Plenty of players went searching for Easter eggs on Sunday. No one did a better job of grabbing the goodies than Blake Courtney.

With 6 winners and a runner up, Courtney took Sunday’s Lone Star Spring Betting Challenge qualifier.

His best return en route to the $1,000 entry came courtesy of Miss Speedy ($19.20, $10.20) in the 10th at Gulfstream.

Courtney didn’t play the same picks in Sunday’s Keeneland Grade One Gamble play-in, where he recorded 7 firsts and 2 seconds, but he did have Miss Speedy again.

Courtney will be joined in the Gamble by runner up Stephen Thompson (3 wins, 3 places). Thompson’s best pick was Creed’s Gold ($21.80, $9.20) in race 11 at Gulfstream.

Once again, Courtney shuffled up his selections in Sunday’s qualifier to the $350,000 Gtd. Players Championship here next weekend.

Here, Courtney missed Miss Speedy, but he managed 6 winners and 2 runners up—good for 3rd place behind Matthew Ache and Patrick “Gino” Gianforte and ahead of fellow $2,000 seat earner Brandon Leigh in 4th. The top two had Creed’s Gold.

A review of Courtney’s three happy results reveals that he used the same selections in 9 of the 12 contest races, while doing a “weighted spread-around” in tourney races 4, 5 and 6. Key to his success was that he was able to make collections in two of the three races in which he was unsure (and did so on two tickets with 8-1 Miss Speedy).

It was a nice week for Players Championship qualifier winner Matthew Ache. On Friday, Ache was feeling no pain in the $75 NHC qualifier at HorsePlayers.

There were three double-digit winners out there on Friday—Xy Speed ($17.80, $6.20) in the 8th at Gulfstream, Pineapple Man ($16.00, $7.10) in race 8 at Aqueduct and Heirozen ($16.60, $7.20) in the 9th at Gulfstream. Brenton Schaff (6 wins, 0 places), Ache (5W, 0P) and Albion Benton (4W, 1P) each had all three, and they got the small-outlay seats to the 2025 big dance.

Finishing second to Matthew Ache in the previously-mentioned Players Championship qualifier on Sunday was Patrick Gianforte. He got his featured-tourney week off to a very good beginning.

Gianforte nailed the first three winners and then took the rest of the afternoon off—with pay—earning a $3,500 Keeneland Grade One Gamble entry on Wednesday.

Sesame Seed Bagel ($49.20, $21.60) left a good taste in the mouth of Michael Santiago.

The Gulfstream race 5 bomber helped give Santiago (3 firsts, 1 second) a victory worth $3,390 in Wednesday, $5,000 Guaranteed cash tourney, which paid out a total of $7,534.

Pete Acocella (3 wins, 1 place) and Peter Osella (2W, 2P) both used Sesame Seed Bagel to schmear their foes.

They were the winners of $2,000 seats in Wednesday’s play-in to this weekend’s second leg of the 2024 HorseTourneys Grand Slam, the Players Championship.

On Thursday, the first four contest races went just like Ronnie sang.

Ronnie Henderson swept the “early Pick 4” and took it home with Saratoga Kisses ($26.40, $6.20) in race 7 at Aqueduct to collect $4,012 in Thursday’s $6,000 Gtd. Pick & Pray, which closed with a pot of $8,917. Henderson finished the day with 6 winners and 1 runner up.

The two players to reach the $60.00 mark added their names on Thursday to the roster of participants for the Players Championship.

Congratulations to Ken Jordan (2 wins, 3 places) and Dave “Gambling Actuary” Nichols (2W, 0P). They both came up with Saratoga Kisses.

Things got even better for Nichols on Saturday.

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, and Nichols got a $17,325 bird in the hand by capturing our richest tourney of the week, Saturday’s $25,000 Gtd. Pick & Pray (an HT Tour game), which was ultimately worth a total of $38,500. Nichols posted what was, by far, the highest score of the day, which, in hindsight, wasn’t surprising given that his 4 winners were the 4 highest prices of the day. One of them was Laughing Boy ($111.00, $41.40) who was elevated from 2nd to 1st via disqualification in race 8 at Aqueduct.

Rewinding a bit to Friday, the big cash-game winner that day was James Zaccagnino. 

Zaccagnino hit the first three winners right off the bat and three more thereafter to pocket $8,304 in a $15,000 Gtd, HT Tour Pick & Pray that had a final prize pool of $18,453.

Three players earned spots on Friday for the $350,000 Gtd. Players Championship.

Making 15 plays from 30 races for big money this Saturday and Sunday will be Tim Averill (3 wins, 3 places), George “Ki-“Bosch (4W, 1P) and Carl Rasak (4W, 0P). All three had Xy Speed ($17.80, $6.20) in the 8th at Gulfstream.

John Schimpf prospered with Heirozan ($16.60, $7.20) in the final contest race, the 9th at Gulfstream.

Schimpf (4 firsts, 1 second) got the $1,000 entry in Friday’s qualifier to this Saturday’s Santa Anita Derby Challenge.

The 2023 HT Tour champion Ed Peters booked 4 runners up followed by 2 winners (Xy Speed and Heirozan) late.

Peters pocketed the $3,000 entry in Friday’s play-in the to Kentucky Derby Challenge.

Kevin Willett (6 wins, 1 place) nailed all three of the 7-1 winners at the end of Friday’s Monmouth Pick Your Prize qualifier.

Also winning a $2,000 seat for finishing second was Lorne Weiss—who procrastinated but prevailed. His 3 wins and 2 places all came during the final five contest races.

Three wins and a place got the job done for Eric Liebmann.

Liebmann will now have action on April 13—in the Keeneland Grade One Gamble.

Three players accounted for seven grand prizes on Saturday. Daniel Fischer got three of them.

Fischer had turf winner Vive Veuve ($35.20, $9.00) in the first contest race, the 8th at Gulfstream and added 2 firsts and 2 seconds after that to win the day’s Santa Anita Derby Challenge play-in.

The same picks also got Fischer into the winner’s circle following Saturday’s Kentucky Derby Challenge qualifier.

Fischer struck again in Saturday’s play-in to the Players Championship.

His $90.60 tally only got him second place here behind NHC Hall of Fame Stephen Wolfson, but that was plenty good for a $2,000 Players Championship seat. Wolfson registered 4 winners (including Vive Veuve) and 5 runners up. Also reeling in Players Championship spots in this well-attended qualifier were Troy Robertson (3 wins, 2 places), 2023 Spa & Surf Showdown champ Anthony Spinazzola (3W, 0P) and Adam Lewis (also 3W, 0P).

Wolfson, meanwhile, also came out on top in Saturday’s Monmouth Pick Your Prize qualifier.

Evan Trommer (4 wins, 1 place) got the other available Monmouth scholarship. Like Wolfson, he had Vive Veuve early on.

Another double-winner on Florida Derby Day was Hayden Leibrock.

Leibrock had an 11-1 winner plus 54-1 Laughing Boy in New York—plus two place collections—to finish with an even $100.00 and earn $7,124 in Saturday’s Big Bucks Pick & Pray, which closed its doors with $10,177 in the kitty.

It doesn’t happen often, but the day’s winning Big Bucks score also held up in the same day’s NHC qualifier.

Here, Leibrock and his hundred-dollar bill bested not 9 but 118 rivals. Finishing second and also securing a seat in this $210 NHC Pick & Pray at HorsePlayers was Richard Scangarello, whose 5 firsts and 2 seconds were topped by Power Squeeze ($24.00, $8.40) in race 11 at Gulfsteam.

Speaking of Power Squeeze, that was also the big returner for Joseph “Keith” Foulke (5 wins, 5 places) in Saturday’s Gulfstream-only, full-card qualifier to the Players Championship. 

The other available $2,000 berth went to Anthony Laurino who…ahem…dwelt at the start, but generated 2 winners (including Vive Veuve) and 3 runners up after the awkward beginning.

Stephen McNatton  counted Vive Veuve among his 4 winners and 3 runners up on Saturday.

McNatton departed with the $10,000 entry in his pocket at the conclusion of Saturday’s $179 Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge qualifier at HorsePlayers.

Vive Veuve was also prominent on the scorecards of Richard Resnik (6 wins, 0 places) and 2018 Horse Players World Series champ Bob Montgomery (3W, 2P).

Both players landed on Power Squeeze as well. Resnik and Montgomery will do battle again on April 13 in the Keeneland Grade One Gamble.

Tony Brice (4 wins, 2 places) and New Yorker Joe “Tex” Scanio (4W, 3P) were the $1,000 seat winners in Saturday’s play-in to the April 20 Lone Star Spring Betting Challenge.

We call Scanio “Tex” only because of his predilection for participating in contests (mainly NHC qualifiers) hosted in the Lone Star state. If you don’t believe me, check out the results of Sunday’s Houston Betting Challenge play-in.

Scanio will be donning his 10-gallon hat and string tie and saying “Howdy” twice in Texas within a 15-day period after winning a $2,000 seat to this Saturday’s “HBC” at Sam Houston. Scanio defeated all except Robert Childress, who piked 7 winners out of the 12 contest races.

We mentioned earlier that Evan Trommer picked up a Monmouth Pick Your Prize seat on Saturday for finishing second to Stephen Wolfson. The next day, Trommer plucked a Kentucky Derby Challenge entry.

Trommer recorded 3 winners and 3 runners up. His biggest price came with Fast N Happy ($13.00, $6.20) in the final contest race, the 8th at Hawthorne.

The big cash-game winner on Easter was David Bajorek (3 wins, 3 places).

Race 10 at Gulfstream produced Bajorek’s biggest return with Miss Speedy ($19.20, $10.20). Bajorek bagged $11,418 in Sunday’s $20,000 Gtd. Pick & Pray, an HT Tour event, which closed with a pot of $25,375.

Howard Welsh also had Miss Speedy.

Welsh (2 firsts, 2 seconds) defeated four rivals and made off with $3,562 in Sunday’s $5,088 Big Bucks game.

Sunday’s NHC qualifying opportunity came here at HorseTourneys on Easter.

The early 2025 ticket punchers were Shawn Heron (4 wins, 3 places) and Michael Foster (4W, 2P). Miss Speedy was Heron’s biggest contributor. The high yielder for Foster was Creed’s Gold ($21.80, $9.20) in race 11 at Gulfstream. 

“The Colonel” Mark Hackworth (4 wins, 0 places) and Drew Keaton (2W, 2P) exited with the $1,000 seats in Sunday’s qualifier to the upcoming Santa Anita Derby Challenge.

Hackworth and Keaton both hit Miss Speedy.

Miss Speedy was also on John Orecchio’s scoresheet in Sunday’s Monmouth Pick Your Prize qualifier.

Orecchio stockpiled 6 wins and 2 places and edged Gregory Lewis by $1.80. Miss Speedy notwithstanding, a deceptively key move (in hindsight) for Orecchio was his choice of Lily’s Woofy, a 1-9 winner of the first contest race, the 3rd at Hawthorne. Lily’s Woofy returned an innocuous-at-the-time $2.10 to win and $2.10 to place, but that wound up making a big difference to Orecchio at the end.

That close finish went against Gregory Lewis, but another one worked out in his favor.

Lewis finished tied with Ben Beychok in Sunday’s Low Ratio Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge qualifier at HorsePlayers, but was awarded the top spot via tiebreaker by virtue of having 7 winners to Beychok’s 4. The more emotional people among us can probably envision a scenario in which Beychok might have thrown his shoe through the TV screen after the final-race payoffs were posted. This was not one of those situations, though. Since Lewis and Beychok had the same Pick & Pray selections in the final two races, their fates (at least relative to each other) were sealed with two contest races still to come.

Last but not least, David Curich (4 wins, 1 place) and Jon Petoskey (3W, 3P) each got $2,000 Players Championship entries for running one-two in Sunday’s qualifier that was focused solely on the full card from Gulfstream.

They both won with Creed’s Gold ($21.80, $9.20) in the 11th and final race. Curich, in fact, swept the final three contest races.

Before I close, I want to send belated kudos out to Eric “B Connected” Boyd. I meant to mention this last week, but Boyd (currently 3rd in the HT Tour standings) has already captured three Friday events in 2024, which earned him not just the usual cash and points, but also $500 and $1,000 bonuses for the second and third such victories. He will continue to earn $1,000 bonuses for each subsequent Friday featured-cash-game triumph he can achieve this year. To Eric, we say, “Well done.”. 

And, until next Monday, this Eric is all done.