Greetings, racing fans, and welcome to “Noel Michaels’ Weekend Selections,” your go-to source for top weekend wagers and expert insights from seasoned handicapper and tournament aficionado, Noel Michaels. Return each week for carefully chosen recommendations aimed at increasing your winning bets and boosting your earnings. Noel’s expertise has been showcased extensively, appearing in publications such as the Daily Racing Form, The HorsePlayer Magazine, and American Turf Monthly; online platforms like DRF.com, Twinspires.com, and USRacing.com; from the Arlington International Racecourse paddock; and on networks like HRTV, TVG, NYC OTB Extra, NYRA’s Talking Horses, and broadcast stations including WAVE-3 Louisville, ABC KOLO-8 Reno, Nevada, and channel 72 Long Island Cablevision.
Six Introductory Wagering Resources
- Begin with Fundamentals: Consult a comprehensive guide on placing horse racing bets.
- Decipher the Jargon: Horse racing utilizes its own distinct lexicon. Let us provide clarity for you.
- Understanding Pace Figures: This primer on pace figures provides all the essential information.
- Wagering on Horse Races: Novice bettors will benefit from ABR’s collection of “do’s and don’ts”.
- Learning from Errors: We all commit errors when betting on horse races; explore eight lessons gained from experience.
- Anticipate Your Bet Costs: Utilize our Gambling Calculator, courtesy of NYRA Bets, to determine bet expenses in advance.
Saturday, December 6th
The New York racing calendar reaches its apex this weekend with Cigar Mile Handicap day at Aqueduct, showcasing a program featuring four graded stakes competitions along with a pair of state-bred stakes races, each carrying a purse of half a million dollars. For this week’s recommendations, we’ll concentrate on a pair of prominent races on Aqueduct’s Saturday program: the $500,000 Cigar Mile Handicap and the $250,000 Remsen Stakes for 2-year-olds. Successfully selecting the winners of these two highlights would significantly contribute to a lucrative day at the Big A. Wishing everyone the best of luck.
Aqueduct, Race 9, $250,000 Remsen Stakes, scheduled post time 3:08 p.m. ET
A full field of twelve 2-year-old contenders will compete, each vying for a starting position on the path leading to next year’s Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve, in Saturday’s Grade 2 Remsen Stakes. This competition is highly competitive and may hinge on which juvenile possesses the optimal blend of talent and early development, as well as the ability to navigate the extended 1 1/8-mile distance around two turns. Among the entrants, #11 Talkin arguably possesses the most impressive credentials to date. He displayed tenacity in securing his seven-furlong career debut at Saratoga, a performance that has since been bolstered by the third-place finisher, Further Ado, who subsequently dominated his maiden race by a substantial 20 lengths at Keeneland before capturing the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes at Churchill Downs. Talkin followed his maiden triumph with a second-place finish in the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes over a mile, trailing the promising victor, Napolean Solo, while finishing ahead of Universe, who later secured second place in the previously referenced Kentucky Jockey Club. Displaying consistent performance against high-caliber competition, this event appears poised for him to excel, despite the disadvantageous outside post position. The primary threat appears to be #7 Igniter, who extended to a mile last time under the guidance of trainer Rick Dutrow and achieved a noteworthy victory in his second start in a key race that included next-out maiden winners Rebel Instinct and #6 Courting, who secured a win at odds of 0.19-1 over a field that included #4 Grittiness. Additional top contenders include both #2 Paladin and #9 Renegade, who delivered impressive performances in a Belmont at the Big A maiden race, with Renegade emerging victorious. However, the apparent foul was not deemed significant enough to reverse the finish. Renegade faced a more challenging trip during the race and is thus given a slight advantage over Paladin from an outside post, which should complement his running style more effectively than his previous inside position.
The Play: Place a win wager on #11 Talkin (5-1) and construct exacta boxes incorporating #7 Igniter (6-1), and #9 Renegade (5-1). Form a four-horse trifecta box by adding #2 Paladin (3-1) to the wager alongside the top three selections.
Aqueduct, Race 10, $500,000 Cigar Mile Handicap, scheduled post time 3:37 p.m. ET
This year’s Grade 2 Cigar Mile Handicap may lack a prominent star, but it has attracted a competitive field of seven horses, rendering it a worthwhile betting opportunity. Much of the attention from bettors will likely be directed towards the two swift horses positioned on the outside: #6 Phileas Fogg and #7 Bishops Bay, who are both considered legitimate contenders. However, they may encounter a challenging pace battle early in the race, particularly with the presence of another likely front-runner, #2 Mika. With multiple horses potentially vying for the lead, the race dynamics could favor a come-from-behind victory, making #4 Crazy Mason an ideal candidate. This stone closer benefits from a favorable pace scenario and an additional furlong to exploit, especially following positive results over seven furlongs this year, including a win in the Grade 2 Carter Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets, a second in the Grade 3 Vosburgh Stakes Presented by Army Mule, and a third in the Grade 1 Forego Stakes during a consistent campaign. Irad Ortiz Jr. will be aboard. Phileas Fogg adds blinkers and Joel Rosario for this cutback in distance to one mile after racing two turns at longer distances this year to date. He beat Jockey Club Gold Cup winner Antiquarian and last year’s Cigar Mile winner Locked in the 1 ¼-mile Suburban Stakes Presented by Subourbon this year and also has raced competitively at the top level of competition since then in the Jockey Club Gold Cup and Woodward Stakes. Among the front-runners in this year’s Cigar Mile, he possesses the strongest potential to sustain his speed to the finish line.
The Play: Place a win wager on #4 Crazy Mason (7-2) and combine him in an exacta box with #6 Phileas Fogg (9-5).
