AQUEDUCT HANDICAPPING CHALLENGE
The $80,400 Aqueduct Handicapping Challenge held on the weekend of Nov. 11-12, was won by Russell Weber of Amityville, N.Y. Weber earned first prize of $35,000 for his victory over the field of 202 contestants and qualified for the 2007 DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Championship.
The Aqueduct contest cost $400 to enter and paid back 100 percent of all entry fees in the form of prize money to the top 20 finishers. The top three finishers all qualified for the NHC in Las Vegas.
Weber compiled a contest-winning bankroll of $1,310 based on nine mythical $20 bets and one $40 bet per day on the races from Aqueduct, Churchill, and Calder. That total was enough to give him a slim $12 advantage over runner-up Tony Linares of Peabody, Mass. Linares, a past NHC qualifier, earned $10,000 in prize money. The tournament’s third-place finisher and final NHC qualifier was Aqueduct regular Chuck Martin, who earned $8,700 in prize money for finishing with a contest total of $1,238.
1. Weber, Russell $35,000 qualified NHC
2. Linares, Tony $10,000 qualified NHC
3. Martin, Charles $9,900 (includes $1,200 daily) NHC
4. Welsh $5,000
5. McSweeney $5,200 (includes ($1,200 daily)
6. Persaud $3,000
7. Famularo $2,500
8. Puliafito $2,000
9. Caputo, Ron $1,250
9. Welch $1,250
11. Mootoo $700
12. Grose, Richard $700
13. Olsson, Christopher $700
14. Buckley, John $700
15. Cassmer $650
15. Engler, Monte $650
17. Levy, Mathew $600
18. Beides $600
19. Natale, Tony $600
20. Mays $600
ULTIMATE HANDICAPPERS INVITATIONAL
The fourth annual Ultimate Handicappers Invitational Tournament, held at Canterbury Park on Breeders’ Cup Day Saturday, Nov. 4, was won by Dennis Tiernan of The Woodlands, Tex. Tiernan, who is currently ranked in the top 5 in The Horseplayer Magazine’s tournament player poll, took home first prize of $19,800 for his victory over the field of 33 entrants.
The UHI tournament is hosted every year by tournament enthusiast Ross Gallo, who devised the event’s hair-raising Breeders’ Cup Day format. This year’s Breeders’ Cup Day UHI purse was $33,000.
Players paid $1,000 to enter and then started with a $1,000 real-money bankroll which was to be wagered on at least six of the eight Breeders’ Cup races. Contestants had to bet at least half of their remaining bankroll on each and every contest play, meaning that the real-money wagers could reach lofty proportions if players built up high bankrolls.
Tiernan, who has already qualified for the NHC for the sixth time making him one of the most successful handicappers of the NHC-age, compiled a UHI contest-winning bankroll of $19,498 in real-money earnings. Between earnings and prize money, Tiernan’s combined tournament winnings came to nearly $39,300.
Finishing second in the UHI for the second consecutive year was Jerry L. Johnson of Cottage grove, Minn. Johnson finished with a contest total of $4,428 and received $6,600 in prize money. Third-place went to Paul Shurman of New York, who finished with a $4,393 bankroll and won $3,300 in prize money. Fourth and fifth went to Steve Flaherty of Greenacres, Fla. and Dale Templin of Daytona Beach, Fla., who earned $1,980 and $1,320 in prize money, respectively.
Players also participated in a $2,000 warm-up contest on the day before the main event. That mini contest was also won by Tiernan.
Horseplayer World Series berths and a $5,000 cash prize were awarded to the top point earners in all of Ross Gallo’s UHI tournaments held throughout the year. The $5,000 bonus went to Jerry L. Johnson. Tiernan, Flaherty, and H. Mitchell Schuman of New York.
1. Tiernan, Dennis $19,800 qualified HPWS
2. Johnson, Jerry L. $11,600 (includes $5,000 bonus) HPWS
3. Shurman, Paul $3,300
4. Flaherty, Steve $1,980 qualified HPWS
5. Templin, Dale $1,320
bonus Schuman, H. Mitchell $0 qualified HPWS
Friday UHI Preview Tournament
1. Tiernan, Dennis $1,000
2. Jackson, Gary $500
3. Templin, Dale $300
4. Hartmann, Mary Ann $200
MARYLAND JOCKEY CLUB CHAMPIONS TOURNAMENT
The Maryland Jockey Club Fall Champions Tournament at Laurel on Sat. Nov. 11 was won by Larry Mungiole of Philadelphia. Mungiole won first prize of $7,350 and qualified for the DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Championship.
The MJC tournament was a one-day contest that cost $100 to enter and required a $200 live tournament bankroll. Mungiole turned his original $200 stake into a contest-winning bankroll of $2,236 based on a minimum of 10 real-money $20 win, place, or show bets on a selection of five tracks. Mungiole beat out second- and third-place finishers Frances Filoso ($1,968) and Frank Sorensen ($1,820) to earn the victory. Filoso and Sorensen earned prize money of $2,940 and $1,470, respectively, and both also qualified for the NHC. All final contest bankrolls were the players to keep at the end of the contest.
1. Mungiole, Larry $7,350 qualified NHC
2. Filoso, Frances $2,940 qualified NHC
3. Sorensen, Frank $1,470 qualified NHC
4. Sorrentino, Angela $441
5. Fairlie, Janice $441
6. Finnegan, Larry $441
7. Dickens, Gregory $441
8. Emerson, Michael $441
9. Seeger, Tim $441
10. Villari, Henry $441
THISTLEDOWN HANDICAPPING TOURNAMENT
Thistledown hosted a one-day DRF/NTRA handicapping tournament on Saturday, Nov. 11. The contest filled up with 150 entries and offered $12,750 in purse money and three qualifying spots to the National Handicapping Championship.
The winner of the contest was Frank Priola of Davenport, Fla., who compiled a contest-winning total of $117.20 based on 12 mythical $2 win-and-place wagers on the races from Thistledown and selected simulcast tracks. Priola earned first prize of $3,187 and qualified for the NHC. The winner beat out runner-up Gina Turner of Galloway, Ohio by a comfortable margin. Turner finished with $94.80 and earned $1,912.
Notably, third-place in the Thistledown Handicapping Tournament went to former DRF/NTRA Handicapper of the Year Jamie Michelson, who earned his third straight trip to the national finals along with $1,275 in prize money. Small prizes were paid down to the top 40 finishers.
1. Priola, Frank $3,187 qualified NHC
2. Turner, Gina $1,912 qualified NHC
3. Michelson, Jamie $1,275 qualified NHC
4. Zahn, Paul $637
5. Webster, Evelyn $637
6. Padula, James $255
7. Radis, Jim $255
8. Post, David $255
9. Haliziw, William $255
10. Pawlowski, Rich $255
11. Egna, John $127
12. Augustine, Albert $127
13. Burchett, Larry $127
14. Rozar, Jay $127
15. Delaney, Dana $127
16. Matviko, John $127
17. Licata, Louis $127
18. Klimkiewicz, Chris $127
19. Scaravilli, Chuck $127
20. Dotson, Dennis $127
21. Pappas, Klete $127
22. Hyatt, Brian $127
23. Chrin, Michael $127
24. Randall-Carter, James $127
25. Rist, David $127
26. Duplain, Ron $127
27. Bracale, Robert $127
28. McGinty, Michael $127
29. Charnoky, Fred $127
30. Forde, Anthony $127
31. Shreve, Linda $127
32. Leblanc, Paul $127
33. Wonkovich, Jack $127
34. Belevich, James $127
35. Mulgrew, Daniel $127
36. Nyikes, Tom $127
37. Sutherland, Elvin $127
38. Lakari, David $127
39. Morgan, Fred $127
40. Bishop, Steve $127
MEADOWLANDS DRF/NTRA QUALIFIER TOURNAMENT
The Meadowlands hosted a one-night National Handicapping Championship Qualifier on Saturday, Oct. 28. The contest drew 136 entries and featured $27,200 in purse money and two available qualifying spots in the 2007 NHC in Las Vegas.
The contest cost a total of $400 to enter, which included $200 toward the prize fund and another $200 that served as an entrant’s live real-money tournament bankroll. The winners accumulated the highest bankrolls based on 10 win and/or place wagers on the races from Meadowlands, Mountaineer, Retama, and Santa Anita (starting race 5). Players had to wager a minimum of $20 on one single horse per race, but earnings could be re-bet and maximum bets of $100 per horse were allowed. Since this was a real-money contest, there were no odds caps, and players kept their final contest bankrolls at the conclusion of the contest.
The winner was Anthony Amabile, who ran up a contest-winning bankroll of $1,810. The champion’s total was enough to hold off runner-up John Kurz, who finished with $1,751. Strauss and Freundlich both qualified for the Horseplayer World Series.
Similar contests that will be qualifiers for the Horseplayer World Series are scheduled at Monmouth on Nov. 18 and Dec. 16.
1. Amabile, Anthony $10,880 qualified NHC
2. Kurz, John $5,440 qualified NHC
3. Mooney, Thomas $2,720
4. Kleinhans, Peter $2,040
5. Magner, Barbara $1,360
6. Herr, Edwin $952
7. Wheeler, Shirley $952
8. Muzio, Joseph $952
9. Englehard, Kevin $952
10. Sias, Davis $952
NHC QUALIFY ONLINE CONTEST OCTOBER
The official DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Championship Online Qualifying Site, www.nhcqualify.com, held another qualifying tournament in October, this time with four NHC qualifying berths at stake. The Internet-based contest offered no prize money. Instead of contest purses, the majority of the entry fees for this contest will go to the purse of the NHC finals next January in Las Vegas.
The NHC Qualify April contest consisted of three preliminary rounds and a final round on Oct. 28. Hopefuls paid $100 per entry to play in the preliminary rounds, which were limited to 200 participants. The top 20 players from each prelim (or the top 10 percent) advanced to the final round. Just over 40 finalists competed on Oct. 28, and the top four qualified for the NHC.
In the final round, players made 10 mythical $2 win-and-place bets on the races from Keeneland and Santa Anita. The winner was John Dobrzynski of Saddle Brook, N.J., who earned a total bankroll of $101.70.
1. Dobrzynski, John $0 qualified NHC
2. Davis, Stephanie $0 qualified NHC
3. Barengo, Edward $0 qualified NHC
4. Armistead, Joe $0 qualified NHC
SUFFOLK DOWNS DRF/NTRA QUALIFYING TOURNAMENT
Suffolk Downs held its final qualifying NHC contest of 2006 on Saturday, Oct. 28 with one final berth in the national championship at stake. The contest, which cost $60 to enter, drew 132 entrants from seven states and featured a purse of $7,920.
The Suffolk contest was originally scheduled to feature 15 contest races from tracks including Suffolk Downs and Aqueduct, but after weather forced cancellations of both of those race cards, contestants ended up making 10 mythical $20 win-and-place bets on the races from Calder, Keeneland, and Santa Anita.
The contest’s winner and NHC qualifier was John Sayers of Ipswich, Mass., who took home top prize of $3,960 for finishing with a co
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