Eric Isaacson
Home: Indianapolis, Ind.
Age: 31
Occupation: Sales executive
Road to the Finals: Finished third and won $3,500 at the River Downs Handicapping Contest on July 17-18.
Bio: Qualified for his third National Handicapping Championship with a third-place finish in the River Downs Handicapping Contest. Isaacson also finished third in a later contest at Hoosier Park in 2004, which also would have been good enough to qualify for the national finals. His lifetime handicapping tournament earnings currently stand at more than $9,100. Finished 48th at NHC III in Jan. 2002, and 80th at NHC V in Jan. 2004 after qualifying for the finals at Keeneland both times. Has been participating in tournaments for four years and estimates he works an average of 35 hours per week on handicapping including research, reading, etc. Eric lives in the heartland, which he says puts him within four hours driving distance of many tracks and as many as a dozen tournaments each year. He has had several wagering payouts in the $2,000 to $3,000 range, but says his favorite handicapping moment was picking Fifty Stars to win the Louisiana Derby at 20-1 odds. Strives to become one of the best handicappers around, and wants to do his part to make customer service at racetracks a much higher priority within the racing industry. When not hard at work handicapping, Eric enjoys spending time with his wife of three years, Kim.
Photo: Jim Linscott