From the DMR website
http://www.dmtc.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3764
New York Man Captures Del Mar Handicapping Challenge
New Yorker Jerry Brown turned his $6,000 bankroll into a nearly $60,000 to take first place in Del Mar Thoroughbred Club's Handicapping Challenge. For his top finish, he earned a cash award of $20,000 in addition to his $39,000-plus in winnings and a slot on a Del Mar team for the DRF/NTRA Handicapping Championship in Las Vegas next January.
Second-place finisher Dennis Tiernan of Woodlands Texas, had $5,000 in prize money added to his winnings of over $23,000. He had earned a spot in the Las Vegas tournament.
Five slots in the Championship were at stake in the contest. With two of the top seven finishers already qualified, the sixth and seventh place finishers earned trips to Las Vegas. The seventh Del Mar team slot will be awarded to the first-place finisher in the track's Online Handicapping Challenge.
The contest was co-sponsored with Del Mar by TVG and Daily Racing Form.
The top ten finishers and their earnings included:
1 – Jerry Brown, New York, NY -- $39,341
2 – Dennis Tiernan, Woodlands, TX -- $23,759*
3 – Dennis Decauwer, Rancho Cucamonga, CA -- $17,804
4 – Toby Turrell, Westminster, CA -- $17,118*
5 – David Gutfreund, Chicago, IL -- $16,672
6 – Ross Gallo, Jupiter, FL -- $15, 106
7 – Mark Streiff, San Pedro, CA -- $10,105
8 – Ray Pagano, Alameda, CA -- $9,800
9 – Rupert Smith, Bethany Beach, DE – 9,170
10 – Joe Hinso, Germantown, TN -- $8,492
That\'s funny. I do not see Len Ragozin\'s name anywhere on this list....
TGJB:
Congratulations.....great job. Nice to see rewards go to those who work hard.
Good Luck,
Joe B.
Thanks to Joe and everyone else.
Congrats, TGJB
Any of the losers using \"The Sheets?\"
\"Remember, second place ain\'t nothing but first loser\" -- Richard Petty
Hey Jerry I wanted your opinion on something. Polytrack comes to Keeneland this week and I played last Saturday\'s Turfway card and not only did I lose but found the races very hard to predict. I love Keeneland and don\'t want to skip but I was wondering if you are finding the Polytrack plays profitable or not Thanks E
I think I did okay on that Turfway card, but the thing to remember is that it is not dirt or grass, but a third surface. Which means it\'s not safe to make assumptions, and therefore not a good idea to take short prices on anything that hasn\'t already shown it can do it over that surface. Any extra randomness has to be compensated for by price.
Having said that, this is the first time I\'ve been looking forward to betting Keeneland. Because I KNEW I couldn\'t beat the old track.
\"it is not dirt or grass, but a third surface\"
How are the all weather numbers being treated in regards to the sire profile and breeding info on the sheet? Do you plan to list all three once enough polytrack data is collected?
We\'re leaving as dirt for now, when there is a body of work (a year, maybe) we\'ll break it out.
\"Having said that, this is the first time I\'ve been looking forward to betting Keeneland. Because I KNEW I couldn\'t beat the old track.\"
* * * *
Just curious about your meaning, Jerry -- I\'ve always understood parimuteul wagering to be about betting the crowd, not the surface, the jocks, the trainers, etc.
That being said, as a Lexington local, I must admit that I have rarley been able to beat the Keeneland crowd (actually the big bettors affecting the margins) on a whole-card basis. Indeed, I think favorites come home well above average here (often 40% or better), as \"the word\" tends to get out and spread quickly through the grape vine.
Ayhow, my Keeneland wisdom to sheet players is as follows:
(1) a lot of thoroughbred gentry would rather win here than anywhere else (save Saratoga possibly), thus connections are worth a few points of improvement, often more;
(2) winners off huge lay-offs and few or no works are not uncommon for reason number one above;
(3) if a horse is mysteriously bet way down, ingore the sheets, pass the race -- trust me on this one;
(4) for handicappers of only moderate ability (like myself), the short Keeneland meeting usually presents only a couple of shots for a solid score -- pick your spots very carefully.
Best of luck to all!
As was the case at the old Turfway, horses either loved the old surface at Kee or didn\'t-- those two had the biggest spread between horses of any tracks by far. This created an extremely large degree of randomness-- some horses jumped out of their skin, many ran X\'s for no apparent reason other than the surface.
That\'s funny because I killed Keeneland using your product the last two years and was worried that I would lose my edge. Your philosophy on this seems sound considering the prices they have been putting up at Turfway. Also remember that Keeneland offers low takeout on pick 3 and pick 4 bets and they often pay huge to the parlay Good luck and thanks E