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Assiniboia Picks & Predictions — September 14, 2026
Rain is in the air at Assiniboia Downs today — literally. Temperatures sitting at 58°F with steady rain falling means the dirt is going to be playing wet, and that changes everything from pace shape to which horses you trust late in a race. Seven races are on the board this Monday, and the wet going is as much a handicapping factor as any speed figure on the card.
The card leans heavily on claiming races, which is typical Assiniboia — these are working horses, not glamour runners, and that's exactly what makes this circuit fun to dig into. Class drops, trainer moves, and pace mismatches are where the money gets made here. We've got a solid mix of shorter sprints and near-route distances at 7 and 7½ furlongs to close the day out.
Three races are available free to all TrackWiz readers today, with our top picks Norma No (Race 1), She's a Maneater (Race 2), and Gallant Oak (Race 3) headlining the open-access analysis. Races 4 through 7 — including what looks like the day's most interesting spot in the Allowance Optional Claiming at 7½ furlongs — are unlocked for subscribers.
Best Bets
Race 1
Claiming · 7 fur · Dirt
A claiming opener at 7 furlongs where one horse is clearly a class above the field — but the morning line suggests the crowd already knows it.
Norma No is the standout of this field and it isn't particularly close. Her TrackWiz rating of 88.54 towers over the next-best at 72.81, and a career win rate of 42% is elite at this level — nearly double the field average. Posting an average speed figure of 54, she has the top end to control or press the pace here. Trainer Robert Maybin also saddles the #1, so he's double-dipping in this race, but all the ammunition is clearly loaded on Norma No.
Kikilove opens at 5/2 on the morning line and carries a TrackWiz rating of 72.81, which puts her solidly in the second tier of this field. Her average speed of 52 is respectable, and if Norma No gets pressured early, Kikilove's running style could set her up to pick up the pieces late. She's a logical place ticket anchor in exactas.
Hardly Mischievous comes in as the second choice at 9/5 despite a TrackWiz rating (72.33) that trails Kikilove by a whisker. Her career win percentage of 16% is modest, but jockey Rachaad Knights gives her a live rider in the irons. She's a reasonable show play and a useful wheel option in trifectas given her market position.
Race 2
Maiden Special Weight · 5 1/2 fur · Dirt
A wide-open maiden special weight sprint where every horse in the field is looking for their first win — and the ratings are tight enough that any of the top three could wire it.
She's a Maneater tops our TrackWiz ratings at 58.67 and is the morning line favorite at 9/5, which tells you the market agrees. She pairs an average speed figure of 52 with trainer Jared Brown, who keeps live horses sharp. In a field of maidens where we're dealing with limited data across the board, being the highest-rated and fastest-times horse is meaningful — and jockey Kerron Khelawan is a capable handler in these short sprints.
Maximum Uproar sits just behind our top pick with a rating of 57.50, and at 5/2 there's real value if she can track the pace and pounce. Her average speed of 52 matches She's a Maneater stride for stride, and trainer Keith Pedersen has her positioned as a logical second choice. In a maiden race where the winner is often decided by who handles the break best, Maximum Uproar in the rail post is worth including in all exotics.
Honourable Mention draws attention at 4/1 with a TrackWiz rating of 55.0 and the best average speed of the bottom half of the field at 53. Trainer Lise Pruitt is a recognizable name on this card, and jockey Sven Balroop has the experience to place her correctly in traffic. At morning line odds of 4/1, there's overlay potential here relative to her profile — a solid show anchor in trifectas.
Race 3
Claiming · 7 fur · Dirt
Gallant Oak looks like the class of this 7-furlong claiming field, but Free Maker and Shamayim will make it a race — and Oregon County's win percentage is a quiet wrinkle worth watching.
Gallant Oak's TrackWiz rating of 87.08 is the highest in this field by a significant margin, and trainer Sherri Leanne Laing sends him out with Christopher Roy Mamdeen aboard — the same jockey who rides Norma No to our top spot in Race 1. A career win rate of 11% may look modest on paper, but that figure doesn't tell the whole story when the per-race rating is this far ahead of the competition. At 3/1 morning line odds, there's still reasonable value here for a horse who profiles as the clear class standout.
Free Maker opens at 7/2 and carries a solid rating of 66.22 with Antonio Whitehall in the irons. His career win percentage of 12% aligns with a horse who hits the board consistently at this level, and his average speed of 50 suggests he won't be the pace-setter — which could actually work in his favor if the early fractions cook. He's our value place pick in an exacta underneath Gallant Oak.
Shamayim is the morning line second choice at 9/5 with a rating of 65.15, and jockey Rachaad Knights gives her a strong pilot. Her average speed matches the mid-pack at 51, and a career win percentage of just 9% is the one pause — but in a field where she's clearly a top-three rated horse, she profiles as a durable show option and a trifecta inclusion.
The free side of today's card is anchored by a pair of 7-furlong dirt claimers bookending a maiden sprint. With the track likely playing wet and possibly bias-testing throughout the afternoon, the early races will tell us a lot about surface preferences — keep an eye on whether early speed is holding or whether closers are getting traction in the slop. Norma No (Race 1, morning line 2/1, TrackWiz rating 88.54) is our top-rated pick across the entire free card and the horse we feel best about going into the day. Gallant Oak in Race 3 comes in rated nearly as high at 87.08 and lands in a similar class spot at the same distance — if the pace scenario sets up right, there could be real value there at 3/1 on the morning line.
She's a Maneater draws our attention in the Race 2 maiden sprint at 5½ furlongs. Maiden races on an off track can be chaotic, but at 9/5 on the morning line with a TrackWiz rating of 58.67 in a maiden field, she stands out as the most likely to handle conditions. Maiden ratings are inherently noisier than seasoned horses, so temper expectations — but she's our best play in the race.
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It's a seven-race Monday at Assiniboia with rain, mud, and plenty of claiming-race intrigue to work through. Norma No is our marquee free play, Sgt. Filkow is the highest-rated horse on the card, and the late Allowance Optional Claiming could be the most rewarding race to bet. The full card breakdown — pace projections, exotic tickets, and all four premium races — is waiting for subscribers. Head to TrackWiz pricing to unlock it. Good luck out there, and may your horses all handle the slop.