McFarland Wins Another Real-money Contest
Kevin McFarland, from Solana Beach, CA, vaulted to first place on the strength of two daily double payouts on his way to earning $20,000 in prizes in the Pacific Classic Betting Challenge.
David Snyder from Mission Viejo, CA and Tyler Hoffman from San Gabriel, CA finished second and third to round out the top three. David and Tyler both win entries in the $2.5 million National Horseplayers Championship as well as cash prizes of $7,000 and $3,500 respectively.
McFarland scored with the early double in races one and two to build up the Challenge starting $300 bankroll and vaulted to the lead with a $100 double in races 7 and 8, a $4,700 payout. From there he held on to ride out the fantastic 11 race card which set a one-day handle record at Del Mar. Winnings include $10,000 cash and a $10,000 entry in the 2018 Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge.
Ed Abel of Des Moines, IA and Walt Tendler of San Diego finished 4th and 5th earning entries into the Del Mar $4,500 Fall Challenge November 10 & 11.
FINAL STANDINGS
1 Kevin McFarland (3) $7,511.50
2 David Snyder (3) $5,577.00
3 Tyler Hoffman $5.249.00
4 Ed Abel (1) $5,103.00
5 Walt Tendler (2) $4,440.00
6 Scott Johnson (3) $4,243.70
Harryman Scores at Laurel NHC contest
Jeffrey Harryman of Baltimore finished with a bankroll balance of $2,214.50 to capture the fall session of the Maryland Jockey Club Champions Handicapping Tournament held on Maryland Pride Day, Saturday, Aug. 18 at Laurel Park.
Lam earned $2,790 in prize money and ended with a comfortable margin over runner-up Sean Nolan of Alexandria, Va., who closed the day with a bankroll balance of $1,786.40 and took home $1,860 in prize money.
The tournament was open to players for $300, which covered a $100 entry fee and $200 bankroll. In addition to prize money, the top four finishers qualified for automatic berths to the National Handicapping Championship (NHC), Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge (BCBC) or The BIG ONE.
For the second straight year, the tournament was held in Laurel’s refurbished second-floor clubhouse sports bar. There were no mandatory races during the contest but players were required to make a $20 minimum wager on races from Laurel, Gulfstream Park, Saratoga Race Course, Monmouth Park and Woodbine.
Given his choice of four tournament berths, Harryman selected the BCBC to be held Nov. 2-3 at Churchill Downs, while Nolan selected a berth in the BIG ONE Sept. 22-23 at Laurel Park.
Third place went to John Kousouris of Towson, Md., who finished with a balance of $1,404 and earned $930 in prize money, while Gary Wright of Staten Island, N.Y. was fourth with a balance of $1,381 and earned $558. Both players also earned berths in the NHC, to be held in February 2019 in Las Vegas.
Rounding out the top 10 finishers were Kevin Sweeny with a tournament balance of $1,253, Anthony Laurino ($1,110), Steve Anderson ($1,105), Pete Manzo ($1,027.50), John Verdin ($703) and Bob Bandzwolek ($700.90). Each player took home $558 in prize money.
The spring session of the MJC Champions Handicapping Tournament held March 3 at Laurel was won by Brian Conley of Columbia, Md., who chose a berth in the BCBC. Other winners from the spring tournament were Coleen Curley (NHC), Carol Johnson (BIG ONE) and Shawn Turner (NHC).
Veteran Player Davis Takes Downs Indiana Grand Event
One horse made all the difference in the outcome of the third annual National Horseplayers Qualifier (NHC) at Indiana Grand Racing & Casino Saturday, Aug. 18. Given Favorite, ridden by Angel Moreno and trained by Tony Granitz, surprised a maiden claiming field in the eighth race of the night to pay $72.60. Several people in mid-pack of the 125 entry contest selected Given Favorite and catapulted into the lead positions. Stephanie Davis of Brooklyn, N.Y. was the biggest winner off that longshot to take the top prize for the night. Steve Arrison of Point Pleasant Beach, N.J. finished second while Dan Weisenburger of Stow, Ohio came in third. Mike Gillum of Indianapolis finished fourth.
Stephanie Davis (center) defeated a field of 125 entries in the third annual NHC Qualifier Saturday, Aug. 18 at Indiana Grand. Steve Arrison (left) finished second while Dan Weisenburger (right) finished third. (Photo by Tammy Knox)
Davis had two entries in the contest. She completed the 12-race required format with total accumulated earnings of $132.00. Arrison completed the event with a tally of $129.60 over Weisenburger, who accumulated earnings of $128.00. Gillum had a total of $113.50.
The NHC Qualifier at Indiana Grand was played over 22 races from three racetracks, which included Saratoga, Del Mar and Indiana Grand. All players had to utilize five of the eight Thoroughbred races from Indiana Grand to meet the requirements. All players began with a mythical bankroll of $48 and placed $2 win and place wagers on one horse in 12 of the races during the five-hour contest.
The NHC Qualifier had a cap of 125 entries and reached capacity. Several of the players had two entries. There were 80 total individuals in the contest from all across the United States. Players came into Indiana Grand from coast to coast, including individuals from Washington State, Florida, New York, Maryland, Texas, Wisconsin and all points in between.
The top four players will advance to the NHC Final slated for Las Vegas February 8 – 10, 2019. The players will receive hotel, airfare and entry fees for their trip to the final, which included over 600 entries last year vying for prize money in excess of $2 million. The top four also received a gift certificate to Stats Race Lens courtesy of Equibase. The computer program, which was on display during the contest with demonstrations provided by Tom Kudla, offers in-depth handicapping assistance with race replays and additional statistics not found in general racing publications. The value of the gift certificate for the quarterly subscription is $299.
Source: Press Releases
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