Anthony Laurino of Raleigh, N.C. finished with a balance of $3,502 to top a field of 146 entrants and capture the Maryland Jockey Club's Champions Handicapping Tournament held Saturday at Laurel Park.
The spring edition of the bi-annual Champions Tournament was hosted in Laurel's refurbished second-floor clubhouse sports bar, open to players for a fee of $300.
In addition to prize money, the top four finishers qualified for automatic berths to the National Handicapping Championship (NHC), Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge (BCBC) or The BIG One.
After making a minimum of 10 win, place and/or show wagers on races from Laurel, Gulfstream Park, Santa Anita, Aqueduct and Tampa Bay Downs, Laurino ended with a $1,114 cushion over runner-up Chris Parkinson and earned $12,000 in prize money.
Given his choice of four tournament berths, Laurino selected the BCBC to be held November 3-4 at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif. Parkinson, of Forest Hill, Md., finished with a bankroll of $2,388 to earn $8,000 in prize money and a berth in The BIG One, scheduled for the fall.
Third place went to Robert Wheeler of Woodbine, Md., who finished with a balance of $2,340.50 and earned $4,000, and is headed to the NHC in March 2024 in Las Vegas. James Staub of Ellicott City, Md. – winner of the spring 2022 Champions Tournament – was fourth with a balance of $2,116 and earned $2,400 and a seat at the NHC.
Rounding out the top 10 finishers were Frank Gryboski with a tournament balance of $2.033.30, Barry Howard ($2,006), Doug Drewry ($1,690), Brent Johnson ($1,526), Chris Heagy ($1,422) and Tarik Kouchtaf ($1,000.90). Each player earned $2,400 in prize money.
Laurel Park is set to close the calendar year-opening winter meet Friday and open its spring stand Saturday, April 1. The 21-day spring meet will run through Sunday, May 7.
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