favorite will compress place payouts, making a straight place bet marginal — but in exactas and trifectas, Zooming Dynasty is the right choice as the main backup. The win percentage alone earns inclusion here.

Big Bang Rocket at 4/1 rates at 49.83 on the TrackWiz model and shows a 17% career win rate for trainer Justin W. Joiner with Edwin G. Escobedo in the irons. This is a horse that could easily move up if the pace scenario sets up correctly in a 400-yard sprint, and the 4/1 morning line means the payouts in trifectas would be meaningful with Kj Desparado on top. A solid third wheel in multi-horse exotic tickets.

Send the Hero rates 69.12 on the TrackWiz model — second in this field by a clear margin — and draws Alfredo Sigala for trainer Jesus J Carrete. The 7/2 morning line makes this horse nearly as well-backed as the top pick, which reflects genuine connections respect; this isn't a market error. As a place play, Send the Hero offers the kind of reliability you want when capping a full card of racing.

Aj Missmerizing comes in at a 58.73 TrackWiz rating, which ranks third in this field, and gets Jose Alonzo Lopez for trainer Alejandro Garcia. An 8/1 morning line means there's real value here as a show bet and as the third leg in exotic tickets — a modest overlay that the model supports. In a 12-horse maiden sprint where anything can happen at the break, having a properly priced third option makes good handicapping sense.