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.
Author: News
Legendary Grand National horse Auroras Encore, who won world’s most famous race at 66-1, dies aged 23
Ridden by Ryan Mania and trained by Sue Smith, the horse rose to fame when it claimed victory in the sport's most famous race 13 years ago. The 66-1 outsider ran clear and won by nine lengths.
SLIDESHOW: Meet the 2026 Preakness Stakes Horses
The $2 million Preakness Stakes May 16 is shaping up to feature a competitive group of contenders for the 1 3/16-mile classic race, even without Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve winner Golden Tempo participating in the middle jewel of the Triple Crown. The Preakness has been won by some of the
Canonero II: A Blue-Collar Hero and True Racehorse of the People
When Canonero II won the 1971 Kentucky Derby, he generated a rather modest return for a $2 win ticket. Yet that $19.40 winning ticket on the "Caracas Cannonball" had nothing to do with the Venezuelan shipper’s merits and everything to do with his inclusion in a gargantuan six-horse mutuel field. Based on his form and a star-crossed trip to the United States, Canonero probably would have been dismissed at 100-1 odds in the 97th Kentucky Derby. Maybe even 200-1, but nothing even remotely close to his 8-1 odds.
