Stampede Park

Stampede Park tournament winner Dwight Maisey of Calgary is presented a check by Stampede's promotions manager Patti Hunt.

Stampede Park in Calgary, Alberta hosted its first Daily Racing Form/NTRA qualifying contest on June 12-13 with $7,000 in prize money and three spots in the sixth annual National Handicapping Championship up for grabs. The winner of the first Stampede Park Qualifying Tournament was Dwight Maisey of Calgary who earned $4,640 and a trip to NHC VI in Las Vegas.

The two-day event cost $125 to enter attracted a field of 66 players from both the United States and Canada. Maisey won the tournament by compiling a contest-winning bankroll of $211 based on $2 win-and-place wagers on 15 races each day including five local Stampede Park races and 10 simulcast races.

Also punching tickets to Las Vegas were second- and third-place finishers Al Cameron ($187.10) and Albert Wong ($177.60), both of Calgary. Cameron and Wong each earned $913 in prize money.

Canadian horseplayers will have more chances than ever this year to qualify for the NHC. Several tournaments are scheduled north of the border in 2004 including events at Woodbine (Aug. 28-29) in Toronto, Northlands Park in Edmonton (dates TDA), and Hastings Park in Vancouver (TBA).