King of the Turf Handicapping Challenge Returns to Kentucky Downs

Kentucky Downs' King of the Turf Handicapping Challenge returns Sept. 7 with a new one-day format and is highlighted by six graded stakes each worth at least $1 million. The $2,500 per-entry buy-in includes $1,500 for the player's bankroll and $1,000 toward the prize pool. Based on 100 entries, the prize pool would be $100,000.

The first-place King of the Turf finisher will receive an entry to the 2025 National Horseplayers Championships (NHC) and an entry into the 2024 Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge (BCBC), worth $10,000. In addition, the winner gets the designation as National Turf Handicapper of the Year and receives the Global Tote King of the Turf Championship belt.

At least five NHC packages and two BCBC berths are guaranteed to be awarded to the King of the Turf's top finishers. Additional prizes will be awarded based on the total number of entries. The tournament host takes no money out of the entry fees, with 100% going to the prize pool and players' bankrolls.

The 2024 meet will also feature two Play-In tournaments on Aug. 29 and Sept. 1. These competitions will have a $300 and $400 entry fee, respectively. Each event will feature two 2025 NHC entries plus entries to the $2,500 King of the Turf finals. Additional prizes will be awarded based on the number of entries. Online qualifiers for the King of the Turf finals and the Play-In tournaments will be announced later.

“We reconfigured the King of the Turf Handicapping Challenge into a single-day extravaganza that will offer more prize money and more prizes,” said Ted Nicholson, Kentucky Downs' vice president for racing. “We think the format will be attractive to big bettors and contest players while also providing play-in tournaments with much smaller entry fees. With inexpensive and sometimes free online qualifiers to both the play-in and championship, everyone has a chance to try to be King of the Turf and get the Global Tote belt.”

Phil Lam, the 2023 King of the Turf winner, will be presented his personalized Global Tote belt at the NHC at Horseshoe Las Vegas (formerly Bally's) March 15-17.

Players must bet a minimum of $300 per race for at least five races on the 12-race card, utilizing win, place, show, exacta and daily double wagering. The contest is conducted via online wagering through FanDuel/TVG, Xpressbet, NJBets and HPI Canada.

Online qualifiers for entries into the play-in tournaments and the 2024 King of the Turf Championship will be announced later.

For more information, click here.

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Kenny Mollicone Named Kentucky Downs’ King Of The Turf

Kenny Mollicone, a 47-year-old real-estate developer from Somerset, Mass., is the 2021 National Turf Handicapping Champion, having won the six-day online Kentucky Downs Turf Handicapping Challenge at the FanDuel Meet at Kentucky Downs.

Mollicone finished with an aggregate total of $5,783.90 Sunday after playing in all three of the individual two-day, live-money competitions. That gave him a comfortable $1,163.90 advantage over runner-up Christy Moore, who finished on top in the second contest.

As the King of the Turf, Mollicone earned $20,000 in prize money and the BetMakers King of the Turf Trophy. He earned a seat and prize pack to the 2022 National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) in Las Vegas in late January by virtue of his second place in the second contest.

If Mollicone was a horse, his race-chart trouble line would read “left at the gate, rallied, won under wraps.”

Mollicone tapped out in the first two-day contest staged Sept. 5-6, finishing with a $0 score as Gary Gristick won the competition with a $2,500 bankroll. Undeterred, he finished second at $3,778.40 behind Moore's winning bankroll of $4,620 in the second tournament Sept. 8-9 and seventh with $2,005.50 Saturday and Sunday in the final leg won by Ed Deicke at $7,392. Contest players were required to bet a minimum amount of money on a minimum of five races each day.

“I was going to bet Kentucky Downs anyway,” Mollicone said by phone Monday. “To be honest, I really didn't concentrate on the tournament. I usually bet $200, $300, $500 a race. I liked a horse or two, so I screwed around and the horses didn't win, so I was done (with the first tournament). Some people do so much a race and manage their money. Me, I'm just like if I take a shot and win, great; if not, hey, I'll do the next tournament. Kind of like that's what happened.

“Like, I did OK for the tournaments, but I did great betting on my own…. I entered the contest figuring if I like a horse, I'll take a shot. If he does well and I win, I got money and I keep playing. If not, then I just keep betting on my regular account.”

Mollicone says he played some horses whose double-digit odds seemed too high, but he couldn't generally remember their names. One name he clearly recalls, however, is Arklow, who got bottled up in traffic in midstretch before getting through late and coming up a neck shy of Imperador in Saturday's $1 million, Grade 2 Calumet Farm Turf Cup.

“He got blocked, should have won the race for fun,” he said. “He wins that race, I probably win that tournament. I had big doubles going in to him and big doubles going out with him. That's what kind of killed me. Then (Sunday), I just did what I had to do. I didn't like anything on the card.”

He said he calculated that he had enough bankroll to win the overall title and quit playing after Sunday's seventh race — his handicapping there proving correct.

Mollicone is a fan of the competition's format.

“It kept it interesting,” he said. “I knew I didn't do well on the first one, but I kind of liked a couple of horses in the second one; it kept me involved. I thought it was great, the way they set up it and the way they did the overall so you're going to play all three. Whoever came up with it, I think it's a great idea. It keeps you wanting to do it.

“A couple of guys who beat me (in the third leg), they didn't do the other tournaments and they didn't get the $20,000. Shame on them. You're going to bet Kentucky Downs anyway. It's great racing. You've got great horses. I think the more the people find out about it, especially with the bonus at the end, you're going to find more people playing next year. Guys are going to kick themselves in the butt for not playing the whole thing.”

Mollicone calls his late father, Bob, the best handicapper he's ever known. He says the first thing he learned how to read was the Daily Racing Form and went Suffolk Downs and the off-track betting at Rhode Island casinos with his dad, the two also traveling around the country to play contests.

“I love betting turf races,” he said. “It's a more exciting race, a more true race. And I just love the set up (at Kentucky Downs). They're going uphill, downhill. I just love it. You look forward to it. I've always done well at Kentucky Downs. You get horses who pay $25, $30 that you think should pay $8 or $10. Great racing and great value.”

Tournament Director Brian Skirka called the 2021 Kentucky Downs King of the Turf Handicapping Challenge “a massive success.”

“We had over 400 combined entries over the three contests and awarded over $171,000 in prizes,” he said. “I'd like to thank all the players who participated and Kentucky Downs for putting on six days of world-class turf racing. In just two years, these Kentucky Downs contests have proven themselves to be some of the most-challenging and most-lucrative in the country. I look forward to working with the Kentucky Downs team to grow them even more in the future.”

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Astronaut Helps Vic Stauffer Orbit Field To Win Pacific Classic Betting Challenge

Vic Stauffer, from Hot Springs, Ark., hit a $100 race 11 exacta that paid more than $45,000 to blast into the lead of Saturday's Pacific Classic Betting Challenge at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif. Stauffer bested 115 total entries with a final bankroll of $55,820.

Todd Cady from San Diego and Roger Cettina from Rumson, N.J., finished second and third to round out the top three as both turned the $3,500 starting bankroll into over $33,000.

Stauffer wins $50,000 in cash plus $10,000 Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge entry, this year held at Del Mar on November 5 and 6. His gigantic exacta payoff in the last race featured a 24-1 winner on top of a 22-1 second-place finisher to easily move into the first place finish.

A total of seven entries to the Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge were awarded to the top seven finishers. Also awarded were 2022 National Horseplayers Championship berths plus cash prizes accumulating to $180,000 in total prizes.

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Craig Siedler Sweeps To Victory In Del Mar Summer Handicapping Challenge

Craig Siedler, from Henderson, NV, catapulted into the lead in the second race Saturday and never looked back in the two-day 18th annual Del Mar Summer Challenge. Siedler won handily over 127 classy entries with a final bankroll of an unfathomable $100,000 from the $3,000 starting bankroll. Prize winnings totaled $50,000 including $35,000 cash, a $10,000 Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge (BCBC) entry at Del Mar and an August 21 $5,000 Pacific Classic Betting Challenge Del Mar entry. The final bankroll and prizes totaled $150,000.

Matt Arndt of Tempe, AZ and Jim Meeks from Elko, NV finished second and third to round out the top three. Cash and prizes for Matt were $27,000 while Jim received $15,000.

Siedler hit exacta and trifecta wagers in the contest's second race to put him in the lead with a score of over $19,000 then followed that up with a nearly all-time exacta payoff in race 7. Siedler had 78-1 winner Miss Carousel over 27-1 After Midnight an amazing 50 times for more than $51,000 in race winnings. The $1 exacta payoff of $1,025 just missed an all-time Del Mar record. His incredible day ended with $82,617 and he kept firing Sunday pushing his total all the way to the insurmountable six figure finale.

The top five finishers receive BCBC entries in the November 5 and 6 Breeders' Cup at Del Mar.

PLACE NAME FINAL BANKROLL

1 Craig Siedler $100,000.70
2 Matt Arndt $47,080.00
3 Jim Meeks $36,000.00
4 Bill Chenvert $27,400.50
5 Ron Myeress $20,315.20
6 Rob Talstra $14,003.50
7 Michael Shutty $13,000.00
8 Carl Rasak $12,456.00
9 Gary West $11,570.00
10 Steve Eisner $8,416.50

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