William “23” Sadoo hit 47-1 shot Take a Stance ($96.20, $36.22) in Sunday’s first contest race, the 6th at Saratoga, and that led to a lot of winning for the Pennsylvanian-turned-Californian.

Mind you, Sadoo wasn’t the only player who hit Take a Stance (trained by Michelle Nevin, not Ernesto Ochoa). So he needed to add on after that big, initial hit—and that’s just what he did in Sunday’s HT Tour game, our $20,000 Guaranteed tourney.

Sadoo added 3 more winners and 2 runners up after having taken a stance with Take a Stance—and that got him the $13,584 first prize in a competition that was ultimately worth a total of $30,187.

A former jockey’s agent, Sadoo didn’t score quite as well at HorsePlayers in Sunday’s $155 NHC qualifier that was restricted to non-winners of a 2026 seat…but he still had Take a Stance among what were 2 firsts and 3 seconds here, and he punched his ticket to Vegas. 

Hang on. I’m being told now that Sadoo actually has two entries in the big dance.

That’s because the same picks that got him seat #1 also got him seat #2 in Sunday’s simultaneous, $500 Low Ratio play-in at HorsePlayers.

Those same 2 wins and 3 places were also plenty productive in Sunday’s Pacific Classic Challenge qualifier.

Sadoo, thus, earned a $4,000 entry into the August 22 contest.

One of Sadoo’s runners up—Shared Future ($6.00 to place) in the 8th at Del Mar—didn’t make it on to his ticket in Sunday’s multi-track Spa & Surf Showdown qualifier. As a matter of fact, no horse made it onto his ticket in that race. Is it possible that the erstwhile jockey’s agent was playing so many Live-format tourneys that he spun himself?

No matter. He still hung on for 3rd place—and the $2,500 seat that went with it. The two who outdid him were 2020 Spa & Surf Showdown champion Scott Fiedler (2 wins, 4 places) and DRF’s Kenny Peck (2W, 5P). Fiedler and Peck also planted a flag early on with Take a Stance.

All in all, it was roughly a $30,000 day for Sadoo.

Wednesday was a $5,000 or so day for Charles Welch.

Nearly half of that total came to Welch by winning a $2,500 seat to the aforementioned Spa & Surf Showdown—the $400,000 Guaranteed fourth leg of the HT Champions Series here on August 29-30. His most lucrative return of the day was provided by Emboutteillage ($33.26, $10.84) in the 6th at Saratoga.

The same picks earned Welch $2,626 in Wednesday’s $5,000 Guaranteed cash game, which had a final prize pool of $5,253.

In both this event and his Wednesday Spa & Surf Showdown qualifier victory, Welch needed to hit 5-1 Linzer in the 9th at Horseshoe Indianapolis to get the “W”. Despite original post-time schedules, that 9th at Horseshoe Indy wound up being the final contest race from a chronological standpoint.

Jacklyn Lucas ($50.60, $13.00) in the 2nd at Del Mar was the horse you really wanted to have on Thursday. Frederick Reynolds (2 firsts, 3 seconds) nailed that one.

Reynolds reeled in the Vegas package in Thursday’s $120 NHC qualifier at HorsePlayers.

David Tunin (4 wins, 1 place) was also a Jacklyn Lucas fan.

Tunin captured the $2,500 berth in Thursday’s Spa & Surf Showdown entrance exam.

Gary Machiz uncovered Jacklyn Lucas plus 3 other winners and 2 runners up in Thursday’s $6,000 Gtd. Pick & Pray, which closed with a final purse of $9,262.

Machiz received $4,168 for his efforts—and on Friday, he prudently reinvested some of those winnings.

The good times kept rolling for Machiz (4 firsts, 2 seconds) in Friday’s Kentucky Downs King of the Turf  Handicapping Challenge qualifier. He got his best return from You’re Lookin Good ($22.30, $9.40) in the 8th at Saratoga.

Machiz also utilized the same selections to great success in Friday’s Spa & Surf Showdown play-in.

Fellow You’re Lookin Good backer Nate Newby (4 wins, 1 place) also secured a $2,500 place in the Spa & Surf Showdown for finishing closest to Machiz.

Grant Boudon did all of his scoring (3 winners) in Friday’s final four contest races.

One of those scores came courtesy of the big bomb of the day—Grandisimo ($116.20, $38.20) in the final contest race, the 8th at Del Mar. The cap horse allowed Boudon to get up for a $9,995 windfall in Friday’s HT Tour battle, our $15,000 Gtd. Pick & Pray, which closed with a final pot of $24,998.

There were four package winners in Friday’s $70 NHC qualifier at HorsePlayers.

Congratulations to Todd “American” Faro (4 wins, 2 places), Royle “Highness” Hatico (3W, 1P), Chuck LeFevre (1 place, followed by 4 consecutive winners) and Ray Hassan (2W, 2P). All except LeFevre scored big with Grandisimo. LeFevre’s top gun was Unpretentious ($31.80, $8.00) in the 4th at Del Mar.

Both Daniel “El Camino” Real (3 wins, 5 places) and Thomas Mayberry (4W, 1P) counted Unpretentious as their most ostentatious return of the day. 

They each got $10,000 berths in Friday’s Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge Low Ratio qualifier at HorsePlayers.

Saturday was an excellent day for past HT Tour champions. Three of them won grand prizes (and there are only five such champs since the HT Tour began in 2021).

That inaugural HT Tour winner was Jorge Cruz-Aedo, and on Saturday, he took a step towards becoming our first-ever two-time Tour victor. He picked 7 winners and 2 runners out of 12 races to collect the up-top money of $15,501 in Saturday’s HT Tour battle (and richest tourney of the week), our $25,000 Guaranteed game, which closed its doors with $34,448 in the kitty. His best pick was Will Not Be Swayed ($26.00, $8.38) in race 13 on the Whitney Day card at Saratoga.

Our 2023 HT Tour champion was Ed Peters, the pride of the Granite State. 

On Saturday, Peters (2 wins, 3 places) was one of three to pick up $2,500 entries in Saturday’s multi-track Spa & Surf Showdown qualifier. Peters finished behind John Gaspar (4W, 1P) and ahead of Anthony Moline (4W, 1P) in this three-seater. All three were absolutely steadfast in their belief that Will Not Be Swayed would take the 13th at Saratoga.

The other past HT Tour winner who prospered on Saturday was our most recent champion, Dave “Gambling Actuary” Nichols. 

Nichols recorded 4 winners and 3 runners up to grab the $4,000 entry in Saturday’s qualifier to the August 22 Pacific Classic Challenge. His most rewarding selection was the speedy Glacius ($21.24, $8.46) in race 11 at Saratoga, the Saratoga Derby.

Raymond Gallant Jr. was also a fan of Glacius.

Gallant got the cut-rate $10,000 entry in Saturday’s $179 Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge qualifier at HorsePlayers. He finished the day with 5 winners. Joe Jacaruso finished in second postion. That was good for a $5,000 partial BCBC seat.

As far as race 13 at Saratoga was concerned, there was no talking Brooks Schuler out of Will Not Be Swayed.

Schuler (4 firsts, 2 seconds) accounted for the $2,500 seat that was up for grabs in Saturday’s Kentucky Downs King of the Turf Handicapping Challenge qualifier at HorsePlayers.

This year’s Flo-Cal Faceoff champion Tory Cameron was happy that he didn’t change his mind about Will Not Be Swayed.

Cameron missed a pick at the end, but still generated 7 winners from the 13 plays that he did get in on time. That was sufficient to get him first place in Saturday’s full-card, Saratoga-only qualifier to the Spa & Surf Showdown. There were enough players signed on in this one for a second $2,500 seat to be awarded, and that one went to the other entrant who cracked triple figures—NHC Hall of Famer Trey Stiles (4 wins, 1 place). The highlight for Stiles came in race 6 with Summer Starlet ($33.76, $14.28).

Gregory Palma (7 wins, 1 place) and Steven Franckowiak (2W, 2P) captured the seats in Saturday’s $155 NHC qualifier at HorsePlayers.

Slow and steady won the race for Palma. His biggest payoff came at the end with Non Domicile ($10.40, $5.40) in the 10th at Del Mar. Franckowiak was adamant (or so we’ll assume) about Will Not Be Swayed.

A score of $36.72 got it done for Kenneth Arnerich in Saturday’s $7,142 Big Bucks Pick & Pray.

Arnerich only picked one winner (an even-money shot). His best return came from frontrunner Mi Bago, who held on for 2nd and returned $12.26 to place in race 10 at Saratoga, the Fourstardave Stakes. Arnerich’s winner’s share came to $4,986.

Taking a look at the few Sunday featured tourneys that did not involve William Sadoo…Marc Wlodkowski picked 5 winners to take the full-card, Saratoga-only qualifier to the Spa & Surf Showdown. His most lucrative selection was Saint Dymphna ($17.54, $9.24) in race 5.

For Włodkowski, it was his second Spa & Surf Showdown seat won in as many weeks.

In the 7th at Saratoga on Sunday, Paul Dunbar sniffed out M B’s Melanie Cares (trained by Ernesto Ochoa, not Michelle Nevin).

The 12-1 proposition was part of a 4-win, 2-place day for Dunbar, who bagged the $10,000 entry in Sunday’s Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge Low Ratio qualifier at HorsePlayers.

Evan Trommer took home the $2,500 berth at the conclusion of Sunday’s Kentucky Downs King of the Turf Handicapping Challenge qualifier.

Trommer only managed one winner, but it was a nice one—47-1 Take a Stance in the 6th at Saratoga. From that point on, he added three place collections.

Thanks to all for participating. Note that next weekend will be the final one in which to qualify for the Pacific Classic Challenge—and that the Spa & Surf Showdown is now less than three weeks away. May your name appear in these recaps sometime soon. Good luck!