Joe Kristufek
Home: Chicago, Il.
Age: 34
Occupation: TV producer, on-air talent, journalist and handicapper of Horsin' Around TV on Fox Sports Net.
Road to the Finals: Finished third in the Reno Hilton Winter Challenge on Feb. 6-8.
Bio: Kristufek grew up just a few miles from Hawthorne and Sportsman's Park, and he's been a fixture on the Chicago racing scene for the past 11 years. As the president of DAK Productions, Inc., Kristufek serves as the producer and host of Horsin' Around TV, a lighthearted, half-hour horse racing magazine show on Fox Sports Net Chicago. The program debuted with a highly successful 14-week run in 2003, and "DAK" plans to extend the show to 35 weeks in 2004 (March 20 through November 13). Kristufek is employed as the daily handicapper and turf writer for the Daily Herald, and is documented as the leading published selector in Chicagoland for four consecutive years. His daily Chicago thoroughbred analysis can also be found on the Trackmaster website. A former analyst for The Racing Network, Kristufek also served as Hawthorne's on-air host for six years (1993-99). He met Mandi, his wife of six years, while working as the television analyst at Rockingham Park in New Hampshire in the summer of 1996. Mandi was employed as a mutuel teller, and after she punched Kristufek a few bad tickets, "the rest was history." Kristufek is currently developing an elaborate educational program for Arlington Park. He discovered racing while looking for something to do on his lunch hour and has now been playing the races for over 17 years. His favorite handicapping story came while working at the Racing Network. He put together a partnership to bet the Kentucky Derby and nailed the $125,000 Superfeca with Monarchos on top.
Photo: DAK