How to Evaluate the Best Horse Racing Handicappers
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There is no objectively “best” horse-racing handicapper for every track, season and betting style. Public records are incomplete, selection prices matter as much as winners, and even accomplished players experience long losing sequences. A more useful question is: whose documented process can you evaluate and adapt?
Noel Michaels, John Conte and Andrew Beyer are included here because each represents a recognizable part of modern handicapping—professional analysis, contest play and speed-figure development. Their profiles are historical examples, not endorsements or promises that following a person’s selections will produce a profit.
Noel Michaels
Noel Michaels may not be as old as some of the other handicappers on our list, but he has made quite a name for himself in the business. He has even authored books on handicapping and handicapping contests. Michaels is the youngest full-time handicapper to ever be hired by the Daily Racing Form. He started that job when he was just 23 years old.
His published contributor biography identifies him as a graduate of the Racetrack Industry Program at the University of Arizona. His insider knowledge of the horse racing industry and how it works serves him well in picking winning horses. He also has established many important connections with race track trainers, jockeys, and other insiders.
John Conte
John Conte of New York has been betting on horses for most of his life. He started in his home state of New York before he was even of legal age to bet. John can also claim something that few other handicappers have ever accomplished. The NTRA champions record documents his 2009 National Handicapping Championship victory, topping 302 entries for the $500,000 first prize. That is a specific, checkable contest achievement; it does not establish a unique season-long profitability record among all public handicappers.
Conte claims that his expertise comes from knowing what makes horses run to the best of their ability. Some would claim that his preference for New York tracks is what makes him so successful. He has learned all about the circuit and can tell you about its jockeys, trainers, and horses. Conte became widely known through New York racing and handicapping contests. Because roles and public-selection work change, judge any current service by a current, timestamped record rather than this historical profile.
Andrew Beyer
When you are trying to determine who is the best horse racing handicapper there is no way that you can exclude Andrew Beyer from the discussion. Long before he became famous for his speed figures and his columns for the Washington Post, Andrew Beyer was earning a living as a horse bettor on the tough circuits like Saratoga and Gulfstream. His lasting contribution includes the figure methodology popularized in Picking Winners in 1975. DRF’s account explains that Beyer figures entered its past performances in 1992.
Beyer is known for his strong opinions on how horses should be bet. He is not a fan of boxing trifectas and exactas. He does not believe the bettor should be betting unless he has a solid opinion. The author also recounts Beyer punching a hole in the Gulfstream press box after a horse he had backed was disqualified. That anecdote is part of the article’s historical account, not evidence of a method’s effectiveness.
What the Best Handicappers Have in Common
Useful habits to look for in a handicapper include intellectual humility — the willingness to acknowledge uncertainty, to update beliefs when new information arrives, and to resist the temptation to defend past opinions in the face of contradicting evidence. Horse racing is too complex and too variable for certainty, and handicappers who confuse confidence with certainty tend to over-bet and over-commit in ways that ultimately undermine their results.
A second common characteristic is genuine curiosity about the sport beyond the purely financial dimension. The best handicappers are genuinely fascinated by horses, by racing as a competitive spectacle, and by the analytical puzzles that each race presents. This intrinsic motivation sustains the deep engagement required to develop and maintain genuine expertise over years and decades — motivation that pure profit-seeking rarely provides on its own when the inevitable losing periods arrive. Another useful habit is systematic thinking that tests intuitive impressions against evidence. The best handicappers neither rely exclusively on quantitative models nor dismiss data in favour of pure instinct — they develop frameworks that allow objective analysis to inform and discipline intuitive judgments rather than replace them. For more on developing your own handicapping abilities, our articles on how to become a better horse handicapper and mastering the fundamentals of handicapping provide the roadmap.
What Makes a Person the Best Horse Racing Handicapper?
Horse racing is not an easy game to beat. You can ask anyone that plays the horses on a daily basis and they will tell you it can be difficult to make a profit. For a person to be considered the best handicapper they must be able to win consistently with their horse racing bets. What is consistently? Some of them would tell you that they expect to win one out of every three bets they make and that this would be a very good percentage.
To decide who is the best horse racing handicapper you also need to look at the mental and emotional characteristics which define these bettors. At the top of the list would be discipline to bet properly. Every bet carries uncertainty, including one supported by careful analysis. Discipline concerns the decision and stake; it does not remove the possibility of losing. They apply themselves to study of the game and only bet when they believe they have an edge.
The best handicappers are also patient in their analysis of races. They do not try to rush through the past performances looking for a winner. They will slow down and take their time to find the right betting choice.
Does the Betting Platform Tell You Anything About Skill?
A person’s choice of online or on-track wagering does not establish their ability. Availability, convenience, research access and personal preference may influence the choice. A racebook’s customer list is not a ranking of handicappers.
Private betting records also cannot support a public claim about who is best. Some players keep their activity private, but that absence of information is not evidence that an unknown player is outperforming documented competitors. Avoid inferring financial success or private motives from anonymity.
When choosing an account, compare eligibility, coverage, costs and withdrawal terms using the racebook comparison. No platform turns a beginner into an expert. You can study the methods discussed here through published analysis and paper practice without making a deposit.
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Compare Achievements on the Same Basis
A tournament winner, a public selector and a figure developer demonstrate different things. A contest result shows performance under that event’s scoring rules and field. A published selection record shows what followers could have done only if it includes all picks, stakes and attainable prices. A useful figure can improve comparison of races without being a complete betting system.
Before comparing two records, check the date range, number of selections and wager type. Ten win bets cannot be compared directly with ten multi-combination exotic tickets using strike rate alone. Include the full ticket cost and distinguish gross returns from profit.
Suppose one analyst wins four of ten $1 win bets, each returning $2 including the stake. The total return is $8 on $10 staked, a $2 loss. Another wins two of ten, each returning $6, for $12 returned and a $2 profit. The first has the higher strike rate; the second has the better result in this small illustrative sample. Neither record is enough to establish lasting superiority.
Choose an Analyst Whose Reasoning You Can Follow
Look for a clear explanation of the race conditions, relevant performances, likely pace and price requirements. A useful analyst explains why a contender might fail as well as why it appeals. That makes the analysis easier to learn from and review after the race.
Keep the original selection and any stated minimum price. If the final odds fall below that price, a passed bet should remain a pass in the record. If an analyst publishes several tickets, include all of them rather than presenting only the ticket that won.
Use a later series of races to see whether the approach remains understandable and useful. You may find that an analyst helps you study one circuit while another explains a different race type more clearly. There is no need to turn that learning preference into a universal ranking of the best handicapper.
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Continue the Analysis
Horse Betting for Beginners
Start with the race, the ticket, pools, odds, and a sensible first-bet workflow.
ContinueUnderstand Bet Types
Compare straight, exotic, and multi-race wagers before building a ticket.
ContinueLearn to Handicap
Build a repeatable process around form, pace, class, distance, surface, and price.
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While watching the excellent Horse players I never saw Content win! Maybe he got lucky once to win a big contest but he seems like just another big mouth. I’m not claimiing to be an expert but a guy who just uses the racing form and can’t be sharp to begin with
The best handicappers are listed in the NHC website. These are handicappers that have proved their skill over many years of playing large and small tournaments. As the previous writer noted; “you can’t just win one tournament” and be considered the G.O.A.T. My personal pick would be Paul Sherman.
Do you know a Licensed Handicapper in Maryland – his name is Stan Mell?
please let me know