[Kasept]

With eye to the weather, Troop holds on in NHC
By Dave Tuley

LAS VEGAS - Brian Troop is an accountant by trade, but he is also a talented handicapper and weather forecaster, and he used all of his skills to win the 11th annual Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Championship Saturday night at the Red Rock Resort.

The 61-year-old single man from Barrie, Ontario, proved best in a field of 300 contestants who qualified over the past year to capture the $500,000 first-place prize and title of Handicapper of the Year. Contestants made 30 mythical $2 win-place wager over the two-day tournament but Troop practically locked up the contest Friday as he racked up an NHC Day 1 record $232.60 to hold nearly an $80 lead on the field.

In preparing for Saturday's final day, he turned into a weatherman.

"After I picked up my overnight sheets last night, I went back to my room and turned on The Weather Channel," Troop said. "From watching the forecasts, I figured that Oaklawn and Laurel would cancel and maybe even Aqueduct."

That's exactly how it worked out with Oaklawn and Laurel canceling their cards early in the day and Aqueduct only running three races. That left only 44 total races for the contestants to make their 15 plays, seven of which were mandatory as chosen by contest organizers. Even though there were some longshots during the day, the lack of opportunities for his competitors helped Troop secure the title with a final score of $266.

After only having about an hour of sleep Friday night, Troop said he didn't know what to expect Saturday.

"On Friday, I liked a lot of horses but today I didn't like anything," he said. "I was lucky a lot of short prices came in. I feel like I backed into it."

Troop only had one winner and a second-place horse on the day, but it was enough as only four competitors were able to surpass his Day 1 score. Robert Gregory, 53, of Durango, Colo., finished second with a score of $249.80 to collect $150,000. Tim Simmons, 55, of Lexington, Ky., was third at $249.20 to win $100,000 plus another $5,000 for having the top Day 2 score of $181.80. Brian Herrity, 53, of Mankato, Minn., was fourth at $240.80 to take home $40,000 as well as another $1,000 for having Saturday's third-highest score. Elaine Kowaleski, 57, of Farmingdale, N.J., was fifth with $237.80 and earned $25,000 plus $2,500 for having Saturday's second-highest score.