On a day when longshots were in short supply, HorseTourneys qualifier Brett Wiener didn’t need them. The 50-year-old business owner from Clearwater, Fla., strung together a series of winning mid-priced horses to finish atop the heap of 571 entries after Day One of the three-day Horse Player World Series (HPWS) at The Orleans in Las Vegas.

Wiener finished with 1,740 points from his 15 requisite plays—284 points ahead of Day One runner up Wendy Long. Wiener will win approximately $10,000 for finishing first with the remainder of the top 10 also winning daily prizes. Exact amounts will not be announced by HPWS staff until Friday morning.

Heading into the tournament with three entries, Wiener focused less on handicapping and more on properly managing his tickets.

“I can’t even tell you who I had,” he said. “I barely handicapped. I didn’t even look at the Racing Form, other than to read the articles. My wife Sarah gave me a bunch of winners and so did my partner Doug Draper, who has a percentage of my entries along with Lawrence Kahlden. There were no real big prices I had that won, but I did have several longshots run second. The best thing I did today was organize my winners onto one ticket. My other two tickets only have 400 points and 100 points.”

For his big day, the Day One day money mattered little to him at this juncture.

“The money means nothing to me—it’s all about the challenge,” said Wiener, whose wireless hotspot password is “No points for third”.

Behind Long in second, the unofficial top 10 was rounded out by:

3. Peter Puhich 1,348 points
4. Tom Blosser (HorseTourneys qualifier) 1,344
5. Julie Clark 1,314
6. Steven Nemetz 1,150.6 (HT qualifier)
7. Peter Puhich 1,144
8. Ray Watts 1,122
9. John Menegon 1,100
10. Three-way tie between all three of Stephen Androsoff’s entries 1,091

HorseTourneys qualified 165 of the final field of 571 HPWS entries, including six of the top 20 on Day One.

As for tomorrow, Wiener does, indeed, intend to do some handicapping.

“I plan to focus on Laurel,” he said. “It’s just a track that I feel has a good chance at generating prices.”

Action in the three-day competition resumes tomorrow when Laurel, Aqueduct and Tampa Bay Downs join Gulfstream, Oaklawn, Fair Grounds and Santa Anita as contest tracks.