Bill Denver / EQUI-PHOTO

Turf-Vivor III champion Tom Quigley, publisher of The Horseplayer Magazine, is presented a check for $100,000 by Gulfstream GM Scott Savin.

Tom Quigley, the punting publisher of The Horseplayer Magazine, was the winner of the prestigious Turf-Vivor III handicapping tournament at Gulfstream Park on Feb. 27-29. The three-day event carried total prize money of $132,000, with Quigley winning Turf-vivor's grand prize of $100,000. Quigley also earned one of four available berths to the Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Championship VI in Las Vegas.

Quigley, 44, is a contest veteran who plays in several events per year around the country and is now a two-time NHC finals qualifier after winning Autotote's Bradley Teletheater Handicapping Challenge in 2002. Turf-vivor, however, was the biggest tournament score of his career.

"Gulfstream has really done a great job with this tournament and it has quickly become one of the best tournaments in the country," said Quigley, who traveled to Gulfstream from his home in Southern California. "Winning this tournament was the biggest thrill."

Turf-vivor cost $1,000 to enter and drew a full field of 125 players. Entrants attempted to compile the highest bankroll based on five $2 win-place-show on both Friday Feb. 27th and Saturday Feb. 28th. The top 16 players then advanced to Sunday's final round where they were seeded into head-to-head tournament bracket-style competition until there was one final "Turf-vivor" left standing.

Quigley advanced to Sunday's final round by compiling the contest's 11th-highest bankroll. His first finals opponent was the NTRA's national tournament director Jeff Sotman, who also works for The Horseplayer Magazine. Quigley advanced to the elite eight over his colleague, who had a higher seeding, and then beat another higher-seeded player to advance to the championship showdown against No. 1 seed Danny Hogan of Port St. Luice, Fla.

In the final round match-up between Quigley and Hogan on Gulfstream's races 10-11, Quigley selected second-place finisher Zipcody, who paid $3.80 to place and $2,80 to show, and then cemented the victory by a $19 margin when his selection Coherent won race 11 paying $6.00 to win, $3.60 to place, and 2.80 to show. Hogan managed only a show finisher in the tenth race and had to settle for second prize of $10,000. Hogan, 62, also won another $2,000 daily prize for leading the contest after Saturday's second round for total earnings of $12,000.

The top four finishers all earned qualifying spots into the next National Handicapping Championship finals in Las Vegas. Joining Quigley and Hogan will be third- and fourth-place finishers Mike Mayo of Richardson, Tex., and William Guenther of Brick, N.J. Both players earned $2,500 in prize money. Mayo is a multiple NHC qualifier. Guenther will be making his first NHC appearance.

Turf-vivor creator, Gulfstream Park president and general manager Scott Savin said "We were thrilled with the players' response [to this contest]. We were oversubscribed for the first time, and that means the stature of this tournament and the acceptance of the format we have is growing. We're proud to be the hosts of such a prestigious tournament."

Gulfstream filmed a Turf-vivor television pilot during contest, which was hosted by south Florida sports personalities Paul "Paulie Man" Messell, and Jeff Deforest, and Gulfstream Park handicapper Joanne Jones.