T.J. TAYLOR TAKES "BIGGEST VEGAS QUALIFIER EVER"
A Kentucky handicapper earned a spot in the field for the 2008 Daily Racing Form/National Thoroughbred Racing Association National Handicapping Championship IX ("NHC IX") in the "TwinSpires.com Biggest Vegas Qualifier Ever," an online competition on Dec. 15 presented by TwinSpires.com, the official advance deposit wagering service for Churchill Downs Incorporated (NASDAQ: CHDN) and its family of racetracks.
"T.J." Taylor of Independence, Ky. was atop the list of 15 handicappers in the "TwinSpires.com's Biggest Vegas Qualifier Ever" who earned guaranteed spots in the field for NHC IX on Jan. 25-26 at Red Rock Casino in Las Vegas, Nev. His victory over the field of 500 handicappers in the online contest earned Taylor a first place prize of $10,000 and made him eligible for a Twin Spires Club bonus of $1 million if he should also win NHC IX.
Taylor will be making his fifth trip to the DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Championship. He has followed Thoroughbred racing "pretty seriously" since the great Spectacular Bid won the 1979 Kentucky Derby and Taylor said he has been competing in handicapping tournaments for eight years.
"Getting out there (to the NHC) five times is extremely difficult, but you can get out there and just fall flat on your face - I've proved it," Taylor said. "I'm due, is the way I look at it."
Taylor correctly selected the winners of six of the first seven races in the qualifier that included a total of 15 races and never looked back. He finished with total winnings of $155.60 and cruised home in front of runner-up Michael Teal, who ended up with $124.80 in winnings on the day.
The handicapping contest was conducted online through Churchill Downs Incorporated's account wagering service, TwinSpires.com. Participants registered online at www.twinspires.com and attracted a maximum field of 500 handicappers who paid an entry fee of $250. The one-day online tournament was structured around the traditional win/place format on a set number of mandatory races for all contestants.
The top 15 finishers in "TwinSpires.com's Biggest Vegas Qualifier Ever" (with final contest winnings total) included:
1. Tony "T.J." Taylor ($155.60)
2. Micheal Teal ($124.80)
3. Philip Lam ($123.40)
4. (Tie)Van Marsh ($112.20)
4. (Tie) Darrell Lerner ($112.20)
6. Shawn Turner ($112)
7. Yousef Alaeddin ($111.20)
8. Christopher Hunter ($110.20)
9. (Tie) Joseph Koury ($108.60)
9. (Tie) Charles Thompson ($108.60)
11. (Tie) Joseph Sisco ($107.80)
11. (Tie) Eric Kurzhal ($107.80)
13. David Eppard (107.20)
14. (Tie) Ronald Bowling ($106.40)
14. (Tie) Paula Damgaard (106.40)
Along with the 15 players who earned spots in the field for the for NHC IX, finishers 16 through 20 in the "TwinSpires.com Biggest Vegas Qualifier Ever" earned spots to compete in the Coast Casino Horseplayer World Series, which will be held in Las Vegas the same week as NHC IX.
Official results can be found here.
TwinSpires largest Daily Racing Form/National Handicapping Challenge qualifying contest ever, which is now part of the Churchill Downs' Million Dollar Bonus Tour with 15 spots in the 2008 National Championship held at The Red Rock Casino and Resort, and 5 more spots to the $1 Million Coast Casino Horseplayer World Series is now completed.
Congratulations and many thanks once again to the Players across the country who participated Saturday.
Good luck to all of our qualifiers who will be participating in Vegas this January!
