Hoofprints Inc.

Roger Siple won Delaware Park's June Handicapping Tournament by a wide margin to earn his first DRF/NTRA NHC berth.

Roger Siple of York, Penn. took home a huge first prize of $21,000 thanks to his win over a field of 422 entrants in the Delaware Park Handicapping Tournament on June 12. In addition to purse money, Siple also qualified for the Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Championship VI to be held next January in Las Vegas.

Contestants in the Delaware contest paid $100 to enter and provided their own $200 starting real money bankrolls. Players tried to build the highest dollar total using only win, place, and show betting on any live or simulcast race offered by Delaware Park on the day of the contest. Siple compiled an impressive contest-winning bankroll of $3,472 which was enough to cement victory by wide margin over runner-up William Burns of Chaverly, Maryland who finished with $2,328. Burns took home $7,000 in prize money and also qualified for NHC VI in Las Vegas.

With 422 players and Delaware returning 100 percent of all entry fees in the form of prize money, the total purse for the event came to an impressive $42,200. The top 10 players all earned prize money, with the rest of the top 50 winning back their original $100 buy-in.

Since the tournament involved real money tote wagering, all entrants also got to keep the money remaining in their final bankrolls. Including earnings and prize money, the winner made a total of $24,472 in the one-day contest, minus his original $200 stake and $100 buy-in for a net tournament profit of $24,172.

Delaware Park will host two more similar DRF/NTRA qualifying tournaments in 2004, each with two qualifying berths on the line. The second qualifying contest will be held on Oct. 9. Delaware's final 2004 contest will be on Dec. 4.