Handicapper John Piesen dead at 80

John Piesen, a longtime public handicapper who had a 10-year stint at Daily Racing Form, died on Tuesday at Haven Hospice in Edison, N.J., according to family members. Piesen was 80.

Piesen, a native of Brooklyn, N.Y., worked for nearly two decades at the New York Post as a public handicapper. While at the Post, Piesen made picks for a variety of tracks and wrote a trip-handicapping column called “Through the Binoculars,” and was known to press box colleagues as "Binocs."

Piesen claimed a “world record” for picking at least one winner at Monmouth Park and its sister track, the Meadowlands, for 207 consecutive days. He later formed a handicapping company in which he marketed his picks and provided handicapping advice. His company’s website includes a reference to Piesen picking the winner of this year’s Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park.

Piesen is survived by his wife, Betsy, and five children. His son Mike said in a Facebook post that Piesen died “peacefully” with Betsy at his side.