Every Sunday Noel Michaels will provide free full-card picks for a one racecard in North America. A veteran handicapper and tournament-play pioneer, Michaels also writes a weekly “Weekend Winners” blog for America’s Best Racing with a focus on key stakes races at marquee tracks. This feature will be straight-forward: full-card picks for one Sunday slate of races of his choosing.

Noel's selections have been featured just about everywhere horse racing picks can be found, including in print in the Daily Racing Form, The HorsePlayer Magazine and American Turf Monthly, online at DRF.com, Twinspires.com and USRacing.com, from the paddock on-track at Arlington International Racecourse, and on the air on HRTV, TVG, NYC OTB Extra, NYRA's Talking Horses, and on broadcast TV on WAVE-3 Louisville, ABC KOLO-8 in Reno, Nevada, and channel 72 Long Island Cablevision.

Six Beginner Betting Tools

1. Start simple with an easy guide for how to bet on horse racing.
2. Not sure what that word means? Horse racing terminology is a language of its own. Allow us translate for you
3. What the heck is a speed figure? This beginner’s guide to speed figures has everything you need to know.
4. Betting on horse racing can be intimidating. Team ABR put together some Dos and Don’ts for the new fan getting started betting on racing.
5. We all make mistakes when it comes to betting on horse racing, here are eight lessons learned from experience.
6. Figure out how much each bet will cost in advance with our Gambling Calculator, presented by NYRA Bets.

Sunday, Dec. 21, Fair Grounds

Race 1: 

1 Gold Plus (5-2) 

3 Foxy Zorra (3-1)

2 Sister Saint  (9-2)

Race 2:

5 Pasketee (5-2) 

6 Halfway There (3-1)

10 Righteous Freedom (8-1)

Race 3: 

6 Bright Note (6-5)   Best Bet

1 Love Getaway (7-2)

5 Paradise Ridge (5-1)

Race 4: 

6 Lemon Sohn (8-1)   Live Longshot

4 Spielman (3-1) 

1 Mazilynn (9-2)

Race 5:

5 My Other Half (4-1) 

4 Kin to the Wicked (5-2) 

8 It's Been Real (3-1)

Race 6: 

2 Flash of Chaos (5-2) 

6 One Tough Road (5-1) 

8 Liberty's Champion (5-1)

Race 7: 

1 Usually Wrong (3-1) 

6 Heart Headed (5-2) 

3 High Front (7-2)

Race 8: 

11 Ampitup (9-2) 

6 Apriority Rocket (5-1) 

4 Handsome Harold (6-1)

10 Sonofaship (8-1)