Hawthorne Picks & Predictions — June 7, 2026
Hawthorne kicks off the week with a compact but loaded seven-race card on Sunday, June 7. The skies are hanging cloudy at 81°F — warm enough to keep the horses sharp, cool enough that you won't see heat-related excuses in the winner's circle. Conditions are about as neutral as it gets, which means the best horse on paper has a real shot to prove it on the track.
We've got a nice mix of surfaces today — four dirt sprints and three turf tests woven through the card — which gives bettors plenty of angles to work with. The early races lean on established form, while the back half of the card opens up for some legitimate multi-race sequence opportunities. TrackWiz has you covered from Race 1 through the finale.
Best Bets
Race 1
Starter Optional Claiming · 6 fur · Dirt
The morning line favorite gets overruled by TrackWiz ratings in this Starter Optional Claiming sprint — Bernie Lomax tops the field despite going off at 4/1, setting up a potential overlay situation at six furlongs on the dirt.
Bernie Lomax carries the highest TrackWiz rating in the field at 85.62, and at 4/1 on the morning line he represents genuine value against a short-priced favorite. His 24% career win rate is respectable in this spot, and with Alexander Bendezu up — a jockey who knows how to rate a horse in a sprint — he should get a clean trip from the rail. When your top-rated horse is also your best-priced play, that's the kind of overlay you build tickets around.
Racarino is the morning line favorite at 2/1 and carries a nearly identical TrackWiz rating to Bernie Lomax at 85.05, so don't count him out of the exacta. His 17% career win rate is a touch modest for the chalk, but trainer Armando Hernandez keeps horses competitive, and Luis H. Colon is a capable pilot in these local claiming conditions. He belongs on your place tickets as the most likely threat to our top pick.
We Miss Arlington (5) brings a 27% career win rate into this spot — the second-best figure in the field — and Jareth Loveberry gives the barn a quality rider at a fair price. Trained by Eduardo Rodriguez, who has another runner in this race, there's stable confidence here. At 9/5 she's likely underlaid to win, but her form suggests she'll be in the mix at the wire and is a solid show anchor in the exotics.
Race 2
Allowance Optional Claiming · 6 fur · Dirt
A deceptively tricky Allowance Optional Claiming field features a horse with a perfect career record alongside a TrackWiz standout — sorting out the contenders here is where the money is made.
Laly is the clear choice in our analysis, posting the field's top TrackWiz rating of 87.81 going six furlongs on the dirt. She's at 5/2 on the morning line, which is fair but not generous — still, the rating separation between her and the rest of the field is meaningful. Jareth Loveberry gets the call for trainer Frank J. Kirby, and that's a connection worth noting. With a 25% career win rate providing a solid baseline, Laly looks like the right single in this spot.
Julynne at 3/1 is the logical place contender with a TrackWiz rating of 61.88 that puts her squarely in the second tier of this field. Her 15% career win rate doesn't jump off the page, but in Allowance Optional Claiming company, she has the class and consistency to hit the board. Trainer Shannon McGovern and jockey Rodney A. Prescott make a workmanlike pairing — expect her to be in the thick of it late.
Lady Elise at 5/1 offers some show-ticket value in what could be a wide-open battle for third. She matches Tum Tap's average speed and shares a 25% career win percentage with Laly, suggesting she's competitive on class. Trainer Mark J. Cristel and Frank Reyes give her a capable team, and the 5/1 morning line price makes her worth including in exacta/trifecta coverage at a manageable cost.
Race 3
Claiming · 5 1/2 fur · Turf
Turf sprint at 5½ furlongs with a clear TrackWiz standout at a fair price — but a seven-horse field on the lawn always carries upset potential, and there's a sneaky longshot case to be made here.
Union Dolly (3) is the most straightforward top selection of the early card, pacing the field with a TrackWiz rating of 87.81 and going postward at a fair 5/2 morning line. Trainer Hugo Rodriguez gets Alexander Bendezu in the irons — one of the more active jockeys on the Hawthorne circuit — and her 21% career win rate holds up well in this claiming turf field. When ratings separate this clearly from the rest, the right play is to put her on top and build your exotic tickets around her.
Fondre (1) sits second in our ratings at 77.11, a meaningful gap above the rest of the field, and trainer David R. Reid has Luis H. Colon up from the rail. The 14% career win rate isn't flashy, but in a seven-horse turf sprint, hitting the board is very much in play. At 4/1, she's a legitimate place and show anchor who could easily beat everyone home except Union Dolly.
Raceday Attire (7) is our show play at a nice 6/1 morning line, and her TrackWiz rating of 63.86 edges out Devil for the third spot in our analysis. She's posted a 55 average speed figure — tied for the field best — suggesting she can match strides with the frontrunners. Trainer Ruben Cruz Jr. puts Frank Reyes up, and at double-digit odds territory she adds meaningful value to any trifecta ticket.
Our three free races set the tone beautifully for the afternoon. Race 1 starter optional claiming opener gives us Bernie Lomax at a juicy 4/1 morning line — a TrackWiz rating of 85.62 suggests he's got real upside against this company if he breaks clean. Race 2 steps up to allowance optional claiming territory on the dirt, where Laly (5/2, rated 87.81) looks like the horse to beat sprinting six furlongs. And Race 3 shifts us to the turf for a 5½-furlong claiming test — Union Dolly matches Laly's 87.81 rating and could be the sneaky best value of the free trio at the same 5/2 morning line price.
One thread connecting these free picks: all three are sprinters with ratings clustered tightly in the mid-to-upper 80s, which tells us the early card is genuinely competitive. Don't sleep on Union Dolly on the turf — if the grass comes up riding favorably this afternoon, she's the one we'd most want to be against in an exacta or trifecta with a little spread underneath.
Full Card Analysis
Premium Content
Get the Full Card Analysis
Unlock expert picks for every race, detailed speed figures, trainer angles, and our SmartBet recommendations.
Bottom line: Hawthorne's June 7 card has real teeth. The free races alone give you three legitimate plays to work with, and the premium back half — anchored by Rockfest and Fast Jack — is where the serious ticket-builders will earn. Keep an eye on the turf surface as the day develops, and remember that on a seven-race card this balanced, singles and multi-race sequences can both pay. TrackWiz subscribers get every angle — good luck out there, and let's cash some tickets.