Let’s hear it one more time for Philadelphia. First it was the Eagles winning the Super Bowl. Next Villanova won it all at the final four. Then the 76ers contention ran deep in the NBA playoffs. Now it’s “Philly Joe” Metka, winner of the first ever World Horseplayers’ Tour event at Santa Anita. Metka won just under $100,000 in cash and prizes, including a seat to the Pegasus World Cup Betting Championship. For Metka, it was a simple story: sometimes the best bets are the ones you don’t make. Late in the day on Saturday, in the traditional live-bankroll format portion of the contest, he was in contention to make the final eight. The top eight from Saturday would advance to play on Sunday, where they’d be eligible for his share of more than $150,000 in cash and prizes. All the prize money was added for the WHT/SA contest, and the event was filmed for a television pilot. Metka’s total stood at $15,123, and many observers thought it might take just a little more to make the cut. “I didn’t have an opinion in the last two races so I decided just to sit back and hope no one passed me,” said Metka, 37, “fortunately for me no one did.” Metka snuck the last seat by a mere $81, over an unlucky Jim Benes, who ended up ninth with $15,042 after firing and missing in the nightcap. At the start of Sunday, the final eight took home the money on their bankrolls and saw those amounts converted to mythical money, like chips in a poker tournament. The brand new final-table format demanded that each player bet one horse to win in each of the nine Santa Anita races on Sunday. Bet minimums started at $1,000 and increased $500 per race. There was no maximum bet: players could go all-in at any time. Metka started the day as the short stack but advanced up the leaderboard, including a $5,000 play on an even money shot. After that, Metka went cold, but so did the other players at the final table. When it came down to the last race, three others remained, and all of them were drawing live to different horses who would win the contest for them. Just like the day before, no one advanced past Metka in the last race and he emerged victorious, in the process becoming the latest story of victory for the City of Brotherly Love. Metka is part of a family law firm that does estate planning and administration. Over the years, he’s gotten his family members involved in racing, too. “They’ve always been very supportive of whatever kooky idea I have,” he said. “Everybody in the firm knows we don’t schedule appointments on days we have horses running so we can go to the races. It’s been special in that regard.” Justin Mustari, a 23-year old Chicagoan attracted by the added money and the chance to appear on TV, wound up second, earning a seat to the National Horseplayers Championship as part of his spoils. Tony Zhou played a great contest, consistently ending up on horses that his competition didn’t play at the final table, and he ended up third. The next finishers were Nick Tammaro, Garett Skiba, Tom Arndt, Frank McGoey, and Jason Avila, all of whom walked away netting at least $10,000 from their live-bank play on Saturday. Online qualifying for the WHT/SA contest happened exclusively at tournaments.drf.com. Speaking of DRF Tournaments, Saturday saw three big money online qualifiers for upcoming events. Tournament veteran Paul Weizer won his way to the Belmont Stakes Challenge. He built his total of $95 on the back of an impressive eight collections. Bruce Dagostini won a seat for the Del Mar Challenge with $88 on his bankroll. He cashed six times including in the last four races to put him over the top. Finally, Sean Anthony won a seat to the World Championship of Handicapping, Daily Racing Form’s big money online event with no takeout in the finals. In a low-scoring affair, Anthony got the job done with $51.20. He cashed an impressive eight times, with the longest return being $11 from Just Be Held at Santa Anita. The $5.60 he earned from Justify in the Preakness proved decisive in the end. Contest action returns to DRF on Wednesday, with free opportunities to start your journey to the World Championship of Handicapping. Go to tournaments.drf.com for a full list of all the games available.