New Contest Format - Points Picks and ROI Wagers

[DonGuido]

ROI WAGERS CONTEST RULES:
(Modified March 31, 2009 w/o permission by Donald A. Jones) Rules changes noted in green where changed without permission on November 4, 2015.

NOTE: Players, PLEASE total your bets, both per bet and total amount bet. Also, PLEASE list your bets in the same race order as the Points Contest. If we are playing more than one track, make sure you call out which track the bet is being placed at first.

IMPORTANT REMINDER WE ALL SHOULD KNOW: when you make a bet here, you should type it out (or call it out) exactly like you would when placing a bet at any track. Here is the proper way to place a bet:

Name the Track, call out the Race number, next the amount of money wagered, the type of bet and the #(s) of the horse(s) you are betting on. We will accept wagers with just the horse name and not the number although like at the track wagers on horse numbers are preferred. It does make the ROI score keepers job easier. If we play multiple tracks, which at time we do, the track name where you are placing your bet must be called out for that wager to be accepted.

Bets placed any other way will not be accepted.

1. The ROI contest is played at the same track as the Points contest, including simulcasts. This means that the same post time applies, i.e. please have your bets posted by first post at the main track we're playing. In addition, the Race Order for posting your bets is the same as the ROI.

2. Allowable bets are any bet offered by the track you are playing. Make sure the race you are betting on has your type of bet available. In the event that you make a bet that isn't offered, your original bankroll will be reduced by the amount of that bet. You do NOT get a refund credited to you. Occasionally, a track we are playing will offer a special bet; watch the Board, we will probably take that also. Any allowable bet offered by a track with a $2 minimum, we'll take $1 minimums on that bet (i.e. Doubles, P3, P4's, P6's, etc.). If you hit it, the payout will be half of the track payout.

3. Each player starts with a mythical (cyber) bankroll of $100. This is a weekly contest, so every week, you get a fresh $100.00 to start with. There are no carryovers from the week before.

EXCEPTION: on Triple Crown Races and Breeder's Cup Day your cyber Bankroll is doubled to $200.

4. You can bet on 4 races. Within those 4 races, you can bet WPS, Exactas, Trifectas, and/or Superfectas, if offered. There is no limit on the types of bets you may make on any one race, as long as it's WPS, Ex, Tri, and Super. For example, if you want to bet on Race 1, and you want to bet a WPS, an exacta, and a Tri, that all counts as one Race, and you can bet on 3 other races.

5. If you make bets involving more than one race (such as Doubles, Pick 3's and the like), such multi-race bets that are the same type of bet and involve exactly the same races all count as one Race. Bets involving more than one race that either are different types of bets or involve different races are considered separate Races for purposes of the 4 Race limit.

Please make sure that you don't go over the 4 race limit.

6. Any bets involving scratches that make the bet invalid will be declared a “no bet” unless they are replaced. For example, a "4-5" Exacta and the 4 scratches. The bet is no longer viable; you can't box a one-horse exacta. However if the bet is a "4-5-6" exacta box and the 4 scratches, the bet is still viable, because there are two horses left in the bet.

7. Alternates posted with the original post are NOT permitted, and will be ignored. There are NO ALTERNATES ALLOWED in the ROI Contest. However, if you find that a horse you have in one of your bets has scratched you are allowed to edit your post to change your bet, but make sure that you do it by first post. Anything after first post won't be accepted.

9. The weekly champ is the player who has the highest ROI (winnings minus bets) on the day.
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© 2008 by Carol J. Sherman. All Rights Reserved.

[DonGuido]

THE GALLIVAN CUP

Here is an article I found that gives a little background on Glen "Glenners" Gallivan. He loved thoroughbred racing with every ounce of his frail body. Anet and I were to meet him at Churchill Downs on the day before the 2000 Breeders Cup but our plans changed and we ended up going to the Horse Park instead. I'm sorry we missed him. Anet used to exchange spirited posts with him prior to his eventual fatal final illness. I was a real rookie back then and his knowledge and insight made my head spin and even made JolyB, our Professor, look like a high school kid.

Read this short piece on Glenners and understand why we have done the BC Gallivan Memorial Cup contest to end our handicapping year now since around 2004. It is a small honor we pay to a real horse person, a real fan and an expert in the game. It is an honor that I hope this honor to Glenners continues for as long as this contest format stays alive.

ENJOY!
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Glen Gallivan aka G L E N N E R S is well known among racing enthusiasts. Since 1997 he has worked for Beyer Associates, where he compiles speed figures for the Daily Racing Form for a number of tracks throughout North America. Cashing winning tickets, since the age of 13, he has covered major horse races for the WPRO radio station in Ocala, and as the former assistant editor for Florida's WIRE to WIRE and a correspondent for FLORIDA HORSE magazine.

It is with a heavy heart I must let you all know that Glenners passed away today, September 20, 2003. He was always in fragile health but still enjoyed racing and sharing his selections when he was able. I know we will all miss him. Here is a bit more about Glenners for those who are interested.

Glen Gallivan, known to us as Glenners, fought a lifelong battle with muscular dystrophy. He had also been on a ventilator since a bad bout with pneumonia in 2001. He passed away unexpected at the age of 30, likely from complications caused by his respiratory problems.

"He had 30 wonderful years, many more than anyone thought," said Glenners' mother, Patti Hackett. "He knew that life was before him now, and he had fun with it."

He had been a friend of Washington Post columnist and speed figure guru Andy Beyer since a chance meeting at the Kentucky Derby in 1997. He later became his employee and compiled speed figures for him for six years. Beyer said, "He put a lot of things in perspective. If I had some little complaint, everything seemed so trivial to what he experienced. And yet, I never heard him complain, never heard a word of self-pity. He seemed to accept his lot in life and make the most of it."

His body will be cremated and his ashes shared among several race tracks where he enjoyed cashing in winning tickets.

As a sort of living memorial, there is a 2-year-old colt named Glenners currently in training in the Maryland circuit. Watch for him and remember Glenners and his love of horse racing.
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Thanks to Ryan Conley of the Ocala Star-Banner for the quotes.