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Rich Nilsen of Lexington earned his third trip to the DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Championship thanks to his win in the Turfway Park Handicapping Blowout on March 30.
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Richard Nilsen of Lexington, Kentucky earned his third trip to the Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Championship finals with a victory in the $10,000 Turfway Park Handicapping Blowout on March 30. Nilsen won first prize of $6,500 in addition to his qualifying berth in NHC V which will be held in January 2004 at Bally's-Las Vegas.
Nilsen compiled a one-day total of $128.80 based on 10 mythical $2 to win and $2 to place wagers on 10 live races from Turfway Park to earn the victory over a field of 153 entries. Nilsen's big break came in the final race of the contest when he pegged 30-1 shot Six Am ($62.80 to win, $21.20 to place) in Turfway's 10th race to defeat runner-up Sidney Sea of Louisville, who finished earned second-prize of $2,500 and also qualified for NHC V.
Nilsen, the marketing director for Bloodstock Research Information Services, finished in eighth place in NHC III when playing as part of the national championship winning team from Keeneland. He earned a total of $9,000 in prize money that year, including $5,000 for the team championship, $2,000 for the eighth-place overall finish, and another $2,000 in daily prize money.
The contest cost $100 to enter. Turfway Park's final two available qualifying spots in the NHC V field will go to the winners of Turfway's second and final Handicapping Blowout of 2003 scheduled on Dec. 14.
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