Stephen Thompson didn’t finish first in any featured tourneys last week. However, the Lebanon, Pa., funeral home owner and supervisor still managed to bring home seats to three important contests—and he did so on three different days.

On Wednesday, Thompson (6 wins, 0 places) bested everyone except Sean Nolan (5W, 2P) in that day’s two-seat qualifier to the $200,000 Gtd. New York New York Challenge here on June 5-6. The two players shared a fondness for Tail Gunner ($15.20, $5.20) in race 7 at Horseshoe Indy.

Thompson picked up his second New York New York Challenge entry on Saturday.

Thanks in part to the big price of the day on Saturday—Big Soiree ($41.00, $11.20) in the 4th at Santa Anita—Thompson (4 wins, 2 places) finished 3rd among five $1,500 seat winners. The others were Christian Orscher (5W, 1P), Jeff Bussan (3W, 3P), Frank “Plaster of” Paros (7W, 2P) and Blake Courtney 3W, 2P). All but Paros hit Big Soiree. The top return for Paros came in the final contest race with Code ($16.80, $8.80) in race 10 at Gulfstream.

On Sunday, Thompson once again displayed the caring, dignified manner that has served him well professionally for so many years.

This time it was John Gaspar who Thompson allowed to finish ahead of him…in Sunday’s Preakness Challenge qualifier. Altruism and compassion have their limits, though, and Thompson made sure to squirrel away that other available $1,500 seat for himself. In this tourney, Gaspar (3 wins, 1 place) made a big splash with Corbet’s Crush ($35.60, $16.00) in the 7th at Gulfstream. Thompson, on the other hand, took a low-key approach. His highest return came from Glassine ($10.34, $3.40) in the 6th at BAQ.

David Wolff wasted little time to ensure that his name made this recap for a fourth consecutive week.

Wolff, our 2023 Flo-Cal Faceoff champion picked up his sixth featured-tourney victory in the past four weeks by prevailing in Wednesday’s $5,000 Guaranteed cash game—which closed with a final purse of $5,530. Tail Gunner, in the first contest race, was Wolff’s best pick among the 6 wins and 2 places that got him the $2,765 top prize.

DRF’s Kenny Peck (5 firsts, 2 seconds) also liked Tail Gunner.

Peck grabbed the lone $2,000 entry available in Wednesday’s Monmouth Pick Your Prize qualifier.

Wednesday’s Preakness Challenge qualifier went to “Pistol” Pete Acocella.

Acocella’s victory came on the strength of Tail Gunner plus 3 other winners and 2 runners up.

Like Stephen Thompson, Acocella didn’t limit his success to a single day.

He also led the way in Friday’s Monmouth Pick Your Prize play-in. Acocella’s only winner all day was Encantar ($31.98, $12.12) in the 8th at BAQ. Runner up Mark Everhart (3 wins, 3 places) didn’t have Encantar, but he still managed a second-place finish that delivered him the other available $2,000 berth. Everhart’s heaviest lifter was Edistrudis ($8.54, $3.88) in race 6 at the Ozone Park, N.Y., oval.

On Thursday, Terry Bollom (3 wins, 3 places) and 2022 NHC Tour champ Jay Johns (3W, 1P) added their names to the roster of participants for the New York New York Challenge. 

Bollom and Johns both let out a roar after the triumph by Lionistic ($22.40, $4.40) in race 7 at Thistledown.

William McMillan has been a red-hot player here of late. In last week’s recap, we noted that he recorded qualifier victories on Wednesday and Friday. This past week, he topped leaderboards on Thursday and Saturday. The one key difference is that last week he wasn’t focused so much on contest seats as cold, hard cash.

Lionistic was McMillan’s stable star on the way to winning $3,235 in Thursday’s $6,000 Gtd. Pick & Pray. McMillan finished with 4 wins and a place in a tourney that was ultimately worth a total of $7,189.

In Saturday’s $6,106 Big Bucks Pick & Pray, McMillan bagged $4,274.

McMillan counted Big Soiree among his 4 wins and 3 places. His final total of $111.48 was pretty darned gaudy for a Big Bucks game, and he wound up winning by nearly $36.00.

Friday saw reigning HT and NHC Tour champion Dave “Gambling Actuary” Nichols enjoy a big day.

Nichols (4 wins, 1 place) took a nice step towards a possible HT Tour “repeat” in 2026 by capturing Friday’s HT Tour event, our $15,000 Gtd, Pick & Pray, which closed with a final pot of $22,175. The winner’s share of $9,979 went to Nichols, who had 14-1 Encantar on his scoresheet.

By the numbers, the other Friday victory for Nichols was even more valuable.

Nichols got a $10,000 Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge entry by copying and pasting his cash-game selections into this Low Ratio BCBC qualifier at HorsePlayers. Tim Kindlon finished second—good for a $5,000 partial BCBC seat.

Robert Carlson (6 wins, 2 places), recent NHC Hall of Fame inductee Mike Ferrozzo (5W, 1P), Dominick Capobianco (4W, 1P) and Philip Fairbanks (2W, 4P) all came up with Encantar.

They were the four Vegas package winners in Friday’s $70 NHC qualifier at HorsePlayers. Fairbanks got that fourth and final seat by just 36 cents over an unfortunate Robert Fry.

The two players to exceed the $60.00 barrier were the two to reel in $1,500 entries in Friday’s Preakness Challenge play-in.

Congratulations to Chip Armbruster (3 wins, 0 places) and Steven Meier (1W, 3P). They shared an appreciation of Encantar.

Matthew Blanchet was also an Encantar fan.

Blanchet came away with the $2,500 entry at the conclusion of Friday’s Lone Star Million Betting Challenge qualifier.

To win a $1,500 berth in Friday’s New York New York Challenge qualifier, the target score turned out to be $50.00.

The three who cleared that bar were Wendy Long (5 wins, 2 places), Max Schnepf (4W, 1P) and Steve Arrison (3W, 4P). The highest return for each member of this happy trio came not from Encantar but, rather, from Moonstrosity ($9.40, $2.60) in race 6 at Gulfstream.

Scores were considerably higher on Saturday. The best of those scores—among 12-race tourneys anyway—belonged to Al Richardson.

Fittingly, that performance came in our richest tourneys of the week, Saturday’s $25,000 Gtd. Pick & Pray (an HT Tour game). It carried a final pot of $28,351, and $12,757 of it went to Richardson, who put up 4 wins and 3 places. One of his winners was Big Soiree.

For anyone to top Richardson’s score of $119.54, it would take 15 contest races. That’s how many heats comprised Saturday’s free NHC qualifier at HorsePlayers.

Four players got full scholarships to the NHC in this one. They were John Bush (6 wins, 1 place), Julie Kochensparger (5W, 4P), Tom Noone (6W, 1P) and Hank Kipper (8W, 2P). All four of them scored big with Big Soiree.

Tim Moline (4 wins, 1 place) and Joseph Parella (3W, 2P) were also Big Soiree backers.

They earned the $1,500 entries in Saturday’s qualifier to this coming Saturday’s Xpressbet Preakness Challenge.

Big Soiree was one of six Saturday winners selected by “The Admiral” Steve Nemetz.

Nemetz snagged a low-cost Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge entry in Saturday’s $179 qualifier at HorsePlayers. Half a loaf is better than no loaf at all, and that’s what Steven Meier got for finishing second—a $5,000 partial BCBC entry.

For Joe Aurello (5 firsts, 1 second), the big horse on Saturday was Durante ($16.50, $7.96) in the 6th at BAQ.

With high honors, Aurello passed Saturday’s entrance exam to the Lone Star Million Betting Challenge.

On Saturday, we offered our first qualifier to the June 27 DeFrancis Day Challenge at Laurel.

Gregory Lewis garnered the $500 entry as a result of 4 firsts and 3 seconds. His best hit came with speedy, wire-to-wire BAQ race 7 victress Irish Maxima ($14.44, $6.84).

There were three winners of $2,000 entries in Saturday’s qualifier to the June 13 Monmouth Pick Your Prize tournament.

Congrats to 2021 Flo-Cal Faceoff champion Alan Levitt (2 wins, 3 places), Brandon Leigh (5W, 1P) and Alexander Johnson, who had a high batting average here with 4 wins and 2 places. Levitt and Leigh nailed Big Soiree. Johnson’s best return was provided by Code ($16.80, $8.80) in the 10th at Gulfstream.

Matthew Baiungo had himself a very profitable Sunday.

Baiungo (3 wins, 0 places) led a group of three players who picked up $2,000 seats in Sunday’s Monmouth Pick Your Prize qualifier. The others who did so were George Chute (8 wins, 1 place) and Darryl Mays (4W, 3P). Baiungo smoked out 16-1 longshot Corbet’s Crush. Chute’s top return came via Pearl of Pearl ($8.40, $5.80) in the 9th at Gulfstream. The best strike for Mays was delivered by 4-1 Glavine at BAQ. 

Using the same picks, Baiungo also grabbed himself an NHC seat.

Baiungo finished third behind our 2024 Pick & Pray Classic victor Mark Stillmock (3 wins, 4 places) and Evan Topol (3W, 2P). Each of the top three finishers got a big boost from Corbet’s Crush.

Corbet’s Crush was the best part of John Fasola’s 7-win, 1-place day.

It was a Mother’s Day to remember for Fasola, who collected $12,206 for taking the day’s HT Tour get-together, our $20,000 Gtd. Pick & Pray, which closed with a final pot of $27,125.

Steven Culhane (2 firsts, 2 seconds) was a Corbet’s Crush believer.

Culhane scooped up the hefty $6,500 package in Sunday’s guaranteed qualifier to the July 25-26 Del Mar Summer Challenge.

Craig White (3 firsts, 2 seconds) also used Corbet’s Crush as a springboard to success.

White reeled in the $2,500 entry in Sunday’s Lone Star Million Betting Challenge qualifier.

Dan Desena (3 wins, 1 place), Joseph “Keith” Foulke (5W, 2P) and Craig “Home Sweet” Hom were the three $1,500 seat winners in Sunday’s play-in to the $200,000 Gtd. New York New York Challenge.

Desena and Hom managed to dope out Big Soiree. Foulke’s highest win price came courtesy of Top Class ($7.80, $3.20) in the first contest heat, the 6th race at Gulfstream.

Corbet’s Crush plus two other winners and one runner up resulted in a $10,000 seat for Tom Lenberg in Sunday’s Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge Low Ratio qualifier at HorsePlayer.

Finishing closest to Lenberg was Nick Yerton, who received a $5,000 partial BCBC seat for his efforts.

Saturday is Preakness Day, of course. We’ll have a wide variety of cash games and qualifiers surrounding the big day (and surrounding Black-Eyed Susan Day as well). One of those special games will be Saturday’s $5,000 Guaranteed All Optional Live cash tourney, with 10 plays to made from 25 eligible contest races. (By popular demand, we’re now running two of these a month in addition to our regular array of “mandatory” events.)

It promises to be an exciting week ahead here. Hope to see you around. Good luck!