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
SLIDESHOW: Get to Know the 2026 Haskell Stakes Contenders
The $1 million NYRA Bets Haskell Stakes July 18 serves as the signature race at the 2026 Monmouth Park meet, and this year’s edition is expected to feature a strong cast of runners to compete in the 1 1/8-mile Grade 1 stakes for 3-year-olds.
Promising jockey who ruined his career after beating up weighing room rival escapes prison after being convicted of GBH
A jockey who beat up his rival over comments about his lack of winners has been handed a suspended sentence after being convicted of grievous bodily harm (GBH).
A Patient and Versatile Craftsman, Jonathan Sheppard Achieved Staggering Success
There are few certainties in life or in the sport of horse racing. But just as you could count on the changing of the seasons, you could count on Jonathan Sheppard sending out winners by the dozen, year after year, in tests of both pure speed and dexterity over jumps. He retired from training in the U.S. before the 2021 season, maintained a small stable in Ireland for a short while, and passed away at 82 on Aug. 27, 2023.
