Albuquerque Picks & Predictions — July 24, 2026
Albuquerque is running a full 10-race card this Friday, and Mother Nature is throwing a curveball right out of the gate. Rain is falling at 93°F, which might sound contradictory, but in the high desert that combination can turn a fast strip into something slick and unpredictable in a hurry. Pay close attention to how the surface plays early — the first few races will tell you a lot about where the track is sitting.
The card is a solid mix of short quarter-horse sprints at 350 and 400 yards alongside the longer 870-yard routes that demand a different kind of horse entirely. Route runners and pure speed burners rarely overlap, so the pace scenarios shift dramatically from race to race. Today's card rewards handicappers who stay sharp and adapt — and TrackWiz analysis has you covered from Race 1 through Race 10.
Best Bets
Race 1
Maiden Claiming · 870 yd · Dirt
A wide-open maiden claiming sprint over 870 yards where the top three TrackWiz-rated horses hold a significant edge over the bottom half of the field — but with all zeros in the career win column, anything can happen first time out.
El Maestro (3) tops our ratings at 79.45, the highest mark in the field, and draws the morning-line favoritism at 5/2 — a sign the book agrees. Gabriel Medrano gets the call, a capable hand for a race like this. In a field of first-timers where raw talent ratings carry extra weight, that rating cushion over the rest of the short-priced contenders is meaningful. Trainer Salvador R. Soto saddles a horse that projects as the most complete profile in the race.
Ec III (2) sits just behind the top pick with a TrackWiz rating of 76.72 and goes postward at 9/2 on the morning line — fair value for a horse that rates second-best in the field. Jockey Larry Marquez keeps it simple in a short-field sprint, and trainer Emilio Cadena Jr. has shown he can get maiden runners ready. If El Maestro has any issue breaking cleanly, Ec III is right there to capitalize.
Nsg Angel in the Sky (1) closes out our trifecta at 7/2 on the morning line with a solid 74.76 rating — third-best in the field and well clear of the mid-card horses. Oscar Andrade Jr. takes the mount, a reliable pilot at this circuit. The 1-post in a sprint can be tricky, but with clean air early this horse should hit the board in a field where half the entrants rate below 50.
Race 2
Maiden · 350 yd · Dirt
A sprawling 12-horse maiden dash at 350 yards where two horses — Jd Sweet Success and Apollitical Strike — stand clearly above the rest on our ratings, setting up a potential top-heavy exacta situation with a deep field of longshots beneath them.
Jd Sweet Success (2) leads all runners with a 79.07 TrackWiz rating and goes at a fair 3/1 morning line. Jesus Rios Ayala gets the ride for trainer Justin W. Joiner, a combination that should have this horse ready to fire. At 350 yards it's all about the gate and early burst — Jd Sweet Success profiles as the fastest from the ramp in this field, and that rating gap over the rest is tough to ignore in a pure speed race.
Apollitical Strike (6) checks in at 61.16 on our ratings — a clear step above the mid-pack — and is posted at 7/2, making this a horse worth keying underneath. Francisco Raul Ramirez Jr. handles the riding assignment for trainer Jason L. Olmstead. The name suggests Quarter Horse royalty in the pedigree, and at 350 yards that bloodline often speaks for itself.
Shes Judgeandjury (10) rounds out our ticket at 9/2 with a 54.17 rating, third-best in the field by a comfortable margin. Edwin G. Escobedo rides for trainer Marc E. Jungers, who has a history of getting runners to the gate ready. In a 12-horse field with lots of longshot noise, having the third-rated horse at nearly 5-1 in the exotics is a spot worth exploiting.
Race 3
Allowance · 870 yd · Dirt
Two horses dominate the ratings in this 870-yard allowance — First Try Dwm and Special Who are separated by less than a point at the top — making this a two-horse affair with the rest of the field playing for show at best.
First Try Dwm (3) edges out the field with the top TrackWiz rating of 86.89 and carries a career win rate of 33% — by far the best conversion rate in this race. Luis Alonso Gutierrez Jr. takes the reins for trainer Donna McArthur, and that 33% career win figure is genuinely elite at this level. Going off at 5/2, this is the kind of horse you build your ticket around — proven winner, top rating, and a jockey with local familiarity.
Special Who (1) is the closest thing to a co-favorite here with a 86.35 rating and a 22% career win percentage — both marks that would win many races on this card. Trainer Sherry Armstrong puts Enrique Portillo Gomez aboard, and at 7/2 there's still a touch of value relative to what this horse brings to the gate. If the pace gets contested and First Try Dwm catches any trouble, Special Who is the most dangerous horse in here to swoop.
Sir Liams Love (2) comes in as the clear third wheel at 66.53 with a 16% career win rate and an average speed figure of 57 — the only horse in the top three with a recorded speed number. Gabriel Medrano, one of the busiest jockeys on the card today, handles the mount for trainer Lonnie H. Vaughn. In a race where the top two eat up most of the oxygen, Sir Liams Love at 9/2 is a legitimate show ticket and a useful exacta back-half option.
The first three races are open to everyone today, and they're a nice cross-section of the card. Race 1 is a Maiden Claiming route going 870 yards — El Maestro opens at 5/2 on the morning line and earns a TrackWiz rating of 79.45, which is respectable for a maiden claimer. In Race 2, a quick 350-yard maiden sprint, Jd Sweet Success (3/1 ML, 79.07 rating) is our top play in what figures to be a bang-bang affair where gate speed is everything. Race 3 is the class of the free selections — an Allowance at 870 yards where First Try Dwm (5/2 ML) posts the highest TrackWiz rating of the trio at 86.89. Watch the wet dirt in the route races; horses that can handle a rain-affected surface without losing their stride will have a clear edge today.
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Bottom line for today at Albuquerque: respect the rain-affected dirt, lean on First Try Dwm as the standout free play in Race 3, and don't sleep on the value hiding in the premium races — especially Its Jess Me at 6/1 in Race 6. Full card analysis, pace projections, and exotic strategies are waiting for subscribers. It's a 10-race Friday — make it count.