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Delta Downs Picks & Predictions — August 20, 2026
It's a hot Thursday afternoon at Delta Downs — 92°F under partly cloudy skies — and the quarter horse sprint card is locked, loaded, and ready to fly. Eight races are on the board today, all on the main dirt strip, ranging from tight 220-yard bullet sprints to a longer 550-yard test in Race 6 that stands out as the most interesting contest of the afternoon.
The heat and humidity are par for the course in southwest Louisiana in August, so don't expect surface conditions to be a major disruptor today. What will matter is early speed — in short-distance quarter horse racing, getting out of the gate clean is often the whole ballgame. Our TrackWiz models have been digging into the reaction times and gate efficiency numbers all morning, and a few horses are set up very nicely.
Three races are free for all TrackWiz readers today, and our top-rated horse across the entire card — Never Bleu at 7/5 morning line in Race 6 — is sitting behind the premium wall. Worth knowing before you build your tickets.
Best Bets
Race 1
Claiming · 220 yd · Dirt
A wide-open 220-yard dash at the claiming level where two horses pull away from the pack on the ratings sheet, but a big-priced longshot in the gate adds a wrinkle to the exotics.
Choose Happy comes into this sprint with the top TrackWiz rating in the field at 85.62 — a meaningful edge over the rest of the gate in what is a thin claiming dash. Jockey Eddi Emanuel Martinez gets the call, and with a 25% career win rate backing this horse up, the connections know how to get one home. At 4/1 on the morning line, there's still some value here relative to the program favorite. In a 220-yard race where every gate break matters, having the highest-rated horse in your corner is exactly where you want to be.
Hf Mama Says opens as the 2/1 morning-line chalk, which signals that the market respects this one plenty — and a TrackWiz rating of 80.49 backs that up as the second-highest number in the field. Trainer Adalberto Miranda doubles up today, and it's worth noting he also saddles Carters Moon, but his resources appear squarely behind this runner. At short odds, the place ticket is your safer play if you want exposure to this horse without taking the short win price.
Here's the exotic angle of the race: Lm Piloto Perry opens at 20/1 on the morning line yet posts a TrackWiz rating of 62.29 — that's a legitimate number that far outpaces the morning-line price. Trainer Salvador G. Flores sends this one out with jockey Rolando Cabrera, and the 33% career win rate attached to this horse is the best in the entire field. Longshot prices and a career win rate north of 30% in a short field make Lm Piloto Perry a must-use underneath in any exotics.
Race 2
Maiden Claiming · 250 yd · Dirt
A ten-horse maiden claiming sprint at 250 yards where one horse stands out sharply on the ratings, though the all-maidens condition keeps everyone honest.
Kj Ferarri carries the top TrackWiz rating in this field at 87.81 — that's a substantial cushion over the second-best number and aligns neatly with a 5/2 morning line that makes this the clear public choice. Jockey Juan Francisco Garcia Jr. gets the mount for trainer Ismael Solis-Guevara, a combination worth tracking. In a maiden field where separating horses is always a challenge, a rating gap this large gives us enough confidence to tab this one as our top play.
Dashing Robin comes in as the second-ranked horse on our sheet with a 66.42 rating and opens at a workable 4/1 on the morning line. Trainer Leonard W. Phillips Jr. puts J.R. Ramirez in the irons — a jockey who keeps busy on this circuit. Given the gap between this horse and the rest of the field below it, Dashing Robin looks like a solid place underlayer in the exacta beneath Kj Ferarri.
Comanche Spirit checks in with a 53.57 TrackWiz rating and a 5/1 morning line, sitting comfortably in the middle tier of this maiden field. Trainer Danny Hoda hands the reins to Rene Hernandez, and the combination gives this one a professional look in what is otherwise a wide-open lower tier. As a show play or third leg in trifectas, the price relative to the rating makes Comanche Spirit worth including.
Race 3
Maiden Claiming · 250 yd · Dirt
One horse looks like a significant class standout in this 250-yard maiden claimer, setting up a race where the real question is who fills the exacta behind the heavy likely favorite.
High Plains Eagle has a TrackWiz rating of 88.54 — the top mark in this field by a wide margin — and the market agrees, installing this one as the 2/1 morning-line favorite. Jockey Noe Castaneda handles the mount for trainer Jose U. Lopez, and the combination has a professional setup for a horse that looks clearly superior on paper. In 250-yard maiden company, when your top rating exceeds the next-best horse by 31 points, you have to respect the edge. This is a horse to build your exotics around.
Ms Deleon earns the second-best TrackWiz rating in the field at 57.37 and opens at 7/2 — a fair price for a horse that figures to be in the mix for the runner-up spot. Trainer Ray Robbins sends her out with Donell Blake aboard, and that's a workmanlike pairing on the Delta Downs circuit. If High Plains Eagle does what the ratings project, Ms Deleon is the logical beneficiary in the place slot.
I C Me Leaving U sits at 53.33 on the TrackWiz scale and has a 5/1 morning line to match, giving the Kenneth Weeks barn a legitimate outside chance to land in the money. Jockey Eddi Emanuel Martinez rides, and Weeks is a trainer who keeps horses fit and ready. As the third-ranked horse in the field, this one slots in naturally as a show play and trifecta consideration behind the top two on the sheet.
The first three races on the card are open to everyone, and there's some genuine value to unpack here. Choose Happy leads our free analysis in Race 1 at 4/1 morning line — that price is worth a second look if you think the crowd overlooks her. Race 2 belongs to Kj Ferarri, our highest-rated free pick at 87.81, sitting at a very fair 5/2. And in Race 3, High Plains Eagle draws our attention at 2/1 — a morning-line favorite with an 88.54 rating is exactly the kind of short-price horse you can use confidently as a key in your exotic tickets.
One thing connecting all three free races: they're 220–250 yard sprints on a fast Louisiana dirt strip in peak summer heat. Horses that break sharply and maintain their momentum through the stretch will be almost impossible to run down. When you're playing these races, gate position and early quickness matter more than late kick — there simply isn't enough real estate for a closer to make up ground.
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Today's Delta Downs card is a clean, fast-track sprint program with a standout anchor in Race 6. For free-play readers, Choose Happy, Kj Ferarri, and High Plains Eagle are your three best bets to start the afternoon. Subscribers get the full story on Never Bleu, the exotic ticket structures, and every angle we've found across all eight races. Good luck at the windows — let's make this one count.