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.
Author: News
Sovereignty, Sierra Leone Top First 2025 Poll of Breeders’ Cup Classic Contenders
Each week a panel of media members, horseplayers, and Breeders’ Cup World Championships officials release a poll tabulating their votes on the nation's top contenders for the 2025 Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic. The rankings are a weekly rating of the top 10 horses in contention and are determined by each voter ranking their top 10 horses with points assigned on a descending 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis.
2025 Laffit Pincay Jr. Award Winner Mike Pegram Reflects on Unforgettable Life in Racing
Kentucky native Mike Pegram, a long-time owner best known for coming within a nose of winning the Triple Crown with Real Quiet in 1998, will be honored with the Laffit Pincay Jr.
On the Rise: Christon Jackson
Christon Jackson, a 24-year-old native of Lexington, was destined to become involved with horses, one breed or another. Jackson grew up surrounded by Arabians and Saddlebreds bred by his parents. From a young age, he was hands-on with horses and frequently in the saddle. The summer before entering the University of Kentucky, where he would graduate in 2023 with degrees in agricultural economics and business/managerial economics, he worked on a Kentucky breeding farm.
