Bettor Racing OTB

Patrick Gianforte (center) beat an all-star field to win the Bettor Racing OTB Midwest Classic in South Dakota. Third-place finisher Mike Labriola (left) and runner-up Mary Ann Hartman also qualified for NHC VI.

After arriving late and nearly missing the contest, Patrick Gianforte of Cary, Illinois beat an all-star field of horseplayers including four Daily Racing Form/NTRA handicapping champions to win the prestigious Bettor Racing OTB Midwest Classic in Sioux Falls, South Dakota on May 29. Gianforte earned a first prize of $8,700 and earned a trip to the sixth annual National Handicapping Championship next January in Las Vegas.

Many of the country's top contest players make a yearly pilgrimage to the remote off-track betting parlor in South Dakota for what has become one of the best toughest events on the tournament calendar. This year's 52-player field (83 total entries) was made up of horseplayers from 17 states and included 30 past National Handicapping Championship qualifiers including past champions Steven Walker (2000), Judy Wagner (2001), and Steve Wolfson Jr. Also in the field was current DRF/NTRA Handicapper of the Year Kent Meyer, who exited a top finish in this contest last year en route to his national championship victory.

But even against all that firepower, and despite a travel delay that caused him to miss the first nine of 47 races in the contest, Gianforte came out on top against the stellar field comprised of the best handicappers in the world. His contest-winning bankroll $145.60 based on 12 mythical $2 win-and-place bets on the races from Arlington, Belmont, Calder, Churchill, and half the card from Hollywood Park was enough to post a narrow come-from-behind victory over runner-up Mary Ann Hartman of Fairfield, Conn. who had led for virtually the entire contest.

Gianforte's big break came late in the contest when he jumped into the lead with a pick on 34-1 winner Feature Story who paid $71.60 to win (payoff capped at $42) and $15 to place in the second race at Hollywood Park. Gianforte went on to hit Cerese Sunrise ($7.40, $4.20) in race four at Hollywood to finish $3 ahead of Hartman, who settled for second with a $142.60 contest total and earned $4,350 in prize money and a trip to NHC VI.

National Handicapping Championship veteran Mike Labriola of Richmond, Calif. finished third with $137.40 to qualify for his fourth national finals appearance. Labriola had $0 in his bankroll until midway through the contest, but then made a late run capped off by three straight winners including Valid Again ($24, $8.20) and Regal Sanction ($26.20, $13.80) in races six and seven at Belmont, and the aforementioned Feature Story at Hollywood. Labriola briefly reached second place before being passed late by the eventual winner.

The Bettor Racing OTB Midwest Classic cost $250 to enter and featured a total purse of $20,750, which went to the top 12 finishers (three players tied for tenth place). Other notable players earning paychecks included defending Midwest Classic winner H. Mitchell Schuman of New York (sixth with $110.20), Steven Walker (eighth with $105.30), Dave "The Maven" Gutfreund (ninth with $98.40), and Steve Wolfson Jr. and Joe Hinson who tied for tenth with $96.60.