DT'er CUP HEROICS: Dayatthespa.. NTamm.. PWeizer..

[mclem0822]

Fine job guys! Congrats to you both!

[Needing the Wire]

Congrats to Paul and Nick!

Look at #9...is that the ESPN "Kenny Mayne"? Has to be. Knew he was a gambler, but didn't know he was that deep into the horses.

[Fulla Sheets]

Way to go guys!!!

[dpkovalesky]

An amazing accomplishment for both Paul and Nick. Terrific work all weekend! Congrats again!

[NTamm1215]

First time I've logged in since Friday, so thanks to everyone for the kind words. It was a hell of a day and Paul and I were very close to being in the exacta. Paul's score highlights what is so great about live money contests. It was also great seeing Dan Kovalesky.

As far as how my plays differed from my selections posted with Saratoga Bets, I can assure you that every race I hit was via a trifecta. I made no other types of wager and the 3 that paid the most involved keying horses that I picked either on top or second, with price and other factors being the variables. The Breeders' Cup is a succession of such highly competitive races, I can't possibly do justice to that with just 3 picks in each race.

Rest assured, I bet every horse that I had picked on top, sometimes to my own detriment!

[Pants II]

Sandwiched between a legend


Well done, gentlemen!

[Benny]

Well done guys. Quite an accomplishment.

I see that Matt Bernierof DRF came in high too and he is donating all his winnings,from his blog -

Not only is this weekend the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, but it’s also the annual Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge. In addition to contributing to our DRF Live coverage this weekend at Santa Anita, I’ll be participating in the 2014 Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge, where 100 percent of my winnings will be donated to the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance.

http://www.drf.com/blogs/drf-handica...hallenge-picks

[jms62]

Originally Posted by NTamm1215

First time I've logged in since Friday, so thanks to everyone for the kind words. It was a hell of a day and Paul and I were very close to being in the exacta. Paul's score highlights what is so great about live money contests. It was also great seeing Dan Kovalesky.

As far as how my plays differed from my selections posted with Saratoga Bets, I can assure you that every race I hit was via a trifecta. I made no other types of wager and the 3 that paid the most involved keying horses that I picked either on top or second, with price and other factors being the variables. The Breeders' Cup is a succession of such highly competitive races, I can't possibly do justice to that with just 3 picks in each race.

Rest assured, I bet every horse that I had picked on top, sometimes to my own detriment!

Nick would you be so kind to share your big hits and your bet in the classic with us.

[NTamm1215]

Originally Posted by jms62

Nick would you be so kind to share your big hits and your bet in the classic with us.

Sure. I had a horrible day Friday and had just over 4.2k of the original 7.5k going into Saturday. Didn't cash one ticket on the card, and was really not even close. The strategy for Saturday, which was determined by my partners in the endeavor and I, was to try and hit something before the races where we had to play $900 per race. That really couldn't be tried with the first three being so unappealing from a wagering perspective.

So, my approach in the Juv Fillies was to play the race to collapse on the front end. The ability to bet outside of one's normal bankroll allows you to cautiously cover more bases. I structured a trifecta play in the Juv Fillies using Top Decile, Majestic Presence and Wonder Gal that allowed two of them to finish in the money and still cash. So, Take Charge Brandi holding on was OK as long as two of that trio finished 2nd and 3rd. With Wonder Gal winning the photo, we had $2 on the trifecta.

After a minor hit in the FM Turf, we were in position to maximize a strong opinion, which was that Judy the Beauty was strictly the horse to beat and that longshots were viable for underneath slots. One of those was Better Lucky, who filled out the exacta, and the all spot in 3rd facilitated having Thank You Marylou. We ended up with $11 on the trifecta.

The Mile was a race we planned on passing, but being in 4th overall going into that race, something had to be tried. We had agreed beforehand that the Euros held a huge advantage here and were unfazed by their lack of success up to that point. Thus, a trifecta was structured that included Karakontie, Anodin, Veda, Mustajeeb and Trade Storm. When three of that group of five made up the trifecta, it gave us $4 on it.

My opinion in the Classic was bad. I loved Tonalist, felt like Bayern would not be able to stay, and wanted to try and use longshots underneath. That obviously did not come to fruition and we ended up losing about 15% of what we had going into that race. We could have sat on our hands there and tried to leapfrog by simply standing pat. That goes against my grain, so we made a play. While it did not work out and we actually lost two spots in the standings, it did not in any way take away from the entire experience of the day.

What contests like the BCBC remind you of is the superiority of live money tournaments. I have had success in $2 WP formats, but have far too often been left frustrated when a seemingly hopeless longshot that someone would have never actually bet galloped home and allowed those "stabbers" to take full advantage. Nothing against their approach, but it seldom feels like "handicapping." Having to back up your opinions with wagers levels the playing field, at least for me.

I look forward to the NHC and hopefully one of the DT contingent doing well!