all in Gambling

“Two roads diverged in a wood and I – I took the one less traveled by. And that has made all the difference.” – Robert Frost

On the handicapping tournament scene where longshots make the world go around, it was a mid-range player who played sensible horses and chalk that ruled the day to win the 25th annual NTRA National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) on March 15-17 at the Horseshoe Las Vegas. The tournament offered purse money of $3,013,550.

The $1 million, Grade 2 Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds is a pivotal stop on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. The 1 3/16-mile race awards Kentucky Derby qualification points on a 100-50-25-15-10 basis to its top five finishers, and over the past decades it’s produced 33 Kentucky Derby starters led by Derby winners Country House (2019) and Mandaloun (2021).

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.

One of the best betting races of the upcoming weekend will be held Saturday night at Turfway Park in Florence, Ky., where a field of 12 fillies and mares ages 3 and older (plus one also-eligible) will square off in the $125,000 Queen Stakes. The six-furlong sprint held on Turfway’s all-weather Tapeta Footings surface brings back the top three finishers from a similar stakes race at Turfway, the Wishing Well Stakes on Jan.

The $250,000, Grade 3 Whitmore Stakes Saturday at Oaklawn Park showcases a field of seven talented sprinters. Fittingly, the six-furlong race is named for the exceptional sprinter who won more than $4.5 million, including the 2020 Breeders’ Cup Sprint and three editions of the Count Fleet Sprint Handicap at Oaklawn.

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