The Road to the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve stops at Turfway Park this weekend with the $175,000 John Battaglia Memorial Stakes for 3-year-olds going 1 1/16 miles on Turfway’s all-weather track.
Welcome to Noel Michaels’ Weekend Winners, the place to go for weekend best bets and spot plays from veteran handicapper and tournament-play pioneer Noel Michaels. Check back every week for a couple of highlighted selections designed to help you cash a few bets and make some money.
The NTRA National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) is just around the corner with the 27th annual event scheduled for March 13-15 at Horseshoe Las Vegas. The NHC is a $4 million handicapping tournament open only to players who have qualified with a win or high finish in a feeder contest online or at various racetracks and racebooks throughout the year.
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.
The $500,000, Grade 2 Fasig-Tipton Risen Star Stakes Saturday at Fair Grounds is the first Championship Series qualifying race in Churchill Downs’ Road to the Kentucky Derby schedule, offering a boost in points distribution whereby 105 total points for the May 2
