Fairmount Park Picks & Predictions — June 2, 2026
Clear skies and 78°F at Fairmount Park — about as clean a Tuesday as you're going to get in southwestern Illinois. With no weather excuses in play, today's 8-race all-dirt card comes down to pure handicapping, and there's plenty to dig into from gate one all the way through the nightcap.
The card mixes Maiden Special Weights and Maiden Claimers early before stepping up to a pair of Allowance Optional Claiming events in Races 5 and 8 that should draw the best horses on the grounds. Add a couple of straight Claiming battles in between and you've got a full afternoon of angles to work.
Three races are unlocked for every reader today, with our top picks in Races 1, 2, and 3 available right now. The deeper dive — Races 4 through 8, including pace projections, exotic plays, and multi-race sequences — is waiting for TrackWiz subscribers.
Best Bets
Race 1
Maiden Special Weight · 6 fur · Dirt
A wide-open maiden special weight opener where experience is thin across the board, but the TrackWiz ratings point to a clear top three that separates itself from the rest of the field.
Earl's Outlaw (#7) carries the field's top TrackWiz rating at 59.67 and an average speed figure of 54 — the best in the race — making him the clear class of this maiden sprint. Trainer Gabe Retana has this horse priced at a tight 6/5 morning line, signaling strong stable confidence. Javier Tavares gets the call and should be able to dictate or sit just off any early pace in this 6-furlong test. With no horse in this field posting a wins yet, that superior speed figure gives Earl's Outlaw a meaningful edge.
Wildwood Bell (#5) sits second in the TrackWiz ratings at 58.33 — just a hair behind the favorite — and trainer Scott Becker has her at 2/1 on the morning line, suggesting she's meant to compete. The absence of a recorded average speed figure leaves some uncertainty, but her strong rating implies solid underlying form that makes her a natural place contender. Alexander Bendezu handles the mount and rates as one of the more capable riders in this field.
Summer Cyclone (#8) checks in with a 54.17 TrackWiz rating — third-best in the field — and represents the other Scott Becker entry alongside Wildwood Bell, giving the trainer a powerful one-two punch. Without a posted average speed figure, there's some unknown element, but her 9/2 morning line price makes her an attractive show inclusion in exotics. Victor Santiago picks up the mount and rounds out a competitive Becker barn showing.
Race 2
Claiming · 5 1/2 fur · Dirt
This claiming sprint features a pair of standouts at the top of the TrackWiz ratings — Bethy and Onacounta — that are head and shoulders above the rest of the field in our model.
Bethy (#8) leads all horses with a TrackWiz rating of 87.81 and owns a 5/2 morning line that suggests the market already respects her chances. While her career win percentage sits at 11%, her overall profile in our model points to a horse who consistently runs in the right company and delivers competitive speed. Trainer Frank C. Randazzo Jr. sends her out with Javier Tavares aboard, a confident jockey-trainer pairing in a field where the top of the talent ladder is short. At 5 1/2 furlongs on the dirt, she should be right in the thick of it from the jump.
Onacounta (#7) rates second in the field at 82.48 and comes in at 4/1 on the morning line — a price that underestimates her talent level given how closely she tracks the top-rated horse. Victor Santiago picks up the mount for trainer Dennis Hornbostel, and her average speed figure of 54 ties for the field's best. She's a logical place play who could easily steal the win if Bethy hits any trouble.
Play Twenty (#4) sits third among the claiming runners at 60.32 and posts a 19% career win percentage — solid for this level. Javier Diego keeps things simple in the stalker spot, and with a 5/1 morning line, there's real value here for show tickets and horizontal exotic plays. Trainer James M. Watkins has him spotted in a race where the top two contenders could set up a fast pace, leaving a closer like Play Twenty in a great position late.
Race 3
Maiden Claiming · 5 1/2 fur · Dirt
Free Choice is an overwhelming favorite in this maiden claimer and looks every bit the part — the real betting interest is figuring out who joins her on the ticket.
Free Choice (#4) carries a dominant 90.0 TrackWiz rating — a full 30 points clear of the next-best horse — and is the obvious morning-line chalk at 4/5. Trainer Ralph Martinez saddles Alexander Bendezu, one of the more active and effective jockeys on the Fairmount circuit, and her average speed figure of 53 is among the best in the field. In a maiden claiming field this deep in unknowns, a horse this clearly superior in our model rarely gets beat at this distance.
Young Mischief (#1) is the most logical place alternative with a 59.79 TrackWiz rating and an average speed figure of 53 to back it up. Trainer Eddie M. Essenpreis gives the call to Reynier Arrieta, and the 6/1 morning line means there's value here if you're constructing an exacta beneath the heavy favorite. Her rating puts meaningful daylight between herself and the rest of the field outside the top two.
I Got the Moves (#2) comes in at 51.25 on the TrackWiz scale and draws the rail-adjacent post with Emmanuel Giles up for trainer Anthony Blea III. At 5/1 on the morning line, she offers show-ticket value in a spot where the bottom half of this field is a significant step below the top three. Her average speed figure of 52 is consistent with a horse who can grind out a piece of this race and make exotics pay.
The early part of the card sets up nicely for handicappers who like horses with clear profiles. Free Choice opens at 4/5 morning line in the Race 3 Maiden Claimer and carries our highest free-race rating at 90 — on a fast, dry Fairmount strip, horses with dominant speed figures in a short field tend to wire these. In Race 1, Earl's Outlaw draws plenty of attention as the 6/5 chalk in the Maiden Special Weight, though with a rating of 59.67 this is the most wide-open race of the trio and worth treating carefully in your wagers. Bethy sits in the middle at 5/2 in Race 2 with an 87.81 rating — that kind of number at that price in a straight Claimer is exactly where value hides.
A clear, fast Fairmount surface historically plays honest — no significant rail bias reported today — so pace shape and pure speed figures should do most of the talking in these short sprints. All three free races go 5½ or 6 furlongs on dirt, which rewards early speed that can sustain. Keep that in mind as you structure your tickets.
Full Card Analysis
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Bottom line: a clean, fast Fairmount surface and a well-rounded 8-race card make today worth your full attention. Free Choice is the standout among the free picks, Bethy offers the best free-race value, and there are legitimate longshot angles in the premium races — especially Warrior of Gold — that could pay off nicely. Full card breakdowns, pace projections, and exotic ticket builds are live now for subscribers. Check out TrackWiz premium and make the most of the afternoon.