Discover Noel Michaels’ Weekend Winners, your destination for top weekend wagers and focused recommendations from seasoned handicapper and tournament-strategy innovator, Noel Michaels. Return each week for a pair of featured choices intended to assist you in securing wins and generating profits. Noel’s racing forecasts have appeared across virtually all horse racing media outlets, including print publications like the Daily Racing Form, The HorsePlayer Magazine, and American Turf Monthly; online platforms such as DRF.com, Twinspires.com, and USRacing.com; live at Arlington International Racecourse’s paddock; and broadcasted on HRTV, TVG, NYC OTB Extra, NYRA’s Talking Horses, and on television channels WAVE-3 Louisville, ABC KOLO-8 in Reno, Nevada, and Long Island Cablevision channel 72.
Key Resources for Novice Bettors
- Begin with the basics using a straightforward handbook on how to place wagers in horse racing.
- Uncertain about a specific term? The jargon of horse racing has its unique lexicon. Let us clarify it for you.
- What exactly is a speed rating? This introductory manual on speed ratings provides all essential information.
- Placing bets on horse racing can feel daunting. The ABR Team has compiled a list of recommendations and pitfalls for newcomers engaging in race wagering.
- Everyone encounters errors when wagering on horse races; presented here are eight insights gained through practical experience.
- Determine the exact cost of each wager beforehand using our Betting Calculator, brought to you by NYRA Bets.
A joyous New Year to all! We begin 2026 with fresh Weekend Winners, concentrating on two stakes events scheduled for Saturday at Gulfstream Park: the Mucho Macho Man Stakes for newly designated 3-year-olds and the Ginger Brew Stakes for 3-year-old fillies on turf. Should we successfully identify the victors of these two early January highlights, we will establish a strong beginning to the new year. Wishing you the best of fortune.
Saturday, Jan. 3
Gulfstream Park, Race 6, $175,000 Ginger Brew Stakes, start time 2:48 p.m. ET
The Ginger Brew Stakes showcases eight 3-year-old fillies poised to cover a mile on the turf. The formidable contender is #6 Sister Troienne, arriving with a three-race victory streak, having dominated her opponents in all three outings, which include a Churchill Downs turf maiden victory, a Keeneland turf allowance triumph, and a $100,000 stakes win most recently on Gulfstream’s synthetic track. No competitor has come close to her in any of her victories, and she is anticipated to secure a fourth consecutive win against this lineup. The two primary contenders, particularly for exacta and trifecta wagers, will be the pair of Saffie Joseph Jr.-conditioned entries, #3 R Slew of Cash and #4 Spirit Doll. R Slew of Cash will need to reverse her previous performance against Sister Troienne, who defeated her in their last encounter, but that race was on the synthetic surface, not turf. R Slew of Cash claimed victory on this very course in her most recent grass appearance and exhibits significant potential for her current connections, with jockey Tyler Gaffalione now in the saddle. Spirit Doll commenced her racing career on dirt but demonstrated remarkable progress in her last outing when making her turf debut, achieving a compelling 6 ½-length victory in Gulfstream’s $75,000 Our Dear Peggy Stakes over this identical one-mile distance. She has matured for an additional two months since then and is expected to deliver another strong performance.
The Strategy: Place a wager on #6 Sister Troienne to win and include her in exacta and trifecta combinations with #3 R Slew of Cash and #4 Spirit Doll.
Gulfstream Park, Race 10, $175,000 Mucho Macho Man Stakes, start time 4:48 p.m. ET
The Mucho Macho Man Stakes represents the initial stage on Gulfstream Park’s path toward the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (despite not awarding qualifying points) and will mark the inaugural attempt to extend to a mile for numerous contenders in the nine-horse lineup. This contest appears to be a relatively uncomplicated exacta box featuring the likely favorites, so there’s no need to overthink it; simply focus on the top two choices. We favor the striking debut winner #3 Epic Summer for the victory, based on his dominant 3 ¼-length maiden win at Belmont at the Big A under trainer George Weaver. Epic Summer showed strong closing speed in that 6 ½-furlong event and seemed like a runner who would thrive with an extended distance. The horse who placed second to Epic Summer was the Chad Brown-trained Schoolyardsuperman, who subsequently broke his maiden in his following race. The primary challenge will originate from #1 Commandment, hailing from Brad Cox’s stable with Irad Ortiz Jr. in the irons. He secured his maiden win in his second career start in a seven-furlong race at Churchill Downs and is expected to benefit from an ideal pace scenario here, possessing stalking capabilities in a race populated by fast starters and those attempting a longer distance.
The Strategy: Place a wager on #3 Epic Summer to win and include him in an exacta combination with #1 Commandment.
