Delaware Park Picks & Predictions — September 17, 2026

Tizoc ties for the second-best TrackWiz rating in the field at 53.33 and posts the highest average speed figure among the top contenders at 56. Paco Lopez is a major upgrade in the irons — that's the kind of jockey booking that catches your eye in a maiden race — and a 5/1 morning line leaves some meat on the bone for exotics players. In a 5-furlong turf sprint, getting away cleanly is everything, and Lopez is as good as it gets at that.

Aunt Judy ties Tizoc on the TrackWiz rating (53.33) and gets trainer Cathal A. Lynch, who also saddles Derry Moon in this race — Lynch clearly has multiple bullets loaded. Jose A. Batista rides, giving this entry a solid rider-trainer combination. With no speed figures on file, this reads like a horse whose best work may be ahead of her, which is exactly the profile that can sneak into the exacta at a fair 5/1 price.

Backside Buzz rates third in the field at 60.03 and actually edges Twelve Treasures by a hair — enough to get the nod for place honors in a race where the top spot looks locked up. A 15% career win rate understates what the rating says about this horse's consistency, and the 6/1 morning line offers real value if you're looking to build exactas around the likely favorite. Ruben Silvera takes the mount for trainer Timothy C. Kreiser, a solid combination.

Twelve Treasures sits just behind Backside Buzz in the ratings at 58.99, but a 29% career win rate — second only to Kerness K in this field — shows this is a horse that competes when it shows up. Emanuel Rosario rides for trainer Renaldo Richards, and a 56 average speed figure means Twelve Treasures can keep up with the early fractions. At 6/1, this runner makes a lot of sense in the exotics as a back-end piece in trifectas.

Christ Is King is the second-best rated horse in the field at 77.27, and a 9/2 morning line is reasonable value for a place play in a field this deep. Ricardo Chiappe rides for trainer Bruce M. Kravets — a combination that's shown up well in route races — and a 54 average speed figure matches Farooq's, meaning this horse can run with the top contenders on raw ability. If Farooq hits the board, Christ Is King shapes as the most likely horse to be right beside him.

The Magic Speed opened as the 3/2 morning-line favorite, which means the public projects this as the horse to beat — but a TrackWiz rating of 67.46 puts it third in our model, a full 15 points behind Farooq. Paco Lopez rides for Wayne Potts, and that jockey booking is significant in a large maiden field where piloting decisions matter. The show play here is less about the rating and more about acknowledging that the heavy-bet horse is going to attract money and is dangerous enough to finish in the top three, even if our analysis says it's not the best horse in the field.

Eastbostonbenny opened as the 2/1 morning-line favorite and carries an 82.92 TrackWiz rating — just three points off the top. Paco Lopez in the irons for Steve Klesaris is an eye-catching jockey-trainer combo, and a 16% career win rate in allowance company, while modest, doesn't fully tell the story the rating does. This horse figures to be in the mix from the start and could easily turn the tables on Overspent if the pace sets up in its favor.

Skillian brings the third-highest TrackWiz rating (75.19) and a 40% career win rate — the best strike rate in the entire field, which is a number that demands attention in any race. Trainer Lacey Gaudet puts Jevian Toledo in the irons, and a 56 average speed figure keeps Skillian pace-competitive in a wide-open sprint. At 8/1 on the morning line, this is the kind of horse that exotics players should be using in the bottom of trifectas — a legitimate runner at a generous price.

Grey Bull has the second-highest TrackWiz rating at 77.92 and brings an average speed figure of 54 — competitive with the best in the field. Trainer Jamie Ness, who also saddles Kerness K in Race 4, clearly knows how to get a horse ready, and Martin Chuan picks up the mount at 8/1. That price on a horse with a genuine second-best rating in a maiden turf route makes Grey Bull a strong candidate for exacta and trifecta coverage.

Told rates third in the field at 68.54 and draws the high-profile services of Paco Lopez for trainer Blake Kelly — a pairing that tends to show up ready in these spot-play situations. The 8/1 morning line is fair value for a horse that trails the top two in the ratings but is meaningfully ahead of the rest of the field. In a route of ground where pace can collapse the field, Told rates as a reliable show play and a worthwhile piece in vertical exotic wagers.

Re Election brings a 64.39 TrackWiz rating and a 33% career win rate — by far the best strike rate in this field — which signals a horse that knows how to close out races when the conditions are right. Trainer Cathal A. Lynch puts Jose A. Batista in the irons at 4/1, a combination that tends to arrive at the track with a plan. If Sweet Winner hits any trouble or gets pressured too hard early in this short sprint, Re Election is the horse most likely to swoop in and grab second.

They Call Me Sue checks in with a 54.01 TrackWiz rating — third-best in the field — and a 9% career win rate that, while modest, is boosted by the solid figure. Tony Wilson sends this runner out with Noel Herman in the irons at 8/1, making this an attractive show play and trifecta filler. In a field where several horses are clearly overmatched, finding a third-best rated horse at 8/1 is exactly the kind of overlay TrackWiz analysis is built to surface.