Thanks in part to 15-1 Baseball Lady in Thursday’s 5th race at Belmont, Dr. Ronald Tang was in a…league of his own…here last week.

In addition to the Belmont longshot, the Southern California oncologist came up with two additional winners and one runner up on the way to triumphs in both the Keeneland Fall BCBC/NHC qualifier and the Pick & Pray Classic play-in on Thursday.

Some doctors take Sunday off—but not Tang.

He defeated all but NHC Hall of Famer Brett Wiener in Sunday’s qualifier to the Pick & Pray Classic, thereby picking up his second $1,500 seat of the week to the $200,000 Guaranteed final leg of the 2026 HT Champions Series here on December 5-6. In this one, Tang (3 firsts, 1 second) hit two horses—David Peppermon and War Warrior—that paid exactly $20.00 to win in the first two contest races, the 6th and 7th at Gulfstream. Wiener, meanwhile, also put up 3 wins and a place. He shared Tang’s appreciation for War Warrior.

Happily for Weiner, he copied and pasted those Pick & Pray Classic Pick & Pray picks into Sunday’s Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge Low Ratio qualifier at HorsePlayers—and Wiener’s prayers were answered there as well.

Wiener bested all with the exception of fellow $10,000 seat recipient Daniel “El Camino” Real (5 firsts, 1 second). David Peppermon ($20.00, $6.80) was Real’s most productive runner.

On Wednesday, the start of the featured-tourney week, Rick Vasquez only failed to make a collection in one of the 10 contest races.

Better yet for Vasquez, seven of his nine collections were on winners—highlighted by Exalted ($7.40, $4.80) in the 7th at Thistledown. Vasquez took Wednesday’s qualifiers to both the Keeneland Fall BCBC/NHC Challenge and the Pick & Pray Classic.

Jamey Gjetley (3 firsts, 3 seconds) had one big Wednesday winner that Vasquez missed—Pink Picture ($38.60, $18.20) in the 6th at Indianapolis.

Gjetley pocketed the grand prize of $2,581 in Wednesday’s $5,000 Guaranteed cash tourney, which closed with a final prize pool of $5,737.

Thursday’s cash-game star was Bobby Shoemaker (2 wins, 2 places).

Like Ronald Tang, Shoemaker hit a first-pitch line drive with 15-1 Baseball Lady in the first contest race, the 5th at Belmont. Shoemaker bagged the up-top money of $3,452 in Thursday’s $6,000 Gtd. Pick & Pray, which closed its doors with $7,672 in the kitty.

Richard Pearson rocketed out to a fast start on Thursday. He, too, plated Baseball Lady in the opener. In fact, he did all of his scoring (3 wins, 2 places) over the first five contest heats.

Pearson punched his ticket to Vegas in Thursday’s $120 NHC qualifier at HorsePlayers. 

HorsePlayers was also the locale of our most popular tournament of almost every single week—Friday’s $70 NHC play-in. 

On a day without many big prices, any collection was a worthwhile collection. Greg Knepper (5 wins, 1 place) landed the biggest “bomb” of the day in the final contest race, the 9th at Belmont, with Key Actress ($10.44, $4.88). That propelled Knepper from 8th place to 1st in this three-seater. Ryan Tyreman finished second. His biggest hit of the day was Next Level ($8.80, $4.00) in the 8th at Laurel, but another key score for him was the $5.18 place payoff he got in the last race that edged him into second position. Completing the trifecta was Key Actress backer Jose Raphael (4W, 3P).

Key Actress helped Dale Hatfield win Friday’s HT Tour feud.

Hatfield (4 firsts, 2 seconds) banked $8,415 for capturing Friday’s $15,000 Gtd. Pick & Pray, which paid out a total of $18,700. 

Another Key Actress fan was Vineet Sharma (3 firsts, 1 second).

Sharma emerged victorious in Friday’s Pick & Pray Classic qualifier. That Key Actress selection at the end also helped Sharma squeeze into second place in Friday’s two-seat, Low Ratio Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge at HorsePlayers. 

Topping the leaderboard here was Damian Roncevich, whose biggest contributor among 5 winners and 2 runners up was Next Level in the 8th at Laurel.

For Gregory Lewis, Friday’s best return was an $11.40 place mutuel courtesy of Speed Focused, the 19-1 runner up in race 9 at Laurel.

Lewis safeguarded the $3,500 entry into his pocket at the conclusion of Friday’s Keeneland Fall BCBC/NHC Challenge qualifier.

The 2025 New York New York Challenge champion Anthony “ATM” Mattera enjoyed a robust Saturday.

Mattera (4 wins, 1 place) and fellow seat winner Matthew Trommer (4W, 2P) both connected with 5-1 morning line proposition Forged Steel ($27.60, $9.60) in the Goodwood Stakes at Santa Anita. Mattera and Trommer received the Vegas packages in Saturday’s $195 NHC qualifier at HorsePlayers.

Mattera completed a valuable two-step by using the same picks to garner a Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge entry.

He defeated everyone except Earl “Slick” Watts in this two-seat affair. Watts swept the first four contest races en route to a 5-win, 1-place day. The most powerful selection for Watts came at the outset with Hidden Overture ($14.20, $7.20) in the 8th at Laurel.

Dennis Montoro (4 wins, 2 places) was one of the Saturday players pleased to see his Pick & Pray selection of 5-1 morning line horse Forged Steel win and return $27.60 to win and $9.60 to place in the 8th at Santa Anita.

Montoro captured our richest event of the week, Saturday’s $25,000 Gtd. Pick & Pray (an HT Tour event). He took home $13,032 from what was a final purse of $28,960.

NHC Hall of Famer Chris Littlemore did all of his damage (2 wins, 2 places) over the second half of Saturday’s 12-race menu.

Littlemore and the redoubtable G.T. Nixon (5W, 0P) reeled in the $1,500 seats in Saturday’s Pick & Pray Classic qualifier. Littlemore got a big boost from Forged Steel. Nixon’s best winner was Roar Ready ($12.40, $7.40) in race 9 at Gulfstream.

Brian O’Kane (4 wins, 3 places) and Stephan Gravina (4W, 1P) came away with the $3,500 berths in Saturday’s Keeneland Fall BCBC/NHC Challenge play-in.

O’Kane’s best return came in the final contest race via Acclaim Perfection ($15.40, $9.20) in the 10th at Santa Anita. Gravina did his best work right at the start with Hidden Overture.

There was also a Keeneland qualifier on Sunday. The two $3,500 seat winners were Edward Reidy (3 wins, 1 place) and NHC Hall of Famer Cheryl McIntyre (3W, 2P).

The big horse for both was War Warrior ($20.00, $7.40) in race 7 at Gulfstream.

Dan Warden (5 wins, 0 places) hit the other $20.00 winner at the Hallandale Beach, Fla., oval on Sunday—David Peppermon in the 6th.

Warden locked up the Vegas seat in Sunday’s NHC Low Ratio play-in at HorsePlayers. 

David Lupo (4 firsts, 3 seconds) nailed both David Peppermon and War Warrior. 

Lupo pocketed the $11,025 top prize in Sunday’s HT Tour battle, our $20,000 Gtd. Pick & Pray, which was ultimately worth a total of $24,500.

There were two winners in Sunday’s $155 NHC qualifier at HorsePlayers.

Congratulations to Vishnu “were here” Kwalsingh (4 wins, 2 places) and Brian Fairlie (3W, 4P). Kwalsingh had the two early $20.00 horses. Fairlie finished strong by picking the final two contest-race winners, including Zenyatta Stakes heroine Super Corredora ($17.60, $6.40) in the 8th at Santa Anita.

Keeneland opens up and joins our lineup of tracks on Friday. Plenty of stakes races for Breeders’ Cup-bound horses will be hosted there and at Belmont and Santa Anita all weekend long. Enjoy the action…and good luck in all of your upcoming tourney entries.