Welcome to Noel Michaels’ Weekend Winners, the place to go for weekend finest bets and spot performs from veteran handicapper and tournament-play pioneer Noel Michaels. Verify again each week for a few highlighted choices designed that will help you money a couple of bets and make some cash.
Noel’s choices have been featured nearly all over the place horse racing picks may be discovered, together with in print within the Each day Racing Type, The HorsePlayer Journal and American Turf Month-to-month, on-line at DRF.com, Twinspires.com and USRacing.com, from the paddock on-track at Arlington Worldwide Racecourse, and on the air on HRTV, TVG, NYC OTB Additional, NYRA’s SatuTalking Horses, and on broadcast TV on WAVE-3 Louisville, ABC KOLO-8 in Reno, Nevada, and channel 72 Lengthy Island Cablevision.
Six Newbie Betting Instruments
- Begin easy with an simple information for find out how to guess on horse racing.
- Undecided what that phrase means? Horse racing terminology is a language of its personal. Enable us translate for you
- What the heck is a velocity determine? This newbie’s information to hurry figures has every part you have to know.
- Betting on horse racing may be intimidating. Crew ABR put collectively some Dos and Don’ts for the brand new fan getting began betting on racing.
- All of us make errors in terms of betting on horse racing, listed here are eight classes discovered from expertise.
- Determine how a lot every guess will value upfront with our Playing Calculator, introduced by NYRA Bets.
Saturday, Jan. 11
Mid-January is the calm earlier than the storm in south Florida as Gulfstream Park will get able to host the Pegasus World Cup and quite a few essential 3-year-old stakes races over the course of the approaching month. The featured races at Gulfstream this Saturday are a pair of races which are among the final remnants of the previous Sunshine Hundreds of thousands and restricted to Florida-breds. For this weekend’s winners, let’s check out Saturday’s two state-bred stakes races at Gulfstream, the Sunshine Filly and Mare Turf and the Sunshine Traditional. These races headline what might be one more good weekend of racing and wagering at Gulfstream Park. Better of luck!
Gulfstream Park, Race 5, $75,000 Sunshine Filly and Mare Turf Stakes, 2:19 p.m. ET
The Sunshine Filly and Mare Turf has drawn a discipline of eight Florida-breds able to race one mile on the grass. Essentially the most recognizable runner within the crowd might be stakes winner and graded stakes-placed #2 Maryquitecontrary, however she was winless in eight races in 2024 and has by no means tried turf in 20 lifetime races thus far. The morning-line favourite on this race, #8 Nice Venezuela, additionally appears to be like susceptible on this spot. She’s a sprinter that makes a speciality of five-furlong or 5 ½-furlong races who pale a bit late in her solely time stretching out to 7 ½ furlongs so far final winter. She’ll go as quick as she will so far as she will and hope to carry on for the total mile. She’ll in all probability maintain on for a slice however is a sketchy win prospect, particularly at 8-5 on the morning line. Good contenders might be accessible on the tote board on this race at good odds. The horse with the most effective turf mile credentials on this race, by far, is #3 Princess Bettina, who was a stakes winner at this distance on the grass earlier in her profession. Princess Bettina wanted a race final time when well-beaten, however that race was very probably only a prep for this race in an actual attempt within the mare’s second begin off the layoff right this moment. If her type appears to be like dangerous, no less than you’re getting 6-1 odds, and John Velazquez sees sufficient to take the mount right here, which is an excellent signal if you’re prepared to present this horse an opportunity. The horse within the race with the most effective present type can be a significant contender at good morning-line odds, #6 Ashima at 8-1. Ashima is available in right here on a three-race successful streak in two-turn races on the all-weather Tapeta Footings floor, and whereas she will not be nearly as good on the grass, she has run properly sufficient on this floor previously to warrant respect based mostly on her career-best present type.
The Play: Wager on #3 Princess Bettina (6-1) to win and play her in exacta and trifecta containers with #6 Ashima (8-1), and #8 Nice Venezuela (8-5).
Gulfstream Park, Race 10, $75,000 Sunshine Traditional Stakes, 4:48 p.m. ET
The Sunshine Traditional for Florida-breds has drawn a full discipline of 12 set to go 1 1/16 miles on the primary observe. Route races at Gulfstream on the 1 1/16-mile and 1 1/8-mile distances have lengthy favored horses from the within 5 posts, and fortunate for us we’ve got loads of good contenders entered on this race drawn in these inside gates. That’s the place we’ll focus our wagers. #4 Secret Chat is in nice present type and is coming as much as this race in simply the precise manner for a scorching barn that’s successful 24% of its races at this meet, first with a seven-furlong win two races in the past after which with a mile win in opposition to open firm final time. A win on this 1 1/16-mile spot is the following logical step. #2 Khozeiress completed third in a Tampa Bay Downs stakes prep final time and has room for enchancment based mostly on two-turn capability proven in 2024, with a win at Monmouth Park to go together with a fourth within the Grade 3 Monmouth Cup Stakes when he was not embarrassed in opposition to horses like Tapit Trice and Highland Falls. #3 Lure Him In is the defending winner of this race who has hit principally robust sledding ever since, together with a loss to Secret Chat final time. He did, nonetheless, present indicators of life two races in the past when he completed third as the most effective of the speeds in a race that set-up for a perfect-trip pair of stalkers that completed 1-2. He’s bought a shot at 8-1 based mostly on his finest effort. Lastly, #5 Superior Practice is in glorious present type with two straight wins. He’s not likely a two-turn horse in any respect, however he did win final time at a mile so he can’t be dominated out.
The Play: Wager #4 Secret Chat (3-1) to win and play him in exacta containers with #2 Khozeiress (8-1) and #3 Lure Him In (8-1). For trifectas, Key Secret Chat over Khozeiress, Lure Him In, and #5 Superior Practice (10-1).
