Evangeline Picks & Predictions — June 25, 2026
It's a scorcher out at Evangeline Downs today — clear skies and 91°F mean the Louisiana heat is sitting heavy on horses and horseplayers alike. Eight races are on tap, mixing maiden claimers, straight claimers, and allowance company across both dirt and turf surfaces. That sun-baked main track and a lively turf course set up some interesting pace scenarios worth paying attention to.
The card has a nice spread of conditions — we've got speed-favoring short sprints at five furlongs, a pair of 6½-furlong dirt routes where stamina gets tested, and three turf dashes that could play out very differently depending on how the grass is riding this afternoon. In other words, there's something for every handicapper here, whether you're grinding exotics or hunting a single win bet.
TrackWiz has full analysis on all eight races. Three are open to everyone — including a couple of 2/1 morning-line favorites we're on board with and one compelling 8/1 longshot angle that caught our eye.
Best Bets
Race 1
Maiden Claiming · 5 fur · Turf
A wide-open maiden claimer on the Evangeline turf sprint, but one horse grades out well above the field — the question is whether the morning-line favorite can live up to a dominant TrackWiz rating in a maiden field full of unknowns.
Too Many Titos (3) is the clear standout here by our ratings, posting an 88.54 — more than 30 points clear of the second-ranked horse in the field. Trainer Jayde J. Gelner sends this one out at the morning-line favorite of 2/1, a number that reflects the horse's strong form profile heading into this 5-furlong turf sprint. Jockey Colby J. Hernandez gets the call, and the average speed figure of 54 ties for the top of the field. In maiden company, that kind of rating separation is hard to ignore.
Phchampagnejourney (7) rates second in the field at 56.67 and comes in at 3/1 on the morning line, making it a natural place contender behind the top choice. Trainer Shelton J. Zenon, Sr. sends this one out with Javier Antonio Hernandez in the irons, and the horse's average speed figure of 54 keeps it competitive in this short turf sprint. If Too Many Titos does anything wrong early, Phchampagnejourney has the profile to pick up the pieces.
Pericles (4) posts a solid 55.00 TrackWiz rating for trainer Lee Thomas and sits at 4/1 on the morning line, representing fair value in a field where no horse has yet found the winner's circle. No average speed figure is available, which adds some uncertainty, but the overall rating slots this one neatly into the show position behind the top two. Lee Thomas also saddles Diodorus in this race, giving the barn a two-horse presence that could influence pace and positioning.
Race 2
Claiming · 6 1/2 fur · Dirt
Jamesy's Empire looks like the class of this dirt claiming field and is clearly the one to beat, but Seizethedaydude's eye-catching career win rate injects some intrigue into the exacta and trifecta.
Jamesy's Empire (6) leads this field with a TrackWiz rating of 88.54 — well clear of the competition — and comes in at the 2/1 morning-line favorite under jockey Carlos Perez for trainer Brett A. Brinkman. A 20% career win rate provides a solid baseline, and an average speed figure of 53 is consistent with what this field is producing. At 6½ furlongs on the dirt, this horse has the profile of a reliable front-runner or stalker who can put this field away.
Daddy's Code (1) rates second in the field at 69.81 and gets Jansen Melancon — one of Evangeline's more capable riders — for trainer Randy Degeyter, Jr. The 11% career win rate is modest, but this horse has shown enough consistency to land on the board at 5/2. If the pace gets hot early, Daddy's Code figures to have enough left in the tank to hold for the place spot.
Seizethedaydude (4) is the one that catches the eye in the win column — a 33% career win rate is the highest in the field and nearly triples the win rate of our top pick. The TrackWiz rating of 65.31 and a 5/1 morning line suggest there's value here, especially in show and exotic plays. Colby J. Hernandez takes the mount for trainer David Terre, and at those odds, this one is worth including underneath.
Race 3
Claiming · 5 fur · Dirt
This ten-horse dirt sprint at 5 furlongs has a legit pace battle brewing, but the top two picks are sitting at overlooked odds — good news for anyone willing to go against the chalk.
Daddy's Gift (8) tops our TrackWiz ratings at 79.79 and comes in at a generous 8/1 on the morning line, making this the best value play of the early card. A 25% career win rate is among the strongest in the field, and the average speed figure of 56 is the highest in the race outright. Trainer Eduardo Ramirez sends this one out with Harry Hernandez aboard, and at 5 furlongs on the dirt, the raw speed advantage here is real.
Pasketee (7) rates second in the field at 70.45 and brings a career win rate of 30% — the second-highest in the field — while sitting at 10/1 on the morning line. Trainer Randy Degeyter, Jr. has C.J. McMahon in the irons, and the average speed figure of 55 matches the top tier of this field. If Daddy's Gift gets to the front and controls the pace, Pasketee looks like a natural to run second at a price that makes exotics very attractive.
Alvarado Cat (9) rounds out our top three at a rating of 69.47, good for third-best in the field, and returns at 5/1 on the morning line. Jockey Devin H. Magnon gets the call for trainer Jonah Fuselier, and the 55 average speed figure puts this horse right in the mix on raw numbers. The 19% career win rate is consistent without being flashy, and this horse should be a steady presence in the show position.
Our three free races today feature some genuinely interesting angles. Too Many Titos opens the card on the turf in a maiden claimer and draws top billing at 2/1 — a horse we like with an 88.54 TrackWiz rating, one of the highest marks on the card. Jamesy's Empire carries that same 88.54 rating into Race 2 on the dirt, and with 6½ furlongs to run, pace will matter — keep an eye on who's controlling the early fractions. But the most intriguing free pick? Daddy's Gift in Race 3, sitting at 8/1 on the morning line with a 79.79 rating. Don't let that number scare you — in a short five-furlong dirt sprint, value at double digits can flip a good day into a great one fast.
One broader theme connecting these free picks: the heat and firm conditions today tend to reward horses who break alertly and avoid traffic trouble. Five-furlong sprints on a fast track can be won in the first few jumps, so post position and early speed are extra relevant in Races 1 and 3. We'll dig into exactly how that sets up in the full race analyses below.
Full Card Analysis
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Bottom line: Evangeline's eight-race card on June 25 offers genuine opportunity across the board — from the bankable top-rated plays in Races 1 and 2, to the longshot flier on Daddy's Gift in Race 3, to a slate of premium races loaded with pace intrigue and exotic potential. The free picks are a strong starting point, but the full TrackWiz breakdown — pace projections, exotic tickets, and all — is available to subscribers at /pricing. Good luck out there, and stay hydrated. It's a hot one.