Rendino big winner in Monmouth's Pick Your Prize Challenge

Bill Rendino of the Bronx, N.Y., was the big winner on Saturday at Monmouth Park’s Pick Your Prize Handicapping Challenge. Rendino turned his $1,000 starting bankroll into $10,375.50 to win the third annual Pick Your Prize event, netting more than $50,000.

Players purchased entries for $2,000 – half of which fueled the prize pool, the other half acted as a live bankroll. Rendino beat a record field of 205 entries from all over North America. In all, 24 different states were represented, plus Canada.

For the victory, Rendino received an automatic $14,100 and two picks from the Pick Your Prize board. In total, the board was composed of 20 seats to the National Horseplayers’ Championship – the most of any online or on-track contest in history – six full Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge seats, and $78,340 in cash prizes. With his two picks, Rendino selected the top two cash prizes, $18,800 and $10,340, for a grand total of $43,240 in prize money.

The contest’s early leader was Publichandicapper.com founder – and accomplished contest player in his own right – Scott Carson. In Belmont’s second race, Carson struck with a $100 win wager on 17-1 winner Bitumen, as well as a $50 exacta with the winner over 5-1 Ranger in Paradise. The combined payoff of $6,915 had Carson in the lead for most of the day.

Then came Belmont’s eighth race. Rendino’s bankroll stood at $1,962.50 when he decided it was time to go for the gusto with an all-in push. He bet $600 across the board on eventual 7-1 winner Stretch’s Stone, plus an $81 exacta box that didn’t pan out. But the big play resulted in a payoff of $10,350, which was enough to catapult Rendino to a lead he would not relinquish.

A last attempt by Carson to re-gain the lead fell 3 3/4 lengths short as Gioielli ran second in the finale at Gulfstream – the last contest race. Don’t feel too bad for Carson, though. He finished with his final bankroll of $6,655, plus an automatic $7,835 for his runner-up finish. Then he selected a BCBC seat and the $5,640 cash prize with his two prize board picks. Carson also picked up an NHC seat as his second entry finished in 22nd place. Not a bad day at the office.

In total, all Pick Your Prize players needed to bet at least $100 on a total of 10 races from Monmouth Park, Belmont, and Gulfstream. At least five of those races needed to be Monmouth Park races. Bets could be only win, place, show, exacta or any combination thereof.

All players kept their final bankrolls. The top five finishers received a guaranteed cash prize. The top seven finishers all received two picks from the prize board in order of finish. Finishers 8-26 received one pick.

Here is the full list of results from Saturday’s $2,000 Pick Your Prize Handicapping Challenge:

1st Bill Rendino $10,375 plus $43,240

2nd Scott Carson $6,655 plus $13,475, BCBC

3rd Adam Aiken $5,583.20 plus $4,390, NHC, BCBC

4th Stephen Thompson $4,680.50 plus NHC, BCBC

5th Kevin Willett $3,890 plus $6,895, BCBC

6th Lou Filoso $3,506.10 plus NHC, BCBC

7th Ken Seeman $3,435 plus NHC, BCBC

8th Bob Farah $2,709.30 plus NHC

9th Frank Gryboski $2,580.50 plus NHC

10th Anthony Robb $2,501 plus NHC

11th Chad Scianna $2,500 plus NHC

12th Ken Jordan $2,438 plus NHC

13th Paul Stath $2,411 plus NHC

14th Pete Rogers $2,338 plus NHC

15th Darryl Mays $2,304 plus NHC

16th Mitch Schuman $2,291.40 plus NHC

17th Dave Kaplan $2,246.20 plus NHC

18th Joe Perry $2,225 plus NHC

19th Jeff Bussan $2,220.50 plus NHC

20th Joe Koury $2,205 plus NHC

21st Frank D’Angelo $2,190 plus NHC

22nd Scott Carson (2) $2,175 plus NHC

23rd David Nelson $2,142 plus NHC

24th Tim Hughes $2,055 plus $3,760

25th George Bosch $2,021 plus $2,350

26th Lawrence Bergen $2,008 plus $1,410