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Retama Park Picks & Predictions — June 25, 2026

June 25, 20268 racesAll Retama Park picks

This card ran on June 25, 2026.

Best bets at Retama Park, June 25, 2026

Race 12Real Deal LajollaML 3/17:45 PM EDT

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It's a hot one in San Antonio — clear skies and 89°F at Retama Park — but the horses don't seem to mind. Eight races are on the board today, all run on dirt and all short, sharp quarter-horse sprints ranging from 330 yards to 440 yards. If you like speed, you came to the right place.

The card builds nicely from a pair of openers for maiden and claiming stock all the way up to three Stakes races in the back half. That Stakes trio — Races 6, 7, and 8 — is where the real intrigue lives today, and our TrackWiz ratings have some clear opinions about who's ready to fire.

The heat can play a role in late-card races, so keep an eye on how the early runners handle the conditions. A tiring track in the afternoon isn't uncommon when temps push into the upper 80s, and that's a factor we've baked into today's analysis.

Best Bets

Race 1

7:45 PM EDT

Claiming · 400 yd · Dirt

Two horses dominate the TrackWiz ratings by a wide margin in this 400-yard claimer, setting up a likely battle at the top while the rest of the field scrambles for crumbs.

win2Real Deal LajollaML 3/1

Real Deal Lajolla lands at the top of our ratings with an 87.08 score and carries an 11% career win rate — solid numbers for a claiming sprinter at this level. Angel A. Fierro gets the call in the irons for trainer Martin Rodriguez, a barn that also saddles the second pick, suggesting genuine stable confidence in this runner. In a 400-yard dash there's almost no margin for error, and Real Deal Lajolla's edge in our TrackWiz model makes the 3/1 morning line look fair without being generous.

place4Special Corona RedML 5/2

Special Corona Red checks in at a nearly identical 87.05 TrackWiz rating to the top pick, making this essentially a dead-heat between stablemates at the top of the form. The 5/2 morning line as the race favorite is understandable given trainer Martin Rodriguez double-dips here, but the lower career win rate of 4% does temper enthusiasm for backing her straight up to win. She's absolutely worth including underneath in exactas and trifectas given the rating proximity.

show3Pick N RollML 9/2

Pick N Roll is the third-best rated horse in the field at 66.85 — a notable drop-off from the top two, but still comfortably clear of the rest. Ruben Delarosa Jr. handles the riding duties for trainer Ramiro Barajas Villarreal, and the 10% career win rate shows this horse knows how to hit the board. At 9/2 on the morning line, Pick N Roll represents solid trifecta fill value if the top duo dominates as expected.

Live odds, scratches and ratings for all 7 runners

Race 2: Free with an Account

Race 2

8:15 PM EDT

Maiden · 440 yd · Dirt

A wide-open maiden field at 440 yards, but Going for Gold separates himself from the pack with a TrackWiz rating nearly 12 points clear of the next rival — maiden chaos with a clear top figure.

win8Going for GoldML 5/2

Going for Gold posts the field's best TrackWiz rating at 87.81 and comes in at a sensible 5/2 morning line under jockey Noe Villatoro for trainer Adan Guzman. In a maiden sprint, first-time evaluation can be tricky, but when a horse grades this far above the field on our model, that separation is hard to ignore. The 440-yard trip gives horses with natural speed and stride efficiency an advantage, and Going for Gold's profile suggests he fits that mold perfectly.

place5TakemtothastationML 3/1

Takemtothastation rates second in the field at 75.22 and is the 3/1 morning-line second choice, suggesting public handicappers are aligned with our model here. Diego Contreras takes the mount for trainer Rodolfo Sanchez, and while all runners are maiden-without-a-win, this horse's rating places him solidly in the mix for a piece. He's a natural underneath horse in exactas if Going for Gold fires as expected.

show10Valiant LightsML 5/1

Valiant Lights checks in at 69.28 on the TrackWiz scale — third-best in a ten-horse field — and gets Benjamin Mendez Jr. up for trainer Marla Dayana Vargas at 5/1. In a maiden race this spread out, the third-best figure often gets overlooked at the windows, creating solid value for trifecta play. The 5/1 price is workable if you're building tickets around the top two choices.

Live odds, scratches and ratings for all 10 runners

We're giving every reader a look at Races 1 through 3 today, and there's genuine value to be found right out of the gate. Real Deal Lajolla opens the card as our top pick at 3/1 morning line in the 400-yard claimer — a solid TrackWiz rating of 87.08 makes that price look generous. In Race 2, Going for Gold earns the highest free-race rating on the card at 87.81 and goes postward at 5/2 in the 440-yard maiden — that's the kind of number that makes us comfortable leaning in. Race 3 is the most wide-open of the free trio, with One Pyc Fancy on top but a softer 56.67 rating flagging this as a competitive, harder-to-solve maiden sprint — tread carefully and use exotics for coverage.

The common thread across the early races: these short dirt sprints at Retama reward horses with clean gate manners and early burst. In this heat, there's little margin for a stumbled break or a wide trip. Position out of the gate is everything.

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Full Card Analysis

Race 3

8:42 PM EDT

Maiden · 350 yd · Dirt

The tightest ratings cluster of the early card — six horses within 15 points of each other in this 350-yard maiden, making this a genuine pick-em sprint where post position and a clean break could decide everything.

win8One Pyc FancyML 3/1

One Pyc Fancy edges to the top of our TrackWiz model at 56.67 and draws the morning-line favoritism at 3/1 under jockey Raul Padilla Hernandez Jr. for trainer Marc E. Jungers. In a race this compressed at the top, the slight ratings advantage is meaningful, and Padilla Hernandez Jr. is one of the more active jockeys on this Retama card, suggesting he knows this surface well. At 350 yards, every tenth of a second counts — a clean gate break could make this a wire-to-wire score.

place3Cartels Storm CatML 7/2

Cartels Storm Cat rates just a tick below at 55.83 and is listed at 7/2 on the morning line for trainer Shae L. Cox with Claudio Ponce Aguilar aboard. The separation between the top three picks is razor-thin, which is exactly why Cartels Storm Cat makes sense to include in exacta coverage — if the favorite stumbles out of the gate, this one is right there to inherit the lead. In maiden 350-yard dashes, connections matter as much as raw figures.

show10Vp Cowboy HeartML 4/1

Vp Cowboy Heart rounds out our picks at 55.00 — only 1.67 points off the top of the field — and Nestor Duran gets the mount for trainer Zackery N. Rios at 4/1. This is essentially a three-horse heat at the top, and all three deserve trifecta consideration at generous enough prices. Cowboy Heart's 4/1 morning line gives you fair value for a horse that our model can't separate meaningfully from the top two.

Live odds, scratches and ratings for all 10 runners

Race 4

9:09 PM EDT

Maiden · 350 yd · Dirt

Kiss My Baja enters as a clear morning-line favorite in another competitive maiden 350-yard field, but the TrackWiz ratings show a genuine cluster just behind, keeping the exotics interesting.

win4Kiss My BajaML 9/5

Kiss My Baja tops our ratings at 58.67 and is installed as the 9/5 morning-line favorite — the shortest-priced top pick on the early part of this card. Nestor Duran rides for trainer Jesus Huitron Lira, and Duran has multiple mounts today, including the third pick in Race 3, showing his comfort level with Retama's short sprints. Being the only horse in this field with a rating north of 58 gives Kiss My Baja a meaningful edge in a race where the field is otherwise tightly grouped between 45 and 55.

place1Cinderella WattersML 4/1

Cinderella Watters draws the rail and rates second at 55.00 for trainer Francisco Perez Jr. with Raul Padilla Hernandez Jr. aboard at 4/1. Post one can be a double-edged sword in quarter-horse racing — you get the inside lane but can get pinched on the break — and Padilla Hernandez Jr.'s experience should help navigate that. She's a natural exacta partner with Kiss My Baja at a price that offers genuine value.

show10Apollitical RaceyML 5/1

Apollitical Racey posts a 53.33 TrackWiz rating and comes in at 5/1 under Alejandro Landeros Zuniga for trainer Jacobo Mejia. The name carries familiar Apollitical bloodline echoes, a lineage that has produced countless quarter-horse winners, which is worth noting even in a maiden field. At 5/1, this is the type of horse you want onside in trifecta wagers when the top of the field is closely rated.

Live odds, scratches and ratings for all 10 runners

Race 5

9:36 PM EDT

Allowance · 350 yd · Dirt

An allowance sprint at 350 yards with a legitimate top two separated from the field by significant ratings gaps — this looks like a match race at the top with a scramble behind.

win8Del Rey BarML 3/1

Del Rey Bar leads our allowance field with an 81.56 TrackWiz rating and comes in at 3/1 under jockey Gilberto Linares for trainer Samantha A. Pena. The 20% career win rate is one of the better marks in this field and signals a horse who knows how to close the deal when conditions align. At 350 yards, a horse with both top ratings and proven winning ability at this class level is exactly the kind of profile we want to back.

place2The Fiscal ChickML 8/1

The Fiscal Chick is right behind at 79.79 on our model and represents outstanding value at 8/1 on the morning line — that's a horse our ratings say is nearly as good as the favorite going off at nearly triple the price. Nestor Duran rides for trainer Esteban Rubio, and The Fiscal Chick's 11% career win rate matches the top choice's mark. If you're playing exactas, this is a strong key horse underneath Del Rey Bar or on top as a partial upset play.

show1Dm ChiliannaML 9/2

Dm Chilianna rates third at 68.32 with an 11% career win rate to boot, and Miguel R. Vallejo takes the mount for trainer Kie Mushinski at 9/2. There's a noticeable gap between the top two and Dm Chilianna, but a double-digit career win rate in an allowance field means this horse has proven she can compete at this level. She's the natural show bet in trifectas, especially given the 9/2 price.

Live odds, scratches and ratings for all 10 runners

Race 6

10:03 PM EDT

Stakes · 330 yd · Dirt

Feenom looms as a dominant figure in this 330-yard stakes — a 40% career win rate combined with the field's top TrackWiz score makes this look like a feature event built around one standout.

win1FeenomML 8/5

Feenom is the class of this stakes field with an 89.12 TrackWiz rating and a jaw-dropping 40% career win rate — that's elite-level consistency for a quarter-horse sprinter. Luis L. Vivanco rides for trainer Isidro Hinojosa, and at 8/5 on the morning line, the public has clearly done the math here. At 330 yards, there's nowhere to hide — you either fire out of the gate or you're done, and Feenom's career numbers suggest this horse fires far more often than not.

place4Sign of a JetML 5/2

Sign of a Jet rates second in the stakes field at 80.39 with a 28% career win rate — legitimate credentials for a supporting role here. Nestor Duran rides for trainer Ricardo Aguirre, and a 5/2 morning line reflects genuine respect from the morning-line makers. If Feenom hits any trouble on the break, Sign of a Jet is perfectly positioned to capitalize, and the rating gap isn't so large that an upset is out of the question.

show3Mako Shark WattersML 6/1

Mako Shark Watters checks in at 67.85 on our model with a 22% career win rate under jockey Oliver E. Martinez for trainer Arnold Lewis at 6/1. There's a meaningful step down from the top two to Mako Shark Watters, but a 22% career win rate isn't something you dismiss in a stakes field — this horse has won before and can win again. The 6/1 price makes him an appealing trifecta piece if the top two run 1-2 as expected.

Live odds, scratches and ratings for all 7 runners

Race 7

10:30 PM EDT

Stakes · 330 yd · Dirt

Jvm Hot Victoria stands well above the 330-yard stakes field on ratings while carrying a remarkable 50% career win rate, though the rest of the card is tightly packed and capable of complicating the exacta.

win6Jvm Hot VictoriaML 3/1

Jvm Hot Victoria has the most compelling profile in this stakes field — an 87.08 TrackWiz rating paired with a 50% career win rate is about as clean a résumé as you'll find on this card. Rosendo E. Pina Garcia takes the mount for trainer Wendy Alejandra Garcia, and at 3/1 on the morning line, this horse is priced right for the level of dominance our model projects. When a horse wins half its career starts and rates at the top of the field, you don't need to overthink it.

place2Cholula HML 5/2

Cholula H rates second at 57.5 and draws the 5/2 morning-line second choice for trainer Gilberto Gonzalez with Jose R. Herbert aboard. The rating separation between Jvm Hot Victoria and Cholula H is significant — nearly 30 points — but in a 330-yard dash where the favorite can stumble on the break, Cholula H is the logical horse to catch the fallout. The 5/2 price is short for a place bet, but the spot makes sense in exactas.

show1A Political RiskML 6/1

A Political Risk rates third at 55.91 and is listed at 6/1 under jockey Gilberto Linares for trainer Oscar Nunez. The name hints at Apollitical blood — a pedigree that often shows late development — and the 6/1 price offers real trifecta value in a stakes race where the top horse is a heavy logical choice. At 330 yards, the gate break and trip matter enormously, and a horse this close in ratings to the second pick deserves a spot on your exotics ticket.

Live odds, scratches and ratings for all 8 runners

Race 8

10:57 PM EDT

Stakes · 330 yd · Dirt

The deepest and widest field of the night — twelve runners in a 330-yard stakes creates maximum chaos, but Instagram Diva's top rating in a sea of 28% career winners gives her a clear edge to exploit.

win3Instagram DivaML 3/1

Instagram Diva leads this twelve-horse stakes with an 87.08 TrackWiz rating and a 25% career win rate, and jockey Angel O. Ramirez takes the mount for trainer Riley S. Aguilar at 3/1. In a field this large for a 330-yard sprint, drawing a clean trip and getting good separation early is everything — and Instagram Diva's ratings edge suggests she has the raw ability to do exactly that. The 3/1 morning line is fair value given the depth of the field and the quality of her TrackWiz score.

place1Chasing GloryML 4/1

Chasing Glory rates second at 73.3 with a strong 28% career win rate for trainer Ben Olaveson, with Luis L. Vivanco aboard at 4/1. Vivanco also rides the top pick in Race 6, so he knows this track surface well tonight. A 28% career win rate in stakes company is legitimate, and Chasing Glory is the type of consistent performer who hits the board even when not at her absolute best — exactly what you want from a place pick in a chaotic twelve-horse field.

show9Karma Cha ChingML 9/2

Karma Cha Ching rounds out our selections at a 69.12 TrackWiz rating with an impressive 33% career win rate for trainer Esteban Rubio, who also saddles The Fiscal Chick in Race 5. Nestor Duran grabs the mount at 9/2, and his book of rides tonight reflects confidence from multiple barns. A 33% career win rate is actually the highest among our top three picks in this race, making Karma Cha Ching a legitimate show bet and a compelling trifecta inclusion at a double-digit price if the board moves her up.

Live odds, scratches and ratings for all 12 runners

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Eight fast, furious dirt sprints under a blazing Texas sun — Retama Park is serving up a quality Thursday card. Going for Gold is our free-race standout, Feenom is the horse we most want on our side all day, and the Stakes triple in the back half is loaded with betting angles. Get the complete picture — pace projections, exotic tickets, and every pick — with a TrackWiz Premium subscription at /pricing. Good luck out there.

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