John Macklin
Home: Brooklyn, N.Y.
Age: 41
Occupation: Bond trader
Road to the Finals: Finished second and won $8,000 in the Belmont Handicapping Challenge on July 10-11.
Bio: Qualified for his third National Handicapping Championship with his runner-up finish at the Belmont Summer Handicapping Challenge. Finished a very respectable 29th at NHC III in Jan. 2002, and 43rd at NHC II in Jan. 2001 after qualifying both years at NYRA tracks. Once hit a pick 6 for $26,000, and remembers one time when got so excited about hitting a big exacta at Saratoga that he fell over the row of seats in front of him and landed on his head. Bleeding and dazed, the next thing he remembered was saying "I got it, I got it! How much?" Macklin was introduced to racing by his grandmother who used to take him to a NYC OTB parlor more than 25 years ago. When she could no longer make her own bets due to illness, he started going and making her bets for her. These days he likes to go to the track with his uncle and his son John. He coaches multiple baseball teams, and is a fan of the New York Rangers and New York Giants.
Photo: Adam Coglianese