(Courtesy of Del Mar Thoroughbred Club)
Christian Hellmers of Rancho Santa Fe, CA, built a big lead with both entries on day one and coasted home to victory in the Del Mar Handicapping Challenge finishing first and second. Players began the contest with a $3,000 live money bankroll in the two-day Challenge. Hellmers scored big on Day One in the Bob Hope Stakes, race five, hitting a $100 trifecta paying $20,000+ on both entries. Mark Streiff from Mission Viejo, CA, finished third.
It’s not easy to pick six winners out of 12 races. It’s even more difficult when those six winners score at odds of 6-1, 10-1, 12-1, 4-5, 6-1 and 9-1. But that’s exactly what Bill Shurman did in Saturday’s $25,000 Guaranteed game.
The Breeders’ Cup may be over, but contest play at HorseTourneys and HorsePlayers remains in high gear. In fact, qualifying for the NHC is just now shifting into overdrive.
I played in this year’s Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge. It was the first BCBC I ever attended, let alone participated in. The participation part didn’t go well at all. I lost every bet I made. But bad handicapping notwithstanding, I found the event enjoyable. The 3rd-floor Horsemen’s Lounge where I was seated seemed like a terrific spot, combining an outdoor setting with a pretty prime view of the paddock. I definitely felt like I was at Del Mar as opposed to some random simulcast facility. Very nice.
Nisan Gabbay, a 40-year-old software developer and owner of a tech startup company, turned two gutsy wagers in the day’s final two races into victory at the 2017 Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge at Del Mar.
Eric Moomey, a HorseTourneys qualifier to the Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge via his third-place finish at The BIG One in September, made an all-in win bet of $8,322 on Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Mendelssohn ($11.60 to win for $2) to leapfrog his way to the top of the leaderboard, and he stayed there the rest of the day to finish Day 1 of the two-day competition with a total of $48,071.40.
It’s Breeders’ Cup weekend and HorseTourneys is ready (HorsePlayers too) with its biggest Breeders’ Cup contest menu ever.
I’m very excited for the Breeders’ Cup this year, and I think it’s simply because the event is visiting a new venue. I miss the days of the “one-off” tracks like Arlington, Lone Star, Monmouth, Woodbine and, yes, even Aqueduct popping in to the rotation. After a long drought of new faces, we got Keeneland a couple of years ago and now we get Del Mar.
Political consultant Michael Beychok, winner of $1 million in the 2012 NHC, has often said that his annual handicapping focus really picks up after November–once the election cycles are complete.
To those of you who have locked up spots for the Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge—congratulations! To those who, as of yet, have not—there’s still time…but not much. This is your last weekend to secure a $10,000 entry to racing’s most prestigious live-bankroll tournament. HorsePlayers will offer a total of four guaranteed spots—one each on Friday and Sunday and two on Saturday.
But this weekend is about way more than just the BCBC. In fact, it may offer something of an opportunity.
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