Kathleen McKee
Home: Beavertown, Oreg.
Age: 40
Occupation: leasing coordinator
Road to the Finals: Finished seventh in the Ultimate Qualifying Tournament at Emerald Downs on July 25.
Bio: Qualified for the National Handicapping Championship for the second year in a row after winning a Portland Meadows qualifier (earned $5,000) in 2003 en route to a 78th-place finish at NHC V in Jan. 2004. She was first introduced to racing by her father and then later developed a more of an interest because of her husband. Kathleen has never really considered herself a serious handicapper, so she considers one of her most memorable racetrack moments to be when her father-in-law accidentally spilled ketchup on the names of three horses in her program, made a trifecta box out of them, and then watched them run 1-2-3.
Photo: Emerald Downs