Big-A Handicapping Challenge Report

After many years of procrastination I finally entered the Big-A handicapping challenge; a solid pick four score provided the funds for the $400 entry fee. It was my first shot at a live handicapping tournament. These tournaments are taken very seriously. Many of the players had laptops, Ragozin sheets and a file so large it looks like they were doing corporate tax returns. I must have looked very amateurish with my "power cap" composition book and DRF printouts. The Big-A tournament makes for a long weekend of handicapping. This is not just a day at the races. It is a 5 days of pouring over three different tracks for two race days in a row. It sort of becomes a mental endurance challenge by the end of the second raceday.

The first day was a near disaster and a huge disappointment. There is nothing worse than entering a contest, capping for 8 hours and having nothing to show for it for the first nine selections. Tough decisions were fumbled. My big regret-horse betting is filled with them- is betting Daveron to win in the Long Island in the contest but betting her to show with $20 real cash. I spotted the bridgejumper action but elected to just bet against the bridgies for real cash and bet an orthodox win bet in the contest. This was totally foolish. Daveron ran second and paid over $15 to show. I was 0 for 9 going into the nightcap at AQU and hit a modest $8 winner (Broken Home) to get off the duck. That was it for day one only one small hit and was in 103th place out of 220 players after day one. Two horses I picked ran last as I was shooting for the moon with outrageous bombs hoping for form-turnarounds on surface switches that never happened.

Day two also started off slow with chalk beating my first two contest selections. Then in Churchill my luck turned. The first winner on day two was in a $50K maiden claiming race; I noticed that most of the horses were stretching out and were speed and fade types. Channeling was the only closer in the race with positive stretch comments and he was cutting back from two turns to one. Closers cutting back from two turns to one is a profile I fancy. To my delight Channeling rolled and payed a generous $31.20. Just this one winner elevated me to 20th place in the contest.

Then two races later I popped a first time starter in a $30K maiden claimer at Churchill that paid $20. What I liked about this horse was that he was working well over the course and the trainer had great first time starter stats listed in the form. To my surprise just these two hits propelled me right into contention for the championship.


Calabrese was listed all over Aqueduct in 3rd place and I felt like I was on top of the world. 3rd would be the closest I would get to winning. I continued my aggressive play but could not get lucky the rest of the day. Maybe I should have adjusted my approach and keyed on live 5-2 to 5-1 shots. Fortunately the total from my three winners was good enough for 15th at the end of two long days. It turns out the Daveron show bet mistake cost me $4300 but mistakes will happen in this game. In the end I walked away with $700. Not bad considering I had a horrible weekend only hitting with three of my twenty contest wagers -yet it was good enough to contend for the title. Next time with a contest under my belt I feel like I will be a live contestant; someone with the potential to walk away with more than $700. My advice to others is to enter these tournaments. They can be very rewarding and introduce new points of view to your handicapping approach. There is no reason to be intimidated as it really doesn't take all that much to win one. If going a miserable 3 for 20 is enough to contend for the title imagine what could be done if a capper has a good luck and live selections.

Aqueduct Handicapping Challenge Results

FINAL STANDINGS

Name	Player	Rank	Winnings	Wagers
Ragab	213	1	862	20
Clements	212	2	849	20
DiFusco	96	3	798	20
HOM	189	4	760	20
Elam	85	5	749	20
CONTE	19	6	720	20
Fitzpatrick	176	7	665	20
Henry	39	8	657	20
Summers	118	9	645	20
MICHAELS	136	10	623	20
Mark	164	11	611	20
Florides	201	12	603	20
Malangone	190	12	603	20
LEIBMAN	125	14	599	20
Calabrese	97	15	593	20
Famularo	104	16	589	20
Weber	92	17	588	20
Longobardi	41	18	585	20
NOLAN	60	19	567	20
De Sena	178	20	564	20
Civelin	196	21	545	20
Rippey	28	22	540	20
Couvaris	120	23	532	20
Johnson	81	23	532	20
Valeriani	73	25	521	20
Racenstein	185	26	520	20
ZIMMER	24	26	520	20
WINICK	132	28	506	20
RENDINO	180	29	499	20
CARSON	23	30	481	20
Templin	137	31	474	20
Jordan	199	32	459	20
Cox	140	33	458	20
Perry	110	34	449	20
FOTI	6	35	448	20
Ferraro	48	36	440	20
Lods	1	37	437	20
Olsson	10	38	435	20
RITTER	133	39	432	20
LEVINE	66	40	426	20
Cornelia	197	41	423	20
Kiss	177	42	422	20
Korman	131	42	422	20
Engelhard	121	44	419	20
ZIMMER	25	45	416	20
Berg	144	46	415	20
FOTI	5	46	415	20
Mohamed	45	48	414	20
Shuman	139	49	408	20
Russo	127	50	403	20
Henry	38	51	400	20
WILLIAMS	79	52	392	20
Schwartz	147	53	390	20
Rowlands	111	54	389	20
SPINELLO	49	55	387	20
Rippey	29	56	380	20
Brooks	165	57	377	20
DELIA	52	58	373	20
MAYS	65	59	370	20
HARRIS	89	60	361	20
Faello	130	61	360	20
Felt	46	62	354	20
Teicht	150	63	342	20
Sterio	71	64	335	20
Kelly	86	65	330	20
Moscatelli	214	66	329	20
TILLES	88	67	326	20
Natale	43	68	324	20
Bamberger	15	69	320	20
DARRON	4	69	320	20
GARRITON	64	69	320	20
Lawless	102	69	320	20
ODonnell	119	69	320	20
Reese	191	69	320	20
Smith	204	75	316	20
McCruden	129	76	314	20
MAGNETTI	105	77	312	20
MANCARI	61	77	312	20
Surmick	37	77	312	20
Amendola	142	80	304	20
Smith	128	80	304	20
Zukaitis	69	82	302	20
Wecker	75	83	299	20
WOLFSON SR	186	84	296	20
Harris	141	85	295	20
Majkowski	195	86	292	20
McLaughlin	126	87	291	19
KLICH	62	87	291	20
Murray	112	87	291	20
Falcone	40	90	290	20
JOHNSON	215	91	285	20
Streiff	209	91	285	20
Gutfreund	12	93	284	20
Neuburger	124	94	282	20
Flanagan	109	95	269	20
Wankmiller	106	95	269	20
Fasola	202	97	268	20
MICHAEL	183	98	267	20
WELSH	58	99	262	20
Gianquitti	51	100	260	20
MC CLYMENT	68	100	260	20
MC CLYMENT	67	100	260	20
NACE	123	100	260	20
Seeman	13	100	260	20
Leone	168	105	251	20
Sorenson	84	106	237	20
Burke	198	107	231	20
Padgett	134	108	228	20
Zmich	211	108	228	20
Tsui	2	110	226	20
Lochansky	87	111	214	20
Pallidine	163	111	214	20
DAMBRA	152	113	201	20
Downie	216	114	200	20
GREENVALD	53	114	200	20
Fasola	170	116	188	20
Filoso	205	116	188	20
Hamer	93	118	187	20
Hamer	94	118	187	20
Reuben	167	120	175	20
Garofalo	34	121	171	20
CARSON	22	122	170	18
Kandias	210	123	166	20
Hilado	161	124	159	20
Esposito	95	125	154	20
Smith	203	126	152	20
Wolfson,Jr	187	126	152	20
Boyle	80	128	151	20
DAVIS	33	129	139	20
Pellegrino	217	130	124	20
Weber	91	131	120	19
Cettina	83	131	120	20
Isolano	3	131	120	20
Powers	114	131	120	17
Conte	56	135	111	20
BRICE	21	136	110	20
Festa	158	136	110	20
Stewart	172	136	110	20
Deicke	155	139	104	19
Girardi	157	139	104	20
Hopkins	17	139	104	20
Ciprelli	174	142	95	20
CONTE	18	143	94	19
SPINELLO	50	143	94	19
AURIEMMA	42	143	94	20
BUSER	8	143	94	20
Hopkins	16	143	94	20
NELSON	30	143	94	20
Parker	166	143	94	20
Sultan	192	143	94	20
Dunkel	148	151	92	19
Engelhard	122	152	90	20
McClenin	99	153	85	20
Powers	113	153	85	20
STATH	90	153	85	20
Streiff	208	153	85	20
Richardson	107	157	84	10
Gutfreund	11	157	84	15
Jackson	188	159	81	10
Arsenault	116	159	81	20
Herman	138	159	81	20
Russo	171	159	81	20
Salierno	184	159	81	20
Surmick	36	159	81	20
GIORDANO	181	165	80	20
Garofalo	35	166	76	19
BUSER	7	167	67	20
Gallagher	160	168	57	10
Mooney	54	168	57	20
Fooden	27	170	55	20
Teicht	151	171	50	20
DAVIS	32	172	45	20
Scanio	74	172	45	20
Visco	207	174	22	20
OConnell	146	175	0	10
Rowlands	169	175	0	7
Sidor	98	175	0	10
CLEMENTS	220	175	0	17
BROOKS	218	175	0	19
Fotias	20	175	0	19
GROSE	154	175	0	19
HOUSTON	219	175	0	19
Houston	206	175	0	19
Shurman	101	175	0	19
ALBANO	55	175	0	20
Arsenault	117	175	0	20
Berg	200	175	0	20
Berg	143	175	0	20
CLARK	173	175	0	20
Caputo	44	175	0	20
Dantonio	194	175	0	20
De Orio	108	175	0	20
ENGLER	57	175	0	20
Elliott	175	175	0	20
FELRICE	153	175	0	20
Ferraro	47	175	0	20
Fooden	26	175	0	20
Gianquitti	70	175	0	20
HEALY	182	175	0	20
Kingsbury	149	175	0	20
LAM	156	175	0	20
LEVY	78	175	0	20
MICHAELS	135	175	0	20
NELSON	31	175	0	20
NOLAN	59	175	0	20
Olsson	9	175	0	20
Parisi	145	175	0	20
RENDINO	179	175	0	20
Riccobono	82	175	0	20
SCANIO	63	175	0	20
Seeman	14	175	0	20
Shurman	100	175	0	20
Smith-Lawless	103	175	0	20
Stair	159	175	0	20
WOLFSON SR	115	175	0	19
Weber	193	175	0	20
Wecker	76	175	0	20
Yarwood	162	175	0	20
Yee	77	175	0	20
Yee	72	175	0	20