There’s nothing like ending the year on a high note. Just ask Eldon Stivers—who may be disappointed to see 2025 nearing a conclusion.

For finishing second in Friday’s Flo-Cal Faceoff qualifier, Stivers (3 wins, 0 places) was one of four players to collect $1,500 entries into the $200,000 Guaranteed test here on January 31-February 1. The other three were first-place finisher Terrence Frank (2W, 0P), third-place contestant Gene Stewart (5W, 1P) and superfecta completer Mike Elsass (4W, 2P). 

The Flo-Cal Faceoff berth represents just the tip of the iceberg, however, in terms of why the final full week of 2025 was such a special one for Stivers.

The same selections, which included bomb Vino Solo ($122.40, $40.00) in race 5 at Tampa Bay Downs, also brought Stivers a triumph worth $9,921 in Friday’s HT Tour battle, our $15,000 Gtd. Pick & Pray, which closed with a final purse of $22,048.

The next day, there was even more money to be won.

On Saturday, Stivers stockpiled 5 winners and 4 runners up, topped by Hollywood Import ($21.20, $5.20) in race 8 at Laurel. The nine collections meant a second HT Tour victory in as many days—this one worth $14,486 in our richest tourney of the week, Saturday’s $25,000 Gtd. Pick & Pray, which wound up with a pot of $32,192.

Total two-day haul for Stivers: $24,407 in cash plus the $1,500 Flo-Cal Faceoff entry. Happy holidays, indeed.

It was a happy Christmas Eve for William McKinney Jr.

McKinney recorded 3 wins and a place in taking Wednesday’s $5,000 Guaranteed cash game, which had a final prize pool of $11,129. McKinney’s share of that came to  $4,451. His most productive selection was cap horse Tomarie ($81.40, $30.00) in race 10 at Parx. And look who was 2nd…Eldon Stivers!

Craig “Home Sweet” Hom (2 wins, 1 place), Sean O’Malley (1W, 0P) and 2022 NHC Tour champ Jay Johns (3W, 2P) all got a present on the day before Santa came down the chimney.

Their pre-Christmas gift was a Flo-Cal Faceoff seat. Hom and O’Malley scored with Tomarie. (For O’Malley, it was his only collection.) The top return for Johns came courtesy of Dogwood Crossing ($13.20, $5.00) in the 6th at Gulfstream.

Edward “The Wright Stuff” Wright has been hot lately. On Wednesday, he won a $500 spot in the February 14 Laurel Handicapping Challenge.

Wright’s best pick among 3 firsts and 4 seconds was Jack’s Promise ($10.80, $5.40) in race 8 at Gulfstream.

The day after Christmas was a good one for David Nelson.

Nelson’s 2-win, 2-place scorecard included Tampa tote buster Vino Solo in the first contest race, and that propelled him to wire-to-wire victories in both the Houston Betting Championship qualifier and the Lone Star Simulcast Betting Challenge play-in on Friday. 

Tarik Koutchaf spotted Hawk ($20.40, $7.40) in the second contest race, 6th at Gulfstream.

Koutchaf picked up the $500 berth in Friday’s Laurel Handicapping Championship qualifier.

Matthew Ache (3 firsts, 1 second) managed to smoke out both Vino Solo and Hawk at the outset of the Friday proceedings.

Ache was feeling to pain in Friday’s Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge Low Ratio qualifier at HorsePlayers.

There were enough entries in the other Friday feature at HorsePlayers, a $75 NHC qualifier, for three Vegas packages to be awarded.

The skillful trio was comprised of Julie Jorgensen (2 wins, 3 places), Mark Streiff (5W, 0P) and Dave “The Warrior” Smyth (2W, 5P). All three scored big with Vino Solo. Jorgensen followed that one up with Hawk.

Another player who drank an early Friday toast to Vino Solo was David Brownfield.

Brownfield (2 firsts, 2 seconds) earned the $1,000 berth in Friday’s qualifier to the High Rollers Handicapping Contest, to be hosted by Tampa Bay Downs on February 20-21.

On Saturday, we offered our first qualifier to the always-popular Keeneland Grade One Gamble, which will take place on April 11.

Leading the way was Ted “Forbidden” Apple (5 wins, 1 place). Apple and fellow $3,500 seat earner Wayne Bertrand (4W, 2P) both nailed 9-1 Hollywood Import in the 8th at Laurel. Bertrand, however, needed a 7-2 winner in the contest finale to get up for second place by 20 cents over an unfortunate Jim Orban.

Things were similarly tight in Saturday’s two-seat qualifier to the Pegasus World Cup Betting Championship on January 24. 

Friday’s $10,000 Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge seat winner Matthew Ache added a $6,500 Pegasus package to his portfolio thanks to Hollywood Import plus 3 other winners and 2 runners up. The second and final berth came down to a tiebreaker between Basil DeVito and Rafael Lopez. The latter had the 7-2 winner (Modarosa—$9.00, $5.00) in the 11th at Gulfstream, which lifted him up into a tie with DeVito. However, DeVito wound up with 4 winners compared to 3 for Lopez, and that gave DeVito the tiebreaker nod for the package. In hindsight, Lopez needed an extra 20 cents out of Modarosa.

The real bomb of the day was Mackenzie’s Novva ($187.00, $41.20) in the 7th at Tampa Bay Downs. The 2024 Pick & Pray Classic and HT Grand Slam champion Mark Stillmock had it.

Stillmock (2 wins, 4 places) headed the leaderboard in Saturday’s Flo-Cal Faceoff qualifier. The other two available Flo-Cal entries went to Rafael Lopez (which may have helped take some of the sting out of the Pegasus qualifier for him) and Gene Cahalan. Neither Lopez nor Cahalan came up with Mackenzie’s Novva, but they each had Hollywood Import. 

Thomas Flores (4 wins, 1 place) nailed both Mackenzie’s Novva and Hollywood Import.

Flores romped to a $48.00 victory in Saturday’s open, $210 NHC qualifier at HorsePlayers. Also punching his ticket to Vegas was runner up Jim Murphy. His 4 winners and a place included Hollywood Import.

Steve Arrison was another who hit Hollywood Import in that race 8 at Laurel.

Such winners would serve Arrison well when he competes in the February 14 Laurel Handicapping Challenge.

Mackenzie’s Novva was one of seven winners (plus a place) that gave Thomas Keenan the high score of the day, $138.70, on Saturday. 

Keenan nearly doubled up his nearest foe, triumphing by more than a cap horse ($69.10) in Saturday’s NHC Low Ratio qualifier at HorsePlayers—an event restricted to those who had yet to secure a 2026 seat. 

The other featured tourney at HorsePlayers on Saturday went to David “Jury of his” Pyrz.

Pyrz (5 firsts, 1 second) earned the $10,000 entry in Saturday’s $179 Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge qualifier. His big horse was Abrumar ($16.40, $5.80) in race 7 at Gulfstream.

David Barnier (4 firsts, 1 second) also used Abrumar as a springboard to Saturday success.

Barnier got the $2,849 grand prize in Saturday’s $4,071 Big Bucks Pick & Pray.

Steven Simonovic (5 wins, 0 places) and Stephan Gravina (5W, 4P) came away with the $1,500 entries in Saturday’s qualifier to the Houston Betting Championship.

Simonovic’s quintet of winners included Hollywood Import. Gravina’s biggest-priced winner paid $7.80 in the first contest race, and he chipped up innocently (but frequently) from there. 

Sunday’s top scorer came in an unlikely spot.

It was Bob Gianquitti, who tallied $127.92 in taking Sunday’s 23-entry Houston Betting Championship qualifier. His 5 firsts and 3 seconds included the day’s two biggest prices—Beyond Belief ($25.40, $7.40) in the 9th at Gulfstream and Ambaya ($27.40, $9.20) in the final contest race, the Grade I American Oaks at Santa Anita.

Like Gianquitti, Chip Sarna (5 wins, 2 places) doped out both Beyond Belief and Ambaya.

Sarna pocketed $13,190 for capturing Sunday’s HT Tour event, our $20,000 Gtd. Pick & Pray, which closed its doors with $29,312 in the kitty.

Elio Imbornone (5 firsts, 1 second) celebrated at the end with Ambaya.

Imbornone emerged with the $10,000 seat at the conclusion of Sunday’s Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge Low Ratio qualifier at HorsePlayers. 

Dr. Ronald Tang (4 wins, 1 place), 2023 Spa & Surf Showdown champion Anthony Spinazzola (4W, 4P), 2020 Spa & Surf Showdown hero Scott Fiedler (5W, 1P) and 2024 Flo-Cal Faceoff winner Michael Solakis were the four recipients of $1,500 entries in Sunday’s Flo-Cal Faceoff qualifier.

Tang and Solakis profited most from Beyond Belief. Spinazzola and Fiedler backed Ambaya in the tourney nightcap.

William “Bubble” Gumm (4 wins, 1 place) and Karol Mannarino (also 4W, 1P) each had Beyond Belief running for them on Sunday.

They got the seats in Sunday’s $165 NHC Pick & Pray here at HorseTourneys.

Paul “Morning” Kloeker counted Ambaya as his last of four Sunday winners.

Kloeker snagged the $500 spot in Sunday’s Laurel Handicapping Challenge qualifier.

LATE UPDATE: We just got word that all final computations have been made…and that Dave “Gambling Actuary” Nichols has been crowned the 2025 HorseTourneys Tour Champion.

After recording four HT Tour victories during the year and amassing 98.442 HT Tour points, Nichols will receive $20,000 in cash, a seat to all five HT Champions Series events in 2026 and, of course, the coveted title of “HorseTourneys Handicapper of the Year”.

Finishing second in the standings with 97.952 points was Evan Trommer. He wins $10,000 plus a seat to three 2026 HT Champions Series events of his choosing. 

Last year’s HT Tour champ, Eric “Skeet” Boyd, was third this year with 95.856 points. He gets $5,000 plus entry into two 2026 HT Champions Series competitions.

The 2024 NHC champion—and 2025 HT Champions Series winner—Mike Gillum (94.457 points) was fourth. That’s good for $2,500 in cash and one HT Champions Series event seat.

Coming in fifth with 90.800 points was Mike Lazarus who picks up $1,000 plus an entry into one 2026 HT Champions Series tourney.

Congratulations to our five bonus winners, and thanks to all of you who participated in an HT Tour event this year. If your New Year’s resolution is to win next year’s HT Tour Championship, be aware that you are currently tied for first in the 2026 standings!