NHC Info
Racetracks, casinos, OTBs: For more information on becoming a qualifying site for the Daily Racing Form / NTRA National Handicapping Championship, contact Fritz Widaman at (859) 422-2647 or via email, fwidaman@ntra.com
Doheny qualifies at Autotote
By DAN ILLMAN - Posted 01/23/08
With a daring "all-in" wager on La Wildcat at Hawthorne, Michael Doheny of Bronxville, NY, took first place in the Autotote Handicapping Challenge on November 17. In addition to winning $4,530 in prize and live money, Doheny earned a berth in the 2008 Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Championship on January 25-26 at the Red Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
Doheny, 38, grew up near Yonkers Raceway, and has been an avid fan of the sport for the past fifteen years. He works for an investment management firm in Greenwich, CT.
The Autotote Handicapping Challenge was a live money contest, and required players to make a minimum of five wagers on five different tracks. The wagers were limited to Win, Place, and Show only. Contestants had to bet at least $20 on each race with a limit of one horse per race. Players tried their luck at Autotote locations throughout Connecticut, or through the On The Wire Phone wagering service.
Doheny started off hot with a $100 win wager on favored Jackson’s Numbers in the second race at Philadelphia Park. He then cashed for $1,100 with a successful $100 across the board play on Arpleasure at 5-1 odds in the fifth at Philadelphia. He placed his last $820 to win on La Wildcat, and the $7.20 winning payout earned Doheny a total of $2,952 in contest earnings.
Second place went to Richard Viscardi of Wallingford, CT. He earned $1,889, and took home $1,887.50 in prize money. Angelo Lieto Jr. of New Haven, CT finished third with $537 in earnings, and $755 in prize money. Paul Seipold of Bethany, CT. finished fourth with $528 in earnings, and $377.50 in prize money.
Igleski takes Thistledown qualifier
By DAN ILLMAN - Posted 01/23/08
It came down to a photo finish, but experienced tournament player Mike Igleski won the Thistledown Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Championship qualifier by a nose.
Igleski, 53, of Chicago, IL, finished the November 3 tournament with $114.80, and that was 80 cents higher than runner-up Lorne Weiss of Toronto, Canada. Third-place finisher David Brownfield of Toledo, OH, finished twenty cents behind Weiss.
Igleski earned $3,438 for his victory. He picked five winners and three seconds on the day. Since he already qualified for the NHC earlier in the year, fourth-place finisher Edward Brickman of Strongsville, OH earned a spot in the NHC final along with the top three.
Contestants were required to pay a $125 entrance fee, and had to place $2 Win and Place wagers on seven mandatory races at Thistledown, and five optional races from select simulcast tracks.
LANE’S END TRIPLE SENDS THOMPSON TO NHC
By CHRISTOPHER STANGO - Posted 01/18/08
NTRA.com – October 27
On Stephen Thompson’s NHC Qualifier Biography page, he lists the “trifecta part wheel” as his favorite wager. Who can blame him, after a $3,455 trifecta in the Lane’s End Futurity helped him capture the NTRA’s Beat the Handicapper contest and earn a spot in the 2008 DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Championship.
The “Beat The Handicapper” contest is free to enter, and challenges contestants to earn more with a mythical $50 bankroll than a selected handicapper for one pre-chosen race per weekend. Contestants can spend that $50 any way they want (win bets, exotic bets, etc), and the player with the highest bankroll at the end of the eighth week earns a trip to the NHC.
The third race of the 7-week contest was the Lane’s End futurity on October 6, 2007 at Keeneland. The race was won by Wicked Style, with Slew’s Tiznow running second and Old Man Buck finishing third at 25-1.
When the trifecta came back $3,455.60, and Thompson had it two and half times, he catapulted into the lead and held on for the NHC Berth. His final contest total of $8,956.20 was over $3,000 more than his closest competitor, and the Lebanon, PA resident will compete in his first NHC on January 25-26 at the Red Rock Casino, Resort and Spa.
Kathy Kissman, a Las Vegas resident and professional poker dealer, will also attend the NHC. She compiled a $5,875 mythical bankroll during the Beat the Handicapper contest, most of which came during the Lane’s End Futurity, where she collected $5373.20. This will be Kissman’s second trip to the NHC, as she also qualified in 2001.
PADILLA VEGA WINS GRUELING CONTEST
By CHRISTOPHER STANGO - Posted 01/18/08
PublicHandicapper.com – October 27
It may have taken him six months, but Rafael E. Padilla Vega has qualified for the 2008 DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Championship.
The San Juan, Puerto Rico resident amassed a $174.50 bankroll to win the PublicHandicapper.com Challenge, a contest which requires entrants to make a mythical $2 wager on at least 60 races.
Each weekend, PublicHandicapper.com selects a number of races for contestants to play. They can pass on races they don’t like, but they must play at least 60 races in the six months leading up to the Breeders’ Cup. Their mythical bankroll rises and falls with their selections, and Padilla Vega wound up with a contest-high $174.50 to earn a spot at the NHC.
Padilla Vega, who has been playing horses since he was nine years old, says his strongest handicapping angles are class and pedigree. He will be joined in Las Vegas by Jordan Jones Hart of Vinita, OK, and Harry Seaman of Goodland, FL. Hart finished with a mythical bankroll of $171.10, and Seaman’s total of $170.10 was good for third place and a trip to the NHC.
Philly Park sends three to Las Vegas
By JOE DeVIVO - Posted 01/11/08
Dana Nelson of Langhorne, Pa., turned a $200 live bankroll into $1,852 to claim first prize of $5,000 and a trip to Las Vegas for the 2008 Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Championship in a qualifying tournament Oct. 7 at Philadelphia Park.
The two other qualifiers to join Nelson at the Red Rock Casino, Resort, and Spa on Jan. 25-26 are Roger Siple of York, Pa., and John Sacca of Del Ran, N.J.
Siple, who finished with a bankroll of $1,700, also collected second prize money of $4,000. He finished 34th in the 2005 National Handicapping Championship, representing Delaware Park.
Sacca's third-place bankroll of $1,621 was worth $3,000 in prize money.
Donald Linker of Cherry Hill, N.J. collected $1,500 for fourth place and Jerry McClenin of Staten Island, N.Y., took home $1,000 for finishing fifth.
Contestants paid a $100 entry fee and purchased a $200 betting voucher. They were required to make at least 20 win/place bets on live races from Philadelphia Park, Delaware Park, Keeneland, Calder, and Belmont Park.
Templin qualifies in Ultimate Handicappers Invitational
By DAN ILLMAN - Posted 01/10/08
"Best Horses. Best Players. Best Tournament." That's the slogan of The Ultimate Handicappers Invitational, and Roberta Templin of Daytona Beach, Florida emerged with first prize of $18,000, an additional $3,436.10 in live money bankroll winnings, and more importantly, a berth in the 2008 Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Championship.
The Ultimate Handicappers Invitational is an annual NHC qualifier held on Breeders' Cup Saturday. It was created by Ross Gallo, a successful tournament player and handicapper, and was held at Dover Downs in 2003 and 2004 before finding its current home at Canterbury Park the following season. Each contestant had to wager on at least six of the eight Breeders' Cup races with the Classic being a mandatory race. In each race, players needed to invest at least half of their current bankroll. A $1,000 entry fee was required as well as a $1,000 betting bankroll.
Templin nailed an $8 trifecta on the Breeders' Cup Classic to launch her bankroll from $534 to $5,162.40 before taxes. She defeated a salty field of 29 of the best handicappers in the world including runner-up, and 2005 National Handicapping Championship winner, Jamie Michelson. Michelson made a huge comeback to earn his $6,000 in prize money, and the coveted NHC berth. At one point in the tournament, Michelson was down to a bankroll of $126, but he rallied to finish with $2,278 in live money winnings.
Consistent Guillory wins at Fair Grounds
By DAN ILLMAN - Posted 01/10/08
After cashing tickets on eight of 20 mandatory races, Sammy Guillory of Breaux Ridge, La., took a tight three-player photo finish in the annual Fair Grounds handicapping tournament on December 1-2. Guillory earned $9,000 for his victory as well as an entry into the 2008 Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Championship in Las Vegas. With his win, Guillory is now eligible for the Twin Spires Club’s Million Dollar Bonus.
Guillory was in the hunt throughout the two-day contest. He stalked the pace while in fifth position after the first day before grinding out his $2.90 margin of victory over first-day leader Joe Scheuermann of New Orleans, and late-runner Joel Rosenblum of Dallas. Rosenblum moved from 45th place after day one, but his furious rally fell a nose short.
Guillory finished with $112.70 in winnings while Rosenblum and Scheuermann winded up in a dead-heat for second with $109.80. All three will represent Fair Grounds at the NHC on January 25-26 at the Red Rock Casino, Resort and Spa.
The qualifier required handicappers to make 10 $2 win-and-place wagers on each contest day on races from Fair Grounds, Calder, and Aqueduct.
DiPietro rolls in MJC tourney
By DAN ILLMAN - Posted 01/10/08
Richard DiPietro ran away with the Maryland Jockey Club Champions Tournament on November 10, and earned himself a berth in the 2008 Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Championship at the Red Rock Casino, Resort and Spa in Las Vegas on January 25-26. DiPietro earned $7,750 in prize money, and that more than doubled the $3,100 bankroll of second-place finisher Edward Ackerman Jr. Robert Minutillo finished third with $1,550. DiPietro, Ackerman Jr., and Minutello become the second Maryland Jockey Club handicapping team at the NHC. They join Michael T. Emerson, Robert Gookin, and Roger Cettina, who earned their berths in the March 2007 Champions tournament.
The Maryland Jockey Club Champions Tournament required contestants to pay a $100 entry fee while using a $200 live bankroll. Entrants had to place a minimum of ten wagers with a $20 minimum bet on races from Laurel, Aqueduct, Calder, Churchill, and Hollywood.
Kanter-ing to Las Vegas
By DAN ILLMAN - Posted 01/10/08
With his narrow victory in the Beulah Park qualifier on December 8, Fred Kanter earned $25,000, and a berth in the 2008 Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Championship at the Red Rock Casino, Resort and Spa in Las Vegas on January 25-26.
Entrants put up a $175 entry fee with a maximum of two entries per person. Kanter’s other entry finished fifth, and that was worth another $2,000.
Contestants placed mythical $2 Win/Place wagers on a single horse per race. A total of 15 races made up the contest with eight mandatory events from Beulah Park. The other seven races were players’ choice races from simulcast signals.
Kanter’s mythical winning total was $188.00. Stewart Engel finished second with $165.40. He earned $10,000. Michael Libretto’s final total of $156.40 was good for third place and $5,000. Matthew Rentze finished fourth with $156.00. He earned $3,500. Kanter’s second entry totaled $148.40. Paul Arnold and Gary Johnson finished in sixth and seventh place with $146.20, and $141.80 respectively. Both earned $1,000 in prize money. The top seven finishers all qualified for the NHC final.
BRISNET.COM SENDS THREE TO NHC
By CHRISTOPHER STANGO - Posted 01/10/08
Brisnet.com – October 20
Peter Eagan, John Scully and Wally Gailor are all headed to the 2008 DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Championship in Las Vegas after qualifying through the October 20th Brisnet.com Challenge.
The Brisnet.com Challenge was free to play for all Brisnet.com members. The October 20th contest was made up of the top 100 finishers from each of three earlier Brisnet.com events that took place on August 25, September 22 and October 13. Those 300 qualifiers were then invited to the October 20 contest, where Eagan, Scully and Gailor finished 1-2-3 to earn a spot at the NHC.
Contestants were asked to make mythical $2 win/place wagers on 10 races from Bay Meadows, Louisiana Downs, Hawthorne, Calder, Keeneland, Suffolk and Oak Tree at Santa Anita. When Eagan’s $2 win/place wager on Jibboom in Keeneland’s 9th race returned $45.40, he catapulted into the lead.
Besides connecting on 16-1 shot Jibboom, Egan put together a very impressive scorecard. His runners hit the board in 9 of the 10 pre-selected races, and he picked the winner in all three events taking place at Keeneland. He finished with a mythical bankroll of $87.40 and earned a $1,000 cash-prize bonus in addition to his NHC berth.
Scully picked five winners and came up just $6 shy of the top spot, finishing with a bankroll of $81.40. He and Gailor (whose bankroll was $80.40) each earned $500 cash-prize bonuses to go with their trip to Las Vegas.
LATE-CLOSING MUZIO HEADED TO VEGAS
By CHRISTOPHER STANGO - Posted 01/10/08
Belmont Park – June 23-24
Despite an 87th-place finish after Day 1, Andrew Muzio battled back to win the Belmont Park Handicapping Challenge on June 23-24, 2007. The Deer Park, NY resident took home $46,000 in prize money and won a trip to the 2008 DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Championship in Las Vegas.
On each day of this two-day contest, players had to make 10 mythical win, place, or show bets (nine mythical $20 bets, and one mythical $40 bet). Contestants had to play at least five Belmont races, but could pick their remaining races from Monmouth Park or Churchill Downs.
Muzio had just $200 after day one, and found himself 86 spots below James Hom in the standings. Hom’s $881 mythical bankroll after the first day was good for first place and a $1,000 cash-prize bonus.
The contest, which saw 214 players pay $400 each to enter, was taken over by Muzio on day two. He compiled $930 on the second day for a total of $1,130 and secured himself a spot at the NHC. He won $45,000 for finishing first overall, and was awarded an extra $1,000 for his day-two score.
Hom finished the tournament in second overall with a $1,052 bankroll, and he will join Muzio in Las Vegas for the NHC. He also collected $11,000 in prize money, while third-place finisher Jason Albano made $5,000 and also earned a spot at the NHC.
DARRON’S CONSISTENCY EARNS HIM AN NHC SPOT
By CHRISTOPHER STANGO - Posted 01/10/08
Aqueduct – November 3-4
Sitting in 15th place after Day 1 of Aqueduct’s November 3-4 Handicapping Challenge was Elkton, NY’s Sam Darron, who had compiled $426. He stormed to the lead on the final day of the contest by boosting his bankroll to $1,121, good for first place and a trip to the 2008 DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Championship in Las Vegas.
In addition to his entry in the NHC, Darron collected over $35,000 for winning the contest, which saw 205 players put up $400 each.
On each day of this two-day event, players had to make 10 mythical win, place, or show bets (nine mythical $20 bets, and one mythical $40 bet). Contestants had to play at least five Aqueduct races, but could pick their remaining races from Calder or Churchill.
Darron had the 15th highest bankroll after Day 1, when Christian Padgett led the way with $830. Padgett was awarded a $1,000 cash bonus prize for leading after Day 1, and he would eventually finish sixth overall in the contest.
On Day 2, Darron compiled $695 to bring his two-day bankroll to a tournament-high $1,121. Paul Shurman, who led all Day 2 players with $932, finished second overall in the contest. He also qualified for the NHC, and was awarded over $11,000 in prize money.
Finishing third, and rounding out Aqueduct’s trio of NHC qualifiers, was David Neuberger, who won $7,500 with a two-day contest bankroll of $1,052.
BROOKS TAKES TOP PRIZE IN NHC QUALIFIER
By CHRISTOPHER STANGO - Posted 01/10/08
Monmouth Park – October 25
Samuel Brooks and Michael Garifine ran away from the competition during Monmouth Park’s Breeders’ Cup Handicapping Contest on October 25th, and both are now preparing for the 2008 DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Championship in Las Vegas.
Brooks turned his $200 bankroll into $5,244 in a contest that required players to place a minimum $20 win/place wager on at least 10 races at Monmouth, Keeneland and Aqueduct. His bankroll earned him the tournament’s top spot, good for $19,500 in prize money in addition to his trip to the NHC.
Garifine wasn’t far behind, as his $5,049 bankroll was easily good for second place and a $7,800 cash-prize bonus. Third place finisher Ed Herr ($3,271 bankroll) took home $4,680 in prize money and earned the final NHC berth available in the contest.
The contest saw 195 entrants put up $400 each, and capped a series of handicapping contests hosted by Monmouth that sent nine qualifiers to Las Vegas.
CUTULI USES TWO LATE BOMBS TO PUNCH NHC TICKET
By CHRISTOPHER STANGO - Posted 01/10/08
Suffolk Downs – October 20
Michael Cutuli turned $8 into $90 over the last two races of the October 20 Suffolk Downs Handicapping Contest, boosting his mythical bankroll to $132.60 and securing himself a spot in the 2008 DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Championship in Las Vegas.
When Jibboom won the ninth race at Keeneland, then Dr. V’s Magic won the ninth at Belmont, Cutuli found himself alone atop the leader board. He was just $2.60 ahead of the second-place finisher, but that margin was all he needed to earn a trip to the NHC and $5,580 in prize money.
The contest required all 186 entrants to put up $60 for a mythical bankroll. That $60 had to be used towards $2 win/place wagers on 15 pre-selected races – four from Suffolk Downs, four from Belmont Park, three from Keeneland, two from Calder and two from Oak Tree at Santa Anita.
All horses had to be selected before the contest’s first race, so Cutuli did not simply play longshots hoping for a big score late in the contest. He selected 16-1 Jibboom anf 15-1 Dr. V’s Magic long before he knew he’d be trailing with two races remaining.
Cutuli’s $2 win/place wager on Jibboom returned $45.40, and his $2 win/place wager on Dr. V’s Magic returned $45.00. He also picked three winners and two second-place finishers in the contest’s other races.
Cutuli will join Coleen Curley and Ken Kingsbury in representing Suffolk Downs at the NHC. Curley and Kingsbury were the 1-2 finishers, respectively, in a Suffolk Downs qualifying tournament held on August 4.
WECKER GRABS $26,000 & TRIP TO NHC
By CHRISTOPHER STANGO - Posted 12/26/07
Delaware Park – June 16, 2007
Steven Wecker edged out 426 other entrants in Delaware Park’s June 16 Handicapping Tournament, taking home over $26,000 in prize money and securing a spot in the 2008 DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Championship.
Players were required to pay a $100 entry fee plus another $200 for their live bankroll, with the top two finishers winning a trip to the NHC. Wecker turned his bankroll into a tournament-best $5,390, which was more than $2,000 higher than the bankroll of second-place finisher Ron Deutsch. In addition to his trip to Las Vegas, Deutsch was also awarded $7,000 in a cash-prize bonus.
Participants were required to make a $20 minimum wager on at least 10 races from Delaware, Belmont, Churchill, Monmouth, Colonial or Philadelphia Park. There were no maximums on races or wagers, and the top 50 finishers received at least $100 in prize money.
SHURMAN CAPTURES HIGH-STAKES CONTEST
By CHRISTOPHER STANGO - Posted 12/26/07
Del Mar – July 28-29, 2007
The Del Mar Handicapping Challenge requires players to put up a lofty $6,000 each, but William Shurman turned that into over $41,000 and a trip to the 2008 DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Championship.
Shurman and four other players punched their tickets for the NHC by finishing in the top-5 of this July 28-29 event at Del Mar. Shurman turned his initial $6,000 live bankroll into $21,484.64, good enough for first place and a $20,000 cash prize bonus. The bankrolls of Ed Hipps ($20,047), Ross Gallo ($15,101), Jim Atwell ($15,005) and Mike Mayo ($14,078) put them in the top five and secured them spots at the NHC.
The format required all contestants to play every race on Del Mar’s July 28th and 29th cards. Each contestant had to bet at least $300 every race, but there were no maximums – players could bet as much as they wanted. Multi-race bets were not allowed, but all other types of wagers were, and there were no caps on payoffs.
The contest was limited to 50 players, with cash prizes going to just the top two. Hipps, the runner-up, was awarded a $5,000 cash prize bonus.
FROM DEL MAR TO VEGAS
By CHRISTOPHER STANGO - Posted 12/26/07
Del Mar – July 18 – September 5, 2007
Pennsylvania resident Joe Rotell won a handicapping contest in California and will now go to Las Vegas for the 2008 DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Championship.
Rotell won Del Mar’s Internet Handicapping Contest this summer by compiling the highest virtual bankroll in a contest that allowed players to make mock win, place or show bets on one Del Mar race per day. The online contest was open to anyone, however only residents of the US, Canada and Mexico were eligible for prizes.
Contestants could “wager” up to $100 per race and could split up that $100 between separate horses, wagers, or denominations. Prizes were also awarded to the top-10 handicappers every week, and to the top-100 at the end of the meet. However Rotell is the only contestant to qualify for the NHC, where he will join five other Del Mar handicappers who qualified during a July 28-29 contest.
SOWA QUALIFIES FROM THE MEADOWLANDS
By CHRISTOPHER STANGO - Posted 12/20/07
The Meadowlands – September 29, 2007
John Sowa turned a $200 bankroll into $2,302 during the Meadowlands Qualifying Tournament on September 29, good enough for first place, over $14,000 in prize money, and a trip to the 2008 DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Championship.
The contest saw 181 players pony up $400 each, with $200 going towards prize money and the other $200 serving as their starting bankroll. Sowa used a combination of win and place bets to turn his $200 into a tournament-high $2,302. The contest required him to play 10 total races – at least four from the Meadowlands, and the remaining races from Santa Anita or Mountaineer Park.
This was the first victory for Sowa, who frequently plays in tournaments at the Meadowlands and Monmouth Park. Sowa is a retired electrical engineer who now focuses on his two passions: handicapping and fishing. A lifelong resident of Jersey City, Sowa has been a handicapper for over 50 years. He first began going to the races at Roosevelt and Yonkers in New York.
Tournament runner-up Jack Kurz of Whippany, N.J., also qualified for the Vegas event with his bankroll of $1,930. He took home $7,240 in prize money, and will join Sowa at Red Rock Casino in Las Vegas on January 25, with an estimated $1 Million up for grabs.
NHC Qualifying Tournament Recaps
By CHRISTOPHER STANGO - Posted 11/29/07
Horsemen’s Park
Dorothy Jensen picked 14 winners out of 24 races at a Horsemen’s Park qualifying event, securing herself a spot in the 2008 DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Championship. This year’s NHC will be held at Red Rock Casino in Las Vegas, NV January 25-26, with an estimated $1 Million up for grabs.
Jensen won the August 25 Horsemen’s Park tournament with 74 points, a contest which awards five points for a first place selection and two points for a runner-up. She picked 14 winners and two second-place horses.
Nearly 500 entrants took part in this free contest held in Omaha, Nebraska. Players tried to select the most winners from a day of Del Mar and Saratoga racing, and Jensen’s 14 winners was good for the victory and a berth in the NHC.
Two contestants finished one winner behind Jensen, tying for second place with 69 points each. The fourth and fifth place contestants finished with 68 and 67 points, respectively.
NHC Qualifying Tournament Recaps
By CHRISTOPHER STANGO - Posted 11/29/07
Autotote Handicapping Challenge
Michael Doheny put together a $2,952 live-money bankroll on November 17, good enough for first place in the Autotote Handicapping Challenge and a berth in the 2008 DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Championship.
The contest required players to make a minimum of five wagers on five different tracks (win, place and show only). Contestants had to wager at least $20 per race, but Doheny started things off by connecting on a $100 win bet in the second race at Philadelphia Park. Jackson’s Numbers paid $3, boosting Doheny’s bankroll to $150.
The Bronxville, NY resident’s next big score came on a $100 across-the-board wager on Arpleasure, a 5-1 choice in the fifth at Philadelphia.
Doheny sealed the win by putting his entire bankroll on the line in the seventh race at Hawthorne. His $820 win bet on La Wildcat ($7.20) returned $2,952, good for a trip to the NHC and $4,350 in prize money.
The top four finishers took home cash prizes, with Richard Viscardi earning $1,887.50 for his second-place finish. Angelo Lieto, Jr. earned $755 and Paul Seipold collected $377.50.
NHC Qualifying Tournament Recaps
By CHRISTOPHER STANGO - Posted 11/29/07
Horsemen’s Park
In another closely contested qualifying tournament at Horsemen’s Park, Leigh Van Winkle edged out his competition to secure a spot in the 2008 DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Championship.
This most recent Horsemen’s Park tournament challenged contestants to play all 20 races from Santa Anita and Keeneland on October 20, awarding five points for each winner and two points for each runner-up.
Van Winkle picked seven winners and six second place finishers for a point total of 47. Two players tied with 46 points, and the contest’s entire top-10 finished within five points of each other.
Van Winkle is the third Horsemen’s Park player to qualify for the NHC, with Chris Walla punching his ticket on May 12 and Dorothy Jensen taking down a contest on August 25.
This year’s NHC will be held at Red Rock Casino in Las Vegas, NV January 25-26, with an estimated $1 Million up for grabs.
NHC Qualifying Tournament Recaps
By CHRISTOPHER STANGO - Posted 11/27/07
The Midwest Classic at Royal River Racing
Mary Ann Hartman compiled $126.40 to win “The Midwest Classic” at Royal River Racing and earn a trip to the 2008 DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Championship. The annual contest attracted 75 entries at $300 each, and Hartman’s first place bankroll got her $8,880 in prize money as well as the NHC berth.
“The Midwest Classic” challenged entrants to make $2 Win and Place wagers on 12 races at Belmont, Calder, Churchill, Arlington, and Hollywood Park. There were no mandatory races, and Hartman split her card up to play races from all five tracks.
The second and third place finishers in “The Midwest Classic” also earned trips to the NHC, with Harold Lee finishing second with $110.20 and Tim Stupka a close third with $95.10. Lee collected $4,440 in prize money and Stupka took home $2,775.
All three will make their way to Las Vegas on Jan 25 for the ninth annual DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Championship.
NHC Qualifying Tournament Recaps
By CHRISTOPHER STANGO - Posted 11/27/07
The Spring Champions Contest at Horsemen’s Park
Chris Walla needed to pick 10 winners in 21 races and survive a tiebreaker, but he’s going to the 2008 DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Championship.
Walla beat out 99 other entrants in the Horsemen’s Park Spring Champions Contest, which awards five points for picking a winner and two points for picking a runner-up. Walla compiled 60 points (on 10 winners and five second-place horses) throughout a selection of 21 races at Hollywood and Churchill on May 12.
When he and another contestant finished with 60 points at the conclusion of the 21st race, a “win-money” tiebreaker gave him the victory and the NHC berth.
The Spring Champions Contest was made up of 100 entrants who had all finished in the top-10 during previous Horsemen’s Park contests.
NHC Qualifying Tournament Recaps
By CHRISTOPHER STANGO - Posted 11/6/07
Beat The Handicapper – NTRA.com
An early triple put Matthew Glassman ahead of the pack during the NTRA’s “Beat The Handicapper” Contest this Spring, and the Kinston, NC resident never looked back on his way to a berth in the 2008 DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Championship.
The “Beat The Handicapper” contest is free to enter, and challenges contestants to earn more with a mythical $50 bankroll than a selected handicapper for one pre-chosen race per weekend. Contestants can spend that $50 any way they want (win bets, exotic bets, etc), and the player with the highest bankroll at the end of the eighth week earns a trip to the NHC.
The opening race of the 8-week contest was the Coolmore Lexington Stakes on April 21, 2007 at Keeneland. The race was won by Slew’s Tizzy, the longest shot on the board, with 36-1 Starbase running second and 5-1 Forty Grams finishing third.
Glassman connected on the trifecta, which returned $14,726.20, and coasted through the next seven weeks for a first-place finish. He bet Curlin in the Preakness and The Tin Man in the Shoemaker Mile to pad his lead.
This will be Glassman’s first trip to the NHC.
NHC Qualifying Tournament Recaps
By CHRISTOPHER STANGO - Posted 11/1/07
Hollywood Park
The Hollywood Park Firecracker Handicapping Challenge ended with a $38,000 bang, as Dennis Tiernan grabbed first place on the final race of the two-day event, winning a trip to the 2008 DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Championship and $150,000 in prize money.
The unique, real-money format of this contest had 46 entrants put up $7,500 each. They were required to bet at least $400 per race during Hollywood’s Friday and Saturday cards on July 6 and 7. Whoever had the most money after the final race won the $100,000 grand prize, got to keep his bankroll, and won a trip to the NHC.
Sitting in sixth place with one race left, Tiernan hit a $1,000 straight trifecta which paid $38,400, boosting him to first with a winning bankroll of $57,350.
Tiernan’s dramatic trifecta score knocked Bob Boone from the leaderboard, a spot he had held since the previous day’s races. Boone finished second with a bankroll of $52,715, good enough for a trip to the NHC. The top six finishers all qualified for the NHC, so Shawn Turner, Mark Leib, Don Beardsworth, and Bryan Wagner will all be joining Tiernan and Boone in Las Vegas this January.
NHC Qualifying Tournament Recaps
By CHRISTOPHER STANGO - Posted 11/1/07
Monmouth Park
It took him 70 days and 210 races to qualify, but Bill Riehl is going to the 2008 DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Championship.
Riehl won Monmouth Park’s “Survival of the Shore” contest when Bone Dry crossed the wire first in the final race of the Monmouth Park Meet. It was the first-ever Monmouth Park handicapping contest victory for the Tinton Falls, NJ resident.
The online contest began on May 12, 2007, with 3,444 contestants. Each participant had to choose one horse in each of three pre-selected races. An imaginary $2 across-the-board bet was placed and contestants remained in the game as long as one of their three horses hit the board.
On the final day of the meet, Riehl and two other contestants were the only ones with live streaks. All three contestants picked the favorite in the first two pre-selected races, but only Riehl bet Bone Dry in the finale. The Alan Goldberg-trained colt won by a length and a quarter, boosting Riehl’s mythical bankroll to $1,330.50 and clinching a trip to the NHC. In addition to his trip to the NHC, Reihl also won an iPod Nano and Breeders’ Cup tickets.
NHC Qualifying Tournament Recaps
By CHRISTOPHER STANGO - Posted 11/1/07
Monmouth Park
Jaime Kirnos turned a $57 horse into a trip to the 2008 DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Championship, winning a Monmouth Park Qualifying Contest on August 25th.
With $158 remaining on the $200 betting card Kirnos began the contest with, the Herndon, Virginia resident put it all on Starforaday, who was running in the second to last race at Saratoga. Starforaday won by three lengths, paid $57.50 for $2, and secured Kirnos a spot in the NHC.
Kirnos’ betting card was worth $4,542.50 by the end of the contest, good enough for first place amongst the 245 participants, who all paid $300 to enter. In addition to qualifying for the NHC, Kirnos took home $12,250 in prize money.
Finishing second in the contest and also earning a berth in the 2008 DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Championship was Ricky Zimmer. His betting card was up to $1,897.20 by the end of the contest, good for second place honors, a trip to the NHC, and $4,900 in prize money.
NHC Qualifying Tournament
By JOE DeVIVO - Posted 10/23/07
Ian Lawrence of New York City hit three major wagers on races simulcast from Keeneland to top a field of 368 players in the Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Championship qualifier on Oct. 13 at Delaware Park.
Lawrence bet $370 to win on Hidden Leader ($17.60) in Keeneland's sixth race, then connected with $200 win wagers on Valentine Fever ($13.20) in the eighth and Bit of Whimsy in the ninth.
After starting with a $200 live bankroll, Lawrence finished with $6,956. He also collected first prize money of $18,000.
Peter Freundlich of Hopewell, N.J., finished fast with a $286 win wager on Evil Storm ($25.20 ) in the 11th race from Laurel Park and a $200 wager on Swear to It ($11.80 ) in Laurel's 12th race. His final total of $5,074 was good for second place and a check for $6,000.
Both Lawrence and Freundlich will move on to the National Handicapping Championship in January at Las Vegas.
Jeff Harryman of Baltimore finished third with a bankroll of $4,476 but because he had already qualified in a monthly contest at Delaware Park for the Coast
Casino Horseplayer World Series at the Orleans Hotel in Las Vegas, the fourth- and fifth-place players - Anthony Montedoro ($4,354) of Neptune, N.J., and Bryan Levinsky ($4,129) of Reading, Pa. - were awarded spots in the tournament at the Orleans.
Defending champ to return to NHC
By KEN MILLER - Posted 9/26/07
A familiar name is headed back to the 2008 Daily Racing Form/NTRA Handicapping Championship after capturing a qualifying event earlier this year at Prairie Meadows. Steve Walker of Lincoln, Neb., who won the first DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Championship in 2000, finished with the largest bankroll in the field of 66 handicappers.
Each contestant paid an entry fee of $200 along with a starting bankroll of $400. After hitting a race early in the contest, Walker made only two other plays, hitting them both, and elected to sit on his lead and let the others slug it out.
With his bankroll at $1,769.60, the strategy paid off and Walker is headed back to Las Vegas to try to earn the title again.
Craig Kaufman, a longtime horseplayer from Los Angles, finished second with a bankroll of $1,676.30. He and the third-place finisher, Charley Witt of Scottsdale, Ariz., also qualified for the finals.
Witt qualified for the tournament in 2003. Witt, who sat in second throughout most of the day, was relegated to third after Kaufman hit a big exacta on the last race of the tournament.
NHC Qualifying Tournament Recaps
By JOE DeVIVO - Posted 9/24/07
Delaware Park
An $800 win bet on the 3-year-old filly Good Mood, who paid $11 for her 1 3/4-length victory in the Grade 3 Regret Stakes at Churchill Downs, propelled Steven Wrecker of New York City to first place in a qualifying tournament on June 16 at Delaware Park for the 2008 Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Championship.
Wrecker's wager on Churchill's final race of the day returned $4,400 and enabled him to finish with a live bankroll of $5,390, leading a field of 427 entries. In addition to earning a trip to Las Vegas for the NHC, Wrecker collected the tournament's first prize of $21,000.
Ron Deutsch of Nazareth, Pa. turned his $200 live bankroll to $3,240 to earn second prize money of $7,000. Deutsch, a long-time tournament player, will also represent Delaware Park at the 2008 DRF/NTRA National Championship.
Shilo Merwitz of Randallstown, Md., placed third and Tom Ferrara of Ashburn, Va. finished fourth. They both gain entry in the Coast Casino's Horseplayers World Series in January.
The contest required players to pay $100 to enter plus put up $200 for a live bankroll.
NHC Qualifying Handicapping Tournament Recaps
By MIKE WATCHMAKER - Posted 8/22/07
Cantebury Park
Tom Holborn of Vancouver, British Columbia, led virtually all the way to win the Dog Days of Summer Handicapping Tournament at Canterbury Park on August 11 and 12 and earn a berth in the 2008 DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Championship in Las Vegas.
There was an “anything goes” format in this tournament, which required contestants to make any type of wager on live and simulcast races using a $400 live bankroll. Holborn took full advantage of the format, hitting a $1 Pick 3 on Saturday at Arlington Park that paid $4,088. Holborn made small bets throughout the day on Sunday to meet the mandatory $200 wager requirement and finished comfortably in front with a final total of $4,300 to also earn first prize of $3,000.
Tim Damon, of Wyoming, Mn., edged Ricky Zimmer of Nesconset, N.Y., with a final bankroll of $2,426 to $2,410, to finish second and earn the other available berth to the NHC. Damon and Zimmer battled it out for second, with Damon’s successful $200 show bet on the seventh race at Del Mar being the deciding factor.
On July 3 at Canterbury, Dave Walczak of Minneapolis, Mn., won the Stars and Stripes Handicapping Tournament to earn first prize of $10,000, plus a berth in the 2008 DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Championship in Las Vegas.
Walczak put on a furious late charge to record a runaway win in this contest, which required contestants to put up a $500 entry fee and a $500 live bankroll, at least half of which had to be wagered on six of eight races run at Canterbury. Walczak was down to a bankroll of $253 after the eighth race, which he managed to boost to $621 after the ninth race. But in the 10th and final contest race, Walczak hit the 10 cent superfecta several times, increasing his bankroll to $4,722. Walczak’s total was almost $3,700 higher than the final bankroll of runner up Michelle Davis, who was on or near the lead for most of the tournament.
On May 5, Karyn Faulds of Shakopee, Mn., won Canterbury’s Road to Kentucky Handicapping Tournament sponsored by Jim Beam to earn a berth in the 2008 DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Championship in Las Vegas, as well as first prize of $1,500.
The Road to Kentucky tournament spanned 13 weeks and required contestant to pick horses at selected racetracks each week. Contestants earned points based on mythical $20 across the board wagers. Kentucky Derby prep races awarded double points, and the Derby itself awarded triple points.
Faulds led the overall standings for the first 10 weeks of this tournament before she was overtaken. But she re-rallied to win by correctly picking Street Sense to win the Kentucky Derby.
Monmouth Park
Edmund Teicht decisively won the $100 Handicapping Contest at Monmouth Park on July 28 to earn first prize of $6,040, as well as a berth in the 2008 DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Championship in Las Vegas.
Contestants began with a $60 bankroll and wagered on races at Monmouth and Saratoga. Teicht amassed a final bankroll of $977, which was more than $320 better than the runner up’s final total.
NHC Qualifying Tournament Recaps
By MIKE WATCHMAKER - Posted 8/17/07
Hoosier Park
Charles Herkless of Rochester, In., Michael Igleski of Chicago, and Joseph Baldassari of Fort Wayne, In., earned berths to the 2008 DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Championship in Las Vegas by finishing first, second, and third, respectively, at the qualifying handicapping tournament at Hoosier Park on July 7.
Herkless’s total of $156.60 in a contest with a format that called for $2 win and place wagers on 20 mandatory races just edged Igleski’s total of $155. That enabled Herkless to collect top prize of $10,000. Baldassari finished with a total of $152.20. Herkless and Baldassari are both regular players at the OTB facility in Fort Wayne.
“This is the first time we have had two of the top three players from Indiana,” Cliff Fraser, Hoosier Park Rewards Club Coordinator, noted. “It is nice to see some of our local players advance to Las Vegas.”
Calder Race Course
Jeff Cookson, a native of Denver who has been an air traffic controller at Miami International Airport for the last 18 years, won Calder Race Course’s Handicapping Summit on July 8 to earn first prize of $12,725, plus one of three berths to the 2008 DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Championship in Las Vegas.
The Handicapping Summit is a pay-to-play contest with an interesting twist. Entry fee was $300, with participants required to make mythical $2 win, place, and show wagers on 10 designated Calder races. The twist is, a contestant’s total final mutuel return is then multiplied by the total number of winners the contestant selected, arriving at a final determining point total.
Cookson picked six winners, and had a totals mutuel return of $106.30, making for a final point total of 637.80.
Fred Carach, who finished second with 457.60 points, and Bob Rubin, who finished third with 393.50 points, also earned berths to the NHC.
The Handicapping Summit drew a total of 117 individual players, but since players were allowed up to four entries each, there were a total of 157 entries. Interestingly, Cookson and Carach each had only one entry, while Rubin had two entries in the contest.
When Cookson competes in the NHC, he will also be going for a $1 million bonus offered by Churchill Downs as part of the Twin Spires Club Million Dollar Bonus Tour.
Autotote Bradley Teletheater
Joe Grillo, who after 30 years recently retired as a caddy on the PGA Gold Tour, and who now occasionally caddies on the Champions Tour, had a big second day to easily win the Autotote Bradley Teletheater Handicapping Challenge on July 14 and 15.
Grillo, of West Hartford, Ct., finished with a total of $820.20 to earn first prize of $13,100. Both he and runner up Robert Pelton of Mystic, Ct., who finished with a total of $529.45, earned berths to the 2008 DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Championship in Las Vegas.
Grillo began the second day of the contest with only his $20 second day bankroll. He got started with a $4 win bet on Be Glorified in the third race at Philadelphia Park, who paid $50.60 to win. Grillo followed that with a $20 win wager on I’ve Got Time, who returned $27 after winning the fourth race at Suffolk Downs. But Grillo took control of the tournament with a $20 win and $40 place bet on Lila Paige, a 55-1 shot in the Delaware Handicap. Lila Paige finished second to Unbridled Belle, paying $34.80 to place.
In discussing why he found Lila Paige attractive, Grillo noted that in the past, “she was beaten only 1 1-2 lengths by the winner of this race. I thought at 55-1, she was a serious overlay.”
Colonial Downs
Robert Wheeler, of Woodbine, Md., bested Michael Davis, of Virginia Beach, Va., and Paul Kirnos, of Philadelphia, to win the $6,000 top prize in the Colonial Downs Handicapping Classic on August 4. But as the first three finishers, Wheeler, Davis, and Kirnos each earned a berth in the 2008 DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Championship in Las Vegas.
The Colonial Downs Handicapping Classic required a $150 entry fee, and for contestants to make six mandatory and six optional mythical win and place bets on races at Colonial, Saratoga, and Ellis Park.
Wheeler took the lead with winners in the last two races at Colonial, and finished with a bankroll of $122.80 on the strength of five winners whose payoffs ranged from $11.60 to $25.60.
Davis made a late charge, thanks mainly to One Eyed Joker in the ninth race at Ellis, to finish with a total of $116.40. Kirnos, meanwhile, finished with $114.20, with a big hand coming from Boca Grande, who paid $18.80 to place for finishing second in the Test Stakes at Saratoga.
Suffolk Downs
Coleen Curley of Harmony, R.I., comfortably defeated 213 other entrants in the DRF/NTRA Handicapping Challenge at Suffolk Downs on August 4. Curley, and runner up Ken Kingsbury of Flushing, N.Y., earned berths to the 2008 DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Championship in Las Vegas.
In a tournament that required contestants to place mythical $2 win and place wagers on one horse in each of 15 pre-selected races at Suffolk, Calder, Del Mar, Monmouth, and Saratoga, Curley, a network engineer, amassed a total of $168.60.
“I really focused on the races at Saratoga because that’s where I felt the value was based on the races that we had to play,” Curley said. Notably, Curley had three winners and a second from the five mandatory Saratoga races in the contest.
Kingsbury, a retired Lieutenant in the New York Police Department, finished with a total of $132.70.
This will be the first trip to the NHC for Curley, while Kingsbury managed to qualify for the NHC for a third time.
Delaware Park
With both making the most of Universaltour’s $15.80 upset in the last race at Calder, Pat Famularo of South Plainfield, N.J., and Brendan Fay of Wilmington, De., finished first and second, respectively, in Delaware Park’s NHC qualifying handicapping tournament on August 11. As a result, both earned berths to the 2008 DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Championship in Las Vegas.
Famularo finished with a total of $2,509 to earn first prize of $16,000. Fay’s runner up total was $2,370. They topped a field of 325 entries, which competed in a format that put no limit on number of races bet or amount wagered. There was a $100 entry fee, plus $200 for a live bankroll. All entry fees were returned as prize money.
Handicapping tourneys trying to work together
By DAVE TULEY - Posted 8/16/07
LAS VEGAS - The Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Championship and the Horseplayer World Series have coexisted while being held a week apart the past three years.
In 2005, the NHC was held a week before the world series. The world series was held a week before the NHC the past two years, when the NHC was held during the coveted last week of January, the off week between the NFL championship games and the Super Bowl when more hotel rooms are available.
Earlier this year, it was announced the world series was going to be held at the Orleans from Thursday, Jan. 24 through Saturday, Jan. 26. Last month, the NTRA announced the NHC would be held at the Red Rock Resort on Friday, Jan. 25 and Saturday, Jan. 26, setting up a scheduling conflict for those trying to qualify for both, as well as a public relations nightmare.
People are wondering why they would pick the same dates.
Keith Chamblin, senior vice president of communications and industry relations for the NTRA, said the NHC had been planned for that weekend all along. He said the NTRA hadn't released where it was going to be held until it signed the contract with Red Rock.
"When we heard that the Coast had moved to that weekend, we looked into moving our dates, but we couldn't for many reasons," Chamblin said. "Red Rock wanted it this week, for the same reason of hotel rooms being available, but we've also been telling qualifying sites since last January that we were going to do it that weekend, so a lot of them have already bought plane tickets for their qualifiers, and those qualifiers have also made their plans to come to Vegas that week."
Some people have leveled accusations that the NHC intentionally tried to hurt the competition.
"Anyone who thinks we did this on purpose is just plain wrong," said Steven Crist, publisher of Daily Racing Form and the man credited with coming up with the idea of the NHC along with James Quinn. "In our minds, the more tournaments the merrier. It's a bad situation and we regret it happened, but we're trying to fix it and we'll try to meet with everyone earlier next year to make sure it doesn't happen again."
Chamblin said the NTRA will try to make the best of the situation.
"We're going to be meeting with the folks and Red Rock and the Coast Resorts and see if we can work out a shuttle back and forth for players in both contests," Chamblin said. "Or we'll drive them ourselves. We want to take care of our qualifiers who also want to play in the world series."
Chamblin said details are being finalized on a "last chance" qualifying tournament on Jan. 23, the Wednesday before the NHC.
"This could work out great overall for a lot of people," Chamblin said. "Horseplayers can come out for the last-chance qualifier and play at the Red Rock, and if they don't make it, they can stay and buy into the Orleans event. This could end up benefiting both properties."
More horse tournament news
Two weeks ago, John Buckley of Novato, Calif., won the Gold Coast Summer Classic for the second straight year. That was considered an amazing feat, which it was, but it was rivaled pretty quickly when Robert Scannell, 43, of Chula Vista, Calif., pulled off the same feat in the Wynn Las Vegas Horse Racing Handicapping Challenge on Aug. 11-12.
The Wynn attracted 85 entries at $2,000 apiece, so Buckley earned his accomplishment versus much bigger fields (490 last year and 500 this year), but Scannell has the added bragging rights of winning his second career tourney in two tries.
"I've never played any other tournaments because they just seem like a lot of people taking wild stabs at longshots, and there's just so many people to beat," Scannell said. "Of course, a lot of people have been saying I should play more, and even offering to stake me."
Contestants played 15 races a day at Saratoga and Del Mar, with $2 win-and-place wagers in each race and one play a day at $4 apiece. Contest points were capped at $52 to win and $26 to place. On Friday, Scannell, playing next to his father, Dick - "He's every bit the handicapper as me," Scannell said - hit seven winners in his 15 plays and amassed 144.10 points to earn $17,000 for the top daily score.
"I definitely played some shorter prices on Saturday and was just trying to hang on," he said. "I figured if I got to 200, it would be hard to beat me."
He got to 215.60, well ahead of tournament veteran Mike Labriola of Richmond, Calif., who finished second with a score of 177.50. Scannell won the top prize of $59,500, while Labriola won $25,500.
* The Pick the Ponies at the Las Vegas Hilton concludes this Saturday, and the only other major tournaments scheduled this year are the Fall Classic at the Orleans on Oct. 4-6 and another Pick the Ponies at the Hilton on Oct. 24-26. However, Red Rock might add an NHC qualifier later in the year.
Vegas-based football contests
As horse contests move to the side, football contests in Vegas kick off. The chart on the facing page shows the rules for all of the contests in town. The first section lists the contests that must be entered before the start of the season, and the second section shows the ones that visitors can enter at any time. Some highlights:
* The Las Vegas Hilton SuperContest, with a $1,500 entry fee and an anticipated field of 500 and a first prize of about $300,000, is still king of the hill, but it's being challenged this year by a $2,500 buy-in contest at the South Point (with entries also being taken at the El Cortez downtown).
* The Glory of the Gridiron at all Harrah's/Caesars networked books in Vegas, has cut its entry fee from $2,000 last year to $1,000 this year.
* The Leroy's College Challenge has a monopoly on college point-spread contests with its $250 entry fee and a guaranteed prize pool of $100,000.
* Leroy's also boasts the only free contest with its Pick 'Em and Win Pro Football Contest. The $5,000 weekly prize also is available during the preseason.
* Fantasy football continues to grow in popularity, and there are two contests available using head-to-head matchups. One, at the Rampart and Cannery includes a playoff format that will continue into the NFL postseason. The other will be at the Hard Rock, pending final Gaming Control Board approval.
Tournament draws from all over
By MARY RAMPELLINI - Posted 8/15/07
Horseplayers from 17 different states are signed up to participate in Oaklawn Park's qualifying tournament for the Daily Racing Form/National Thoroughbred Racing Association National Handicapping Championship, said Jason Milligan, a spokesman for the Hot Springs, Ark., track. The tournament will be held Saturday and Sunday, with the first three finishers earning a trip to Las Vegas to compete in the 2008 Championship on Jan. 25-26.
Milligan said that as of Monday, there were 140 entrants for the Oaklawn qualifier. Among those set to compete was Les Harris, the Texan who won last year's Oaklawn qualifier. Other states to be represented by players at Oaklawn include Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, New Jersey, New York, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
There is $25,000 in prize money up for grabs during the Oaklawn tournament, with first place worth $10,000.
Simulcast Series Challenge Invitational - Monmouth
By DAN ILLMAN - Posted 6/19/07
John Kelsey nosed out Bill Handleman to take top honors in the Simulcast Series Challenge Invitational at Monmouth Park on Saturday, April 28. Kelsey improved his original $200 betting card to $397.50, and that final total was only fifty cents better than Handleman's score of $397. Kelsey earned $2,500 with the victory, and the top two contestants will represent Monmouth in the 2008 DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Championship in Las Vegas.
To qualify for the Simulcast Series Challenge Invitational, handicappers had to finish in the top six in one of the SSC II events earlier in the year. Kelsey outfinished 23 other finalists to win. He placed fifth in the March 3 Challenge. Handleman finished seventh in the online Challenge, but was entered in the Invitational after the fifth-place finisher from that contest was unable to attend the final.
Handleman qualified for the NHC final for the first time in 2007 after a runner-up placing in the Autotote Sports Haven Handicapping Challenge. He also won the $11,250 first prize in the 2007 Bradley Teletheater Handicapping Challenge. Handleman also won the prestigious $100,000 Penn National World Series of Handicapping in 1995. He held the lead on the final day of last year's NHC final, and ended up earning $8,000 with a sixth-place finish.
Canterbury Park contest
By DAN ILLMAN - Posted 6/19/07
Karyn Faulds of Shakopee, MN qualified for the 2008 DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Championship by virtue of her victory in the Road to Kentucky Tournament at Canterbury Park. The 13-contest tournament was held from February 3 to May 5, and required entrants to pick horses at selected racetracks. Points were awarded based on mythical $20 across-the-board wagers, and Kentucky Derby prep races earned double points. The Kentucky Derby itself awarded triple points.
Sponsored by Jim Beam, the Road to Kentucky Tournament offered weekly prizes, and points also accumulated throughout the contest.
Faulds got out of the gate quickly by winning the first weekly tournament, and she led the overall standings for the first ten weeks. She was in second place leading up to the final contest, but her selection of Street Sense in the Kentucky Derby put her back in front to stay. Faulds ended up winning the tournament by 95 points over previous Road to Kentucky Tournament champion John Jaworski. Darlene Daniels finished third.
Along with her automatic berth in the NHC final in Las Vegas, Faulds received a $1,500 prize.
Southwest Shootout contest
By DAN ILLMAN - Posted 5/10/07
With a final total of $1,699, Barry Howard of Glenwood, Maryland earned championship honors in the Southwest Shootout Handicapping Contest at Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino on April 23. The Southwest Shootout is a qualifier for NHC IX in Las Vegas.
There were a total of 52 contestants for the Southwest Shootout, and Howard built up his original $300 betting voucher after playing the races at Sunland and Santa Anita. Along with his automatic entry into the national championship, Howard took home $1,700 in prize money.
Robert Beachum finished second with $1,445.80. Beachum is from Santa Fe, New Mexico. He competed in NHC V for team AQHA, and finished in 148th place. He'll return to Las Vegas in 2008, and earned $850 in prize money.
Hal Wafer of Tucson, Arizona was the leader after the first day of competition, and earned a $510 bonus. Wafer finished third with a balance of $1,181.80, and will also receive an all-expense paid trip to Las Vegas for the NTRA/Daily Racing Form National Handicapping Contest. Wafer's third-place finish was worth $340.
Tampa Bay Downs 3/31 NHC
By DAN ILLMAN - Posted 5/10/07
A mythical $400 win bet on Rustyshouldrun in the seventh race proved the key to victory for David Burquest in the NTRA/Daily Racing Form qualifier at Tampa Bay Downs on March 31. Rustyshouldrun paid a whopping $44.60 for a $2 wager, and that propelled Burquest to his winning total of $8,920.
The finalists earned their way into the March 31 tournament by competing in contests on February 10, and March 3. The top ten finishers from each contest met defending champion Barbara Saveski in the final. Burquest finished fourth in the March 3 contest to qualify for the final.
Ann Goldstone, a regular at Tampa Bay Downs, and the winner of the 2002 Tampa Bay Downs qualifier, finished second with a final total of $4,460. Goldstone finished fifth in the March 3 qualifier. She placed 188th in NHC IV in 2003.
David Nejman grabbed the final NHC berth with his third-place total of $3,150. Nejman finished eighth in the March 3 qualifier at Tampa Bay Downs. Burquest, Goldstone, and Nejman all bet their entire bankrolls on Rustyshouldrun.
Ellis Park SurVivor contest
By DAN ILLMAN - Posted 5/08/07
Survival was the name of the game at Ellis Park's first NHC qualifier of 2007, and Mack McClyment outlasted a star-studded field that included three former national champions to win the March 10-11 contest.
McClyment collected $14,900 in prize money after his narrow victory in the SurVivor Handicapping Tournament, and will return to Las Vegas for a shot at the National Handicapping Championship. A multi-time NHC qualifier, and a very successful veteran tournament player, McClyment finished 196th in last year's finals.
Thirty-four SurVivor contestants at Ellis Park played the Gulfstream Park card on March 17, and the sixteen highest bankrolls advanced to the second day of the event. Those sixteen wagered on the Gulfstream Park card on March 18.
Ted Mudge earned an NHC berth as well as $5,900 in prize earnings with his runner-up finish. Mudge is the president of the account wagering service Brisbet.com.
Third-place finisher Charles Hogan won $3,100 in prize money as well as a trip to NHC IX.
Battle of the Handicapping Stars NHC
By DAN ILLMAN - Posted 5/08/07
The stars of Thoroughbred racing's tournament scene came out to Santa Anita on March 10-11 to compete for six spots in NHC IX, and Tom Heller drew away from the field to post an impressive victory.
The Battle of the Handicapping Stars tournament is a full buy-in, pay-to-play qualifier with real money wagered exclusively on races from Santa Anita. All tournament players wagered a total of $5,000 over the two-day tournament period, with a minimum of $2,000 wagered on March 10, and at least $3,000 on March 11. The minimum wagers were $250 per race on at least eight races on the first tournament day, and $500 per race on at least six races on the final day.
It was a big day for Heller as he took home his final balance of $30,000 to go along with the $25,000 first-place prize and the championship.
Kevin "Duke" Matties, a professional horseplayer from Las Vegas, finished second with a final balance of $10,454,80. Matties is now a four-time NHC qualifier, and he finished 16th in NHC VII.
Dennis Decauwer's final balance of $9,452.50 was good for third place, and a berth in the NHC. Decauwer, a three-time NHC finalist, finished 73rd in last year's national tournament.
Mark Bertolucci, a professional gambler from Millbrae, California, finished fourth with $8,639. Bertolucci qualified for last year's NHC by winning a qualifier at Fairplex Park. He finished in 164th place in NHC VIII, and will be making his third trip to the finals in 2008.
David Stalrit ($8,145.80 in prize money), and Jay D. Clark ($6,750) finished fifth and sixth respectively, and will also earn berths to NHC IX.
Arlington Park Trackside
By DAN ILLMAN - Posted 4/07/07
By virtue of her victory in the Trackside Arlington Park handicapping contest on April 7, April Scanio earned $10,000 and a berth in the ninth annual DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Championship. In addition, Scanio, a resident of Brooklyn, New York, is now eligible for the Twin Spires Million Dollar Bonus. The bonus will be given to any handicapper who wins one of the handicapping tournaments sponsored by Churchill Downs Incorporated, and then goes on to take top honors in the NHC in Las Vegas in January 2008.
Scanio is an experienced tournament player, and she previously defeated 154 others in winning the Big M Handicapping Challenge at the Meadowlands in 2004. She finished in a tie for 38th place in NHC VI.
Scanio's 12 mythical contest wagers netted $408, and that was good enough to edge runner-up Doug Bredar by $21. Bredar was recently named racing secretary at Harrah's Louisiana Downs, and was previously the director of racing and racing secretary at Churchill Downs and Ellis Park. Bredar earned $5,000 in prize money as well as a berth in the NHC. Brian Scwade shipped in from his hometown of Henderson, Nevada to nail down third prize of $3,000, and the final NHC spot. Scwade's wagers totaled $358.
Maryland Jockey Club/Laurel NHC recap
By DAN ILLMAN - Posted 3/10/07
Michael T. Emerson, a resident of Silver Spring, Maryland, ran away with the Maryland Jockey Club Champions Tournament on March 10, 2007, and earned a berth in the ninth annual DRF/NTRA Handicapping Championship in Las Vegas. Emerson has been participating in tournaments for six years, and finished with $3,840 in contest winnings. That was good enough for the winner's prize of $8,450. Emerson had been knocking on the door in recent tournaments with top-ten finishes in his past two handicapping contests.
Bob Gookin, a criminal defense lawyer from Virginia, finished second with $1,900.80 in contest winnings. Gookin is an expert bridge player, and a relative newcomer to handicapping tournaments, but he earned $3,380 in prize money as well as a slot in the NHC. Gookin is a partner in several thoroughbreds currently racing throughout the Northeast.
Third place, and the final NHC berth, went to Roger Cettina, a construction superintendent from Rumson, New Jersey. Cettina finished the tournament with $1,280 in contest winnings, and earned a check for $1,690.
Autotote NHC Contest
By DAN ILLMAN - Posted 2/24/07
Mike Labriola, a workman's compensation investigator for the U. S. Department of Defense, qualified for the ninth annual DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Championship with a victory in the Sports Haven Handicapping Challenge in New Haven, Connecticut. Labriola, a resident of Richmond, California, is one of the most celebrated tournament players in history with multiple championships to his name. Among his tournament wins was the 2001 Bradley Teletheater Handicapping Contest in Connecticut. Labriola also was a featured speaker in both the 2000 and 2004 Horseplayers Expo, and has qualified to the national championship on numerous occasions. He finished in 140th place in NHC II, 93rd in NHC III, 257th in NHC V, and 200th in NHC VI.
Labriola earned his NHC berth, along with the first-place prize money of $27,500, with the aid of two successful win wagers. He invested $98 on Bride's Best Boy in race nine at Tampa Bay, and watched his runner return $8 to win. In the next-to-last race in the tournament, Labriola's made a $100 win bet on Bright Design in the sixth race at Santa Anita. Bright Design paid $12 to win. Labriola finished the contest with $767.30 in contest winnings. He also finished third with a second entry, giving him an additional $7,860 in prize money.
The Sports Haven contest was a two-day event. The entry fee was $300 with fifty dollars being used to place tournament wagers on five designated tracks. Contestants were required to make at least ten wagers each day. There were 275 entries to the Sports Haven Handicapping Challenge.
Jerry Barash of Staten Island, NY, finished second with $459.90 in contest winnings. He earned $11,780 in prize money as well as a coveted slot in the NHC. Barash finished in 62nd place in NHC V.
Due to the fact that Labriola finished first and third, the final NHC qualifying spot went to fourth-place finisher William Rendino of Bronx, New York. Rendino earned $6,290 in prize money.
Tampa Bay Downs NHC
By DAN ILLMAN - Posted 2/17/07
The latest incarnation of the Ultimate Handicapper's Challenge was held at Tampa Bay Downs on February 17, and H. Mitchell Schuman emerged victorious from a select field of 34 players. The Ultimate Handicapper's Challenge is one of the most pressure-filled qualifiers to the National Handicapping Championship as contestants are required to invest half of their bankroll on each wager. Players paid an entry fee of $2,000, of which half went to the prize pool while the remaining $1,000 was used for contest wagers. Schuman's final live bankroll of $4,855 was good enough for first place, and he divided the prize pool of $34,000 with the other four top money winners.
Schuman adds the Tampa Bay Downs Ultimate Handicapper's Challenge title to his championship victories in the 2003 Bettor Racing OTBMidwest Classic in South Dakota, and the 2005 Ultimate Handicapper's Invitational on Breeders' Cup day at Canterbury Park. A racing fan since watching Canonero II go for the Triple Crown in the 1971, Schuman finished 105th in NHC V, and 108th in NHC VII.
Schuman, Randy Gallo, and Ray Arsenault will represent Tampa Bay Downs for the ninth annual DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Championship to be held in Las Vegas in January 2008. Gallo hails from one of the most successful families in NHC history as at least one member of the Gallo clan has qualified for the finals since the event's inception in 2000. Arsenault finished in 28th place in NHC VI.