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’s Passion for Racing, Mark Twain Led to Two Aptly Named Thoroughbreds
Mark Twain was one of the country’s first great turf writers. Well, sort of. In November 1865, in “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County,” Twain offered rare insight into a horseplayer’s mindset when he wrote about a compulsive gambler named Jim Smiley: “If there was a horse race, you’d find him flush, or you’d find him busted.”
The Jockey Club Thoroughbred Incentive Program Championship Winners Announced
The Jockey Club Thoroughbred Incentive Program (T.I.P.) Championships was held at Stable View in Aiken, South Carolina, from October 1-4. The show saw participation from 300 entries. Cash prizes of $2,000 per division were awarded to the 42 divisions offered, which included hunters, jumpers, English pleasure, dressage, combined test, Western pleasure, ranch riding, competitive trail, and in-hand competition.
Royal Delta: A Three-Time Champion Worthy of Her Astronomical Sale Price
Racing is filled with the disappointing tales of horses who are bought for a seven-figure price tag but never come close to repaying their owner for signing that huge check. Then there are horses like Royal Delta, who left her owner with no regrets about paying a king’s ransom for her, even if she did not cover a humungous price tag. The story of Royal Delta actually has two chapters.
