Second-Half Surge Propels David Gutfreund to NHC Tour Championship

LEXINGTON, Ky. (January 17, 2019) – One of the most remarkable stretches in the history of the National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) Tour propelled longtime contest player David Gutfreund to five tournament victories in the second half of the year en route to earning 24,123 points to win the 2018 NHC Tour, which ended Saturday.

Gutfreund earned $100,000, a 2020 NHC seat, a trophy, and the chance to play for an additional $6 million in bonuses at NHC 19, plus the $800,000 winner’s share, Feb. 8-10, at Treasure Island Las Vegas.

“It’s beyond incredible and I’ve been around gambling a long time,” Gutfreund said of his Tour win. “I won $90,000 on a 20 cent (Rainbow Six) bet and I’d argue that this is more unexplainable and more difficult odds wise than that was.”

Twice a top-10 finisher at the NHC, Gutfreund put together a body of handicapping work in the last couple of months in 2018 that even the veteran himself counts as one of his most improbable gambling achievements. Having already double qualified for the NHC by virtue of a pair of on-track tournament victories at Hawthorne Race Course in July and the Meadowlands in September, chasing a Tour title was not exactly something the Chicago resident and longtime successful poker player and horseplayer had as an objective.

Gutfreund didn’t play in another Tour event until Thanksgiving weekend at Hawthorne, with a confidence boost being his main goal rather than points. When he notched on-track win No. 3, some prodding from comrades and re-examination on his part convinced him that ending up atop the 2018 Tour Leaderboard wasn’t such a far-fetched notion.

“Quite frankly, my poker and my gambling had gone pretty much south since I had won that tournament at the Meadowlands in the middle of September and I needed a little bit of a slump buster, a little bit of a confidence builder,” Gutfreund said of his Hawthorne Tour win on Nov. 24. “I had had success at that Hawthorne tournament over the years and I was in Chicago over Thanksgiving weekend. There was no entry fee and I decided to support the local racetrack who had done a great job over the years hosting NHC qualifiers.

“Later that night, a couple of my cronies gave me a call. They mentioned the Tour and I felt as if I needed to do a little bit of due diligence to see where I actually stood. With the three live bankroll wins that I had already accomplished, I was like what the heck. Maybe I can get into the top 20 or maybe sneak into the top five. Running down (First Half winner and NHC Hall of Famer) Paul Shurman was never a thought in my mind until quite a ways through the process.”

Overall NHC Tour standings are determined by totaling a player’s top seven scores from NHC-sanctioned qualifying contests, which must include at least one live, on-site event. Gutfreund earned 20,225 of his winning point total in the second half of the season. Following his November victory at Hawthorne, he won another on-track Tour event at Los Alamitos on Dec. 8 and grabbed another 3,891 points with yet another on-track triumph at Monmouth Park on Dec. 29.

“There are so many things that had to go right for me to win those five tournaments,” Gutfreund said. “I was really taking it one tournament, one day at a time, focusing on what I could focus on in the moment as opposed to looking at it as a big picture.”

Shurman, a resident of Dix Hills, N.Y., and the 2011 Tour Champion, finished in second place in the 2018 Tour with 23,425 points and earned $50,000.

Finishing third on the NHC Tour in 2018 with 22,460 points was Philip Lam of Fresh Meadows, N.Y. Lam earned $25,000 in purse money.

The top five overall Tour leaders were rounded out by fourth-place Tour finisher Karen Carey of Saratoga Springs, NY (22,002 points), and fifth-place finisher Kevin Willett of Hastings, Neb. (21,688 points).

The top five finishers on the second-half year Tour LeaderBoard were: Gutfreund (14,516 points), Lam (13,205), Shurman (13,009), Joe Petit (12,966) and Alan Levitt (12,433). The top five won a berth into the Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge or $10,000.

Keeping his focus at the same razor’s edge it has been in recent months will be key to Gutfreund’s NHC preparations. While besting a field of 650 takes a perfect storm of astute handicapping and good fortune, the momentum Gutfreund is taking with him to Las Vegas is something he is acutely mindful of.

“I’m just incredibly grateful and incredibly excited. To steal a line from Dan Fogelberg, this is my chance of a lifetime in my lifetime of chance,” Gutfreund said. “I know it’s a 650 person tournament. I know how difficult it is to win. But I’ve had two top 10s, I’ve had four top 20s. It’s difficult but it’s not impossible. And I’d love to be back there on day three just swinging for the fences and giving it a run.

“I truly from the bottom of my heart have so much gratitude for this opportunity and I’m just so stoked.”

G3 Peter Pan Stakes Today at Belmont

Saturday’s Grade 3, $350,000 Peter Pan at Belmont Park has long been a historic race for 3-year-olds on the New York racing circuit. In addition to honoring a champion, the 1 1/8-mile race has served as a stepping stone towards a start in the Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes, which will have its 150th running on June 9.

Carded as Race 10, the 64th running of the Peter Pan is one of five stakes, including four graded, on a stacked Man o’ War Day card that is highlighted by the Grade 1, $700,000 Man o’ War.

Gary Broad’s Core Beliefs headlines a field of eight and will make his fifth career start after finishing third behind eventual Kentucky Derby winner Justify in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby on April 7. That effort marked the Quality Road colt’s second try at routing around two turns after he beat four others to break his maiden almost a month earlier. The Peter Eurton-trained Kentucky-bred offered two third-place finishes in sprints while being sent postward with blinkers.

“He’s doing very well.” Eurton said. “We’re very proud of him, no complaints. We were very pleased with his last race, as it was his first race against winners, and now especially against the cailber of horse we now know we were running against in Justify. I mean he was trying to win, it wasn’t like he was really far back, he was there at the three-quarters, and was running throughout, but we were real pleased with him and how he ran.”

Although Eurton and his connections said he doesn’t want to get too far ahead of the next start, there is a plan for the next six weeks.

“The ideal would be for him to win, come out of it liking the track and then go on to the Belmont, but we’re going to take it one race at a time for now,” he said.

Jockey Tyler Baze, who got the call aboard Core Beliefs for the first time in the Santa Anita Derby, will make the trip to New York and will try to work out a trip from the rail.

Federico Tesio winner Diamond King enters off of that three-quarter length victory at Laurel Park on April 21, and looks to add his third stakes win, which began with his ground saving 1 ½ length score in the Heft on December 30 also at Laurel Park.

By Quality Road, Diamond King steadied for a third-place finish in the Grade 3 Swale at Gulfstream on February 3 in between both victories, his second graded race start since his stakes debut in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club at Keeneland. That start, his third after winning his first pair, was foiled when he clipped heels and lost rider Frankie Pennington while heading into the first turn at Churchill Downs.

The winner of four races from six starts for trainer John Servis gets Hall of Fame rider Javier Castellano in the irons and drew post 5.

Shortleaf Stable’s High North shipped up from Churchill Downs this week for trainer Brad Cox, and looks to return to graded stakes competition after starting in three Grade 2 races, the Kentucky Jockey Club, Risen Star and Rebel in which he ran fourth, fifth and seventh respectively.

The son of Midnight Lute was given a bit of class relief and outfitted with blinkers in the Northern Spur Stakes on April 14, his last start, and he responded with a 2 ½ length victory. It was his second victory since he broke his maiden in his third career start at Keeneland. The lone runner with a race over Belmont’s main track, High North was second to Avery Island in his second career start on September 30. His stakes victory and equipment change could be the confidence boost the colt needed.

“He’s doing real well,” Cox said. “I think the blinkers helped, and I think because he was a little closer to the pace than his previous two races, I think it worked out well for him.”

Florent Geroux, who debuted aboard High North in the Northern Spur, will make the trip to secure the mount and will break from post 6.

A debut in blinkers, and the benefit of Belmont Park’s 1 1/8-mile chute will play a role in reversal for Lothenbach Stables’ Gotta Go, who enters off an 11th place performance in the Grade 2 Blue Grass on April 7 at Keeneland. The Shanghai Bobby colt turned in a sixth-place finish in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth on March 3 at Gulfstream which followed a second place performance in the Grade 3 Swale at Gulfstream on February 3, the first race of his sophomore year.

Trainer Ian Wilkes hopes the Peter Pan’s one turn could help his Kentucky-bred get back on track.

“He’s doing well and the plan at the moment is to go to New York,” Wilkes said. “He looks like he’s improving. If he wasn’t, we wouldn’t come. I’m going to put blinkers on him and go back to one turn. I’m happy with the way he’s going.

“His last couple of races have been subpar and it might be due to the fact it was two turns; that’s what I’m going to find out,” he added. “I’ll put some blinkers on him and make him a little more focused.”

Gotta Go ended his 2-year-old year with a 13th-place finish in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club at Keeneland, the colt’s first graded stakes start after he captured the Street Sense by a head at Churchill Downs on October 29.

Gotta Go will be joined by regular rider Chris Landeros and will break from post 7. Bringing the most race experience to the group will be Arindel’s colt Transistor who will make his Belmont Park debut after 12 starts in Florida at Gulfstream and Gulfstram Park West for trainer Rudy Rodriguez.

The Forty Tales colt was fourth in his debut then followed with two eighth-place finishes on grass before he started at Gulfstream Park West, where he returned to dirt and responded with a strong second, short by a head at the wire. The Florida-bred added another runner-up finish before trying two turns where he offered another second and a third place finish seemingly benefitting from the added distance.

Transistor broke his maiden by a neck at 1 1/16 miles at Gulfstream on February 8, but was cut back to seven furlongs where he came with a late kick to finish in an allowance start and then closed for third in the Roar on April 21, and has been working well towards Saturday.

“So far, so good,” Rodriguez said. “We’re taking a big chance, but we want to take the chance against these. He looks like he wants to go that long, he likes distance, and he’s a 3-year-old that’s getting better and better, so let’s hope he keeps going.”

Transistor will be ridden by Luis Saez and will break from outside post 8.

Just Whistle will carry the colors for owner Helen K. Groves in the Peter Pan, making just his fourth career start for trainer Michael Matz. Fifth in his debut at Delaware Park on August 9, the Pioneerof the Nile colt floated a bit in the stretch at Gulfstream before finishing a half-length behind eventual Kentucky Derby starter Hofburg in his second start. The pace-stalking type returned break his maiden as the favorite at Keeneland, and now will face tougher with a chance to go forward.

“He’s lightly raced, but he’s a real nice horse,” Matz said. “We’ll see what happens. We’re taking a really big step up to a bigger stage right here, and if it came up tough we’d probably skip and look elsewhere. We’re looking to ship up Saturday morning and run.”
Just Whistle will be ridden by Joel Rosario, aboard for the second straight time and will break from post 3.

Blended Citizen, the also-eligible entrant in the Kentucky Derby, will instead make his 10th career start in the Peter Pan after failing to draw in to the Classic last Saturday. He is the lone starter in the race to carry a graded stakes victory after he debuted with blinkers and prevailed by a neck in the Grade 3 Jeff Ruby Steaks on March 17 at Turfway Park which led to his fifth-place finish in the Grade 2 Blue Grass.

The colt by Proud Citizen ships in from California for trainer Doug O’Neill and will break from post 4 under jockey Kyle Frey.

Jackpot Ranch’s Zing Zang will make his eighth career start for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen following a ninth-place finish in the Blue Grass after he faced the task of drawing the rail amid the field of 14 that day. A rough trip in the Grade 2 Rebel for sixth followed his fifth place result in the Grade 3 Southwest in the mud at Oaklawn Park on February 19.

The colt by Tapit stepped up against tougher in the Grade 3 Lecomte and finished fourth to begin his 3-year-old campaign after ending with his maiden win in his third start.
The late-running Zing Zang will be ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr. and will run from post 2.

Source: NYRA

Del Mar’s Ship & Win Gets More Lucrative

Is Horse Racing Dead? Del Mar shipper program gets richer

Press Release

Del Mar’s highly effective “Ship and Win” program, where owners and trainers are given solid incentives to import out-of-state horses to race locally, returns for its eighth summer at the shore in 2018 with yet another husky bonus increase providing additional encouragement to bring runners to the place “where the turf meets the surf.”

When the program first started in 2011, horsemen bringing Thoroughbreds to Del Mar were rewarded with an automatic check for $1,000 when they made a local start along with a 20% bonus payment on top of whatever purse monies were earned in that initial outing. Last year those incentives had increased to a $1,500 check and a 30% bonus.

For 2018, the “Ship and Win” payout has grown even sweeter still. Now the automatic check has climbed to $2,000, while the 30% first-race purse bonus again will be in place. As it has since its inception, Del Mar works in conjunction with the Thoroughbred Owners of California in formulating and actualizing the program.

Drew Brees at Del Mar

Drew Brees at Del Mar

“This has been a wonderfully successful program for our horsemen, for Del Mar and for all of California racing,” said Del Mar’s racing secretary, David Jerkens. “We’re approaching 1,000 horses brought into the state utilizing ‘Ship and Win’ and they’ve made thousands of starts at all its major racetracks. When these horses come our way, we find they almost all stay in the state. We added to the bonus money again this year to make it even more lucrative to those willing to step up and we’re hoping to see another increase in new stock at our summer meeting.”

The first season that Del Mar put “S & W” in play, it drew 107 horses. Heading into 2018, the track now can count just under 1,000 horses having been brought on board via the program, with those horses having made over 1,500 starts locally and more than 3,500 starts at other state tracks, such as Santa Anita, Los Alamitos and Golden Gate. The equine influx has helped Del Mar maintain one of the highest field-size averages in the country – in 2017 it was 8.6 runners per race (summer) and 8.5 (fall).

Jerkens made note of some of the increases for “S & W” runners when the 30% first-race bonus is calculated into the track’s already healthy purse structure. In the case of a starter in a first-level allowance race, he said the $62,000 purse would be heightened by an additional $18,600 for “S & W” horses, meaning they are instead running for a prize of $80,600. A $32,000 claimer normally races for a pot of $39,000, but with “S & W” monies added in the purse rises to $50,700. Even the track’s lowest-level horses, the $20,000 maiden-claimers, see their purses climb from $20,000 to $26,000.

The racing secretary emphasized that the 30% bonus applies to purse payouts across the board, not just the winner’s share.

He also noted that for local horsemen the program presents the possibilities of personal gain along with the ability to enhance the racing product statewide as it competes for wagering dollars nationally. In the case of racing outfits from outside the state, he said “S & W” makes a direct statement that Del Mar and California racing in general is more than happy to welcome them to one of the best circuits in all the sport.

There are only a few basic rules for “S & W” horses: An eligible horse must have made his/her last start outside California and cannot have raced in the state within the past 12 months. First-time starters are not eligible. All stakes runners are eligible to receive the $2,000 starter fee, but no stakes runners – including overnight stakes – are eligible for the 30% first-race purse bonus.

Those with questions concerning the program are encouraged to contact Jerkens, or Del Mar’s executive vice president for racing, Tom Robbins, at (858) 792-4230.

Del Mar’s summer stand this year will begin on Wednesday, July 18 and continues through to Labor Day Monday, September 3 for a total of 36 racing days. Its fall meeting runs from Friday, November 9 to Sunday, December 2 for 16 racing dates.

Wynn Las Vegas Kentucky Derby Future Book Odds

OPEN CURRENT
AUDIBLE 200/1 8/1
BLENDED CITIZEN 225/1 125/1
BOLT D’ORO 40/1 8/1
BRAVAZO 200/1 40/1
CALIFORNIA NIGHT 225/1 250/1
COMBATANT 175/1 50/1
CORE BELIEFS 300/1 300/1
CURLIN’S HONOR 250/1 250/1
DETERMINANT* 175/1 175/1
DREAM BABY DREAM 150/1 100/1
ENTICED 150/1 20/1
EVALUATOR 175/1 175/1
EXCLAMATION POINT 250/1 250/1
FIRENZE FIRE 75/1 60/1
FLAMEAWAY 100/1 25/1
FREE DROP BILLY 65/1 35/1
GIDU 150/1 85/1
GOOD MAGIC 100/1 12/1
GOTTA GO 250/1 250/1
GRONKOWSKI 100/1 25/1
GREYVITOS 225/1 75/1
HEARTFULLOFSTARS* 300/1 175/1
HOFBURG 200/1 25/1
INSTILLED REGARD 75/1 25/1
JUSTIFY 300/1 7/1
KANTHAKA 225/1 85/1
KING ZACHARY 175/1 85/1
LONE SAILOR 175/1 22/1
MACHISMO 250/1 75/1
MAGNUM MOON 200/1 10/1
MARCONI 125/1 85/1
MASK 300/1 300/1
MENDELSSOHN 150/1 12/1
MISSISSIPPI 250/1 65/1
MY BOY JACK 150/1 25/1
NOBLE INDY 125/1 12/1
OLD TIME REVIVAL 60/1 75/1
ORBIT RAIN* 250/1 250/1
PEACE 125/1 100/1
PEPE TONO* 200/1 200/1
PROMISES FULFILLED 250/1 60/1
QUIP 125/1 22/1
RESTORING HOPE 200/1 28/1
RUNAWAY GHOST 50/1 28/1
SEVEN TRUMPETS 300/1 300/1
SHIVERMETIMBERS 250/1 200/1
SNAPPER SINCLAIR 300/1 100/1
SOLOMINI 150/1 12/1
SPORTING CHANCE 45/1 125/1
TIZ MISCHIEF 200/1 125/1
VINO ROSSO 150/1 65/1
VIOLENT RIDGE* 175/1 175/1
ZING ZANG 150/1 250/1

Odds from Vegas as of Monday, April 2, 2018 for the Kentucky Derby

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Los Alamitos Racing Association to Offer 3 NHC Seats this Saturday

NTRA NHC logoPress Release

The Los Alamitos Racing Association will offer a cash prize, three seats to the 2018 National Thoroughbred Racing Association National Handicapping Championship in Las Vegas and more with a live money handicapping contest Saturday, Sept. 23.

In addition to the berths in the NHC, there will be also be five spots available for the Autumn Handicapping Contest at Santa Anita (Oct. 6-8) as well as three to next year’s NTRA Last Chance Horseplayers Championship Qualifier in Las Vegas.

Cost to enter the Los Alamitos Fall Qualifier is $500. Of that amount, $100 will be placed in the contest prize pool with the remaining funds going towards a live-money wagering card.

Contestants must enter prior to 2 p.m. – post time for the first race – Sept. 16. Players can begin entering the contest once track gates open at 9:30 a.m. that morning and participants can purchase a maximum of two entries.

Tournament races will include the entire card at Los Alamitos with permitted wagers including win, place, show and exactas. Each entry must bet at least $100 on four races, but there is no wagering limit.

The player with the highest bankroll at the end of the day will be declared the winner and the player with the second highest bankroll will be the runner-up.

The winner will receive 50% of the prize pool, which will be capped at $10,000. The remaining payoffs: 20% (2nd place), 15% (3rd place), 10% (4th place) and 5% (5th place).

Players can sign up for the handicapping contest at losalamitos.com as well as review complete contest rules. For any further questions, contact larace@losalamitos.com or by telephone at 714-820-2690.