Mahoning Valley’s Saturday Program Features $92,000 Carryover In Buckeye Pick 6

Since last being hit on Feb. 13 for $109,311, Mahoning Valley's Buckeye Jackpot Pick 6 carryover has once again grown in size to just over $92,000. The wager will next be available to bettors this Saturday, March 6 at the Youngstown, Ohio track, starting in race three and featuring an average field size of 8.5.

First race post is scheduled for 12:15pm with the third slated to go off at 1:10pm.

On Feb. 22, Mahoning Valley introduced a new 15 percent takeout Pick 5 wager. After six days of live racing, the new wager has seen an average payout of just over $1,500 on a 50-cent minimum ticket.

Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley Race Course races Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday with a first race post time of 12:45pm and Saturday with a first race post time of 12:15pm. The current race meet ends on Saturday, April 17.

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Handicapper Deicke Hoping To Rise To Gotham Challenge

Ed Deicke, a 54-year-old financial advisor from Lido Beach, New York, has turned a lifelong love of horse racing into a potentially lucrative hobby as a prominent player on the National Horseplayers Championship [NHC] tour.

“I do mostly retirement planning. It's all I've ever done and I really do love it,” said Deicke, who also serves as a mentor for prospective NHC players. “The market has its ups and downs and managing expectations is probably harder than managing the money, but I enjoy it. I do math during the week and I do even more math on the weekends.”

Although currently enjoying winter as a snowbird in Florida, Deicke said he was raised on New York racing.

“I was born and bred at NYRA. My father brought me to Belmont Park when I was 13-years-old and it was a group of guys who loved sports and horse racing and loved to gamble and have a couple cocktails,” said Deicke. “They'd sit around and tell big stories which my father later told me none of them were true. The horse they needed didn't lose by a nose; it lost by two lengths and it didn't cost them $10,000, it only cost them $300. But it was just great fun.”

Deicke reconnected with horse racing when he attended the 1998 Preakness at Pimlico Race Course, watching with a group of friends who hailed from the Floral Park area near Belmont Park and cheered home Kentucky Derby-winner Real Quiet.

“Three weeks later, Real Quiet took a big lead in the Belmont,” recalled Deicke. “He looked like he was going to break the string of all those years without a Triple Crown winner, but Victory Gallop got him by a nose that day.”

Deicke had his first major tournament experience at the 2017 Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge [BCBC] at Del Mar in San Diego.

“I took my son-in-law to Del Mar for the BCBC and we came in tenth,” recalled Deicke. “We were first or second at one point in that tournament and had a great weekend. If I knew then what I know now, we maybe could have won.”

Deicke said that learning when and how to make big bets on key races requires experience. That first Breeders' Cup learning experience centered around lessons learned from Bar of Gold's win in the Filly and Mare Sprint [Race 6, $135.40] and Wuheida's victory [Race 7, $24.40] in the Filly and Mare Turf.

“On Saturday, my partner said his best bet was Wuheida and I said that's funny, that's my best bet,” recalled Deicke. “Right before the Filly and Mare Sprint, we hadn't made many bets and were down to $6,000. I knew we had to start betting about $900 per race five times, those were the rules. I forget who I liked, but he liked Bar of Gold, who won at 66-1. We had the exacta [with Ami's Mesa] for $2 and got back $2,000.

“We also both loved Roy H [won the Sprint in Race 8 and paid $11.80],” added Deicke. “Thing is, I'd never made a $900 bet in my life. We couldn't even conceive of betting that type of money. I was a $20-$20 win/place bettor back then. Now I'm a $50-$50 bettor. We probably should have played the $900 double Wuheida onto Roy H [which returned $160.80 for $2] and we loved the exacta cold in the Sprint [onto Imperial Hint, which returned $25.80 for $1].”

Deicke said he went into the Breeders' Cup Classic with a chance to win the BCBC and had $4,000 to win on Gunnevera, who finished fifth at 15-1. His final bankroll of $48,860.50 was good for tenth place purse money of $25,000 and a seat in the NHC.

The winner, Nisan Gabbay, turned his day around with a $4,000 win bet on Talismanic, who won the Turf at 14-1. Gabbay closed his day with a $15,000 exacta of Gun Runner on top of Collected [which paid $17 for $1] that ballooned his winning bankroll to $176,000, earning $300,000 in purse money and an NHC seat.

“It was a day of days. I've never had as good a day handicapping as I had that day and I came in tenth,” said Deicke. “I've since won other contests that I didn't see as well, but now I understand the betting of the contests.”

Deicke said the 2017 BCBC was a game-changing experience.

“Now, I'm in the NYRA contest every week and I try to win free entries into the Breeders' Cup and NHC,” said Deicke. “I've done pretty well at the NHC the past few years. Last year, I came in 20th and the year before I was around 50th out of 600 people.”

But not everyone has to dive in at the deep end. The NYRA Challenge series includes weekly tournaments that start with a $300 buy-in and offers cash prizes and seats in future challenge events. In all events, NYRA returns 100 percent of the prize pool to the players.

“In general, you're betting with takeout and then in the contest you bet with no takeout and that's an advantage for the player,” said Deicke. “And I love that the weekly contests are $300, so you can start to participate in tournaments for smaller amounts of money that can get you into bigger tournaments. You can work your way up to winning an NHC seat and that's great for the players.”

There are significant differences in strategies from the NHC contest – where players make a series of $2 win/place bets on a set number of races – and cash tournaments, like the BCBC or the $3,000 Gotham Challenge, where before the end of the tournament, a contestant must wager a minimum of $400 in a permitted wager type [Win, Place, Show, Exacta, Trifecta, Quinella, and Daily Double] per race on a minimum of five (5) Challenge Races.

Deicke said he uses Thoro-Graph sheets and the Daily Racing Form as key study aids for his tournament play along with select race replays via NYRA Bets.

“If I see a troubled-trip line of steady or checked, I'll re-watch the race,” said Deicke. “Sometimes, a horse will steady and check when they're about to win and sometimes it happens when they're about to lose and the fact that they're losing momentum and the jockey is checking them up doesn't matter.”

The now veteran player said he has learned to keep an open mind and bet the board.

“I study the morning of the tournament and try to make my decisions as late as possible,” said Deicke. “I don't want to get focused in on one particular thing. Also, the board can vastly change how you play a given race. One thing I've learned at tournaments is you can sit there all day to bet a 10-1 shot in the last race and the horse will open up at 5-2 because everybody else likes it too.”

“If speed is winning or the inside is good, I can adapt a little bit,” added Deicke. “I keep a journal of every tournament I'm in and write down every bet I make – from the type of race to the bet itself and the result.”

Deicke said adaptability is a key component of tournament play, referencing the recent Cigar Mile Challenge.

“You have to be flexible,” said Deicke. “I loved True Timber that day. He was 10-1. But the tournament rules said you had to make five $40 bets, so I picked a few 3-5 shots to show that I thought couldn't lose so I could bet it all on True Timber in the last race.”

The strategy did not pan out with a number of his horses running off the board. At the penultimate race, the Grade 2 Demoiselle, Deicke spent his remaining $120 on a cold double of Malathaat onto True Timber in the Grade 1 Cigar Mile.

“Malathaat just got up to win and then True Timber won and catapulted me into second,” said Deicke. “What I planned to do when the day started and what I ended up doing at day's end to be successful were two different things.”

True Timber paid $16.60 to win, capping a double that paid $16.40 for $1.

Deicke said he will play the Gotham Challenge ($2,000 Live Bankroll/$1,000 Prize Pool) which in addition to significant prize money also offers two NHC seats along with a seat at a future $3,000 NYRA Challenge event.

“Those NHC seats are valuable,” said Deicke. “Anyone out there wanting to play the Gotham Challenge because they want to win an NHC seat, I'd totally recommend it.

“My goal every year is to double qualify for the NHC,” added Deicke. “It's not just for the money. The first place prize last year was $800,000 but they also give you an Eclipse Award as handicapper of the year. That trophy is going to go up in the middle of our house enclosed in glass with a big picture of me smiling ear to ear with a check in my hands. I'll build a shrine in my house if I ever win it.”

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Between The Hedges: Handicapping Challenges Go Virtual

The following is the third edition of a bi-weekly series entitled Between The Hedges. The series will revolve around the business of betting focusing on trending wagering topics and statistics. Each installment will include a column penned by Joe Longo, NYRA General Manager of Content Services, examining certain areas of interest within the landscape of the thoroughbred racing industry. Send your questions for Between The Hedges to betweenthehedges@nyrainc.com.

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) has worked with our customer base to modernize our handicapping challenge format to feature online play at a variety of price points throughout the year.

In the past, most NYRA handicapping challenges were centered around marquee events like the Wood Memorial or the Belmont Stakes. In most cases, these events were also held on track which made it more of a localized event.

In 2019, NYRA launched its current online challenge format and participation significantly increased. In order to enter and play online, contestants must be registered NYRA Bets account holders. To learn more, visit www.NYRA.com/challenge.

The online challenges were modified based on feedback from our customer base, with requests including a varied price point of entry; more prize money distribution; and many customers expressed interest in seats for the National Handicapping Championship (NHC) or Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge (BCBC) in lieu of cash or a combination of both.

The NHC seats are highly sought after. Last year, Thomas Goldsmith captured the 21st edition of the NTRA National Horseplayers Championship at Bally's Las Vegas, and took home an $800,000 top prize as well as an Eclipse Award as Horseplayer of the Year. The most recent NHC offered prize money and awards totaling more than $2.9 million.

The 2020 contest results were encouraging. A total of 25 contests were held with 2,500 players wagering $1.3 million while competing for a prize pool of approximately $700,000. A total of 23 seats were provided to players – 11 for the 2021 NHC; three for the 2021 Belmont Stakes Challenge; two for the 2020 BCBC; and the remaining six seats for other NYRA challenges throughout the year.

While the challenge series format and prize distribution continue to evolve, the live money format remains. The players keep their winnings played through their bank roll plus any prize money.

One thing that needs to be stressed is that 100 percent of the prize pool is returned to the customers. NYRA does not charge entry fees or service fees.

So, If NYRA does not charge fees for the contest, why are we doing them and how is it that we benefit?

Challenge play involves a different type of strategy and with it a different type of player, which adds diversity to our platform and appeals to different customers. The races in the challenge series contests are all from our tracks, so it helps promote our content and NYRA earns revenue from the takeout from the bets placed. The numbers have also shown that when playing in contests the customers are wagering other tracks through NYRA Bets as well.

Handicapping challenges play an important role for NYRA across the larger wagering landscape. In 2020, we started hosting challenges weekly and in 2021 we will be offering contests for about 11 months of the year. Consistency, as with other types of wagering opportunities such as the weekly Cross Country Pick 5, is important. We want our customers to know that for just about every week of the year, we are offering a contest.

In addition, with the increased amount of broadcast hours for live racing on America's Day at the Races, the national telecast produced by NYRA in partnership with FOX Sports, we can further leverage our reach and influence to drive people to our contests and wagering platform. The leaderboard for all of these contests are posted throughout the day on America's Day at the Races.

Send your questions for Between The Hedges to betweenthehedges@nyrainc.com.

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NYRA’s Empire 6 Wager To Continue Daily Mandatory Payout Through March

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) announced the Empire 6 wager will continue to offer a daily mandatory payout in the month of March at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Featuring a $0.20 bet minimum and 20 percent takeout, the Empire 6 wager requires bettors to select the first-place finisher of the final six races of the card. The full pool, minus takeout, will be distributed to bettors who select the first-place finisher in the greatest number of races on the card.

NYRA established a daily mandatory payout of the Empire 6 for the month of January at Aqueduct as part of a pilot program in response to horseplayer interest in wagers that reward the daily player with the opportunity for impressive payouts.

The daily mandatory payout was extended through February with the pilot project expanded by offering the Empire 6 as a retail-only wager. The pilot project will continue with both caveats throughout the month of March.

Aqueduct will offer 13 racing dates in March with live racing generally conducted Friday through Sunday, with the addition of a special Thursday card on March 25 to make up for weather-related cancellations during the Big A winter meet.

The Empire 6 was launched in August 2019 with a jackpot provision in which the full pool would be paid out only to a single ticket selecting the first-place finisher in all six races, otherwise 75 percent of the day's net pool would be distributed to those who selected the first-place finisher in the greatest number of races with the remainder added into a jackpot and carried to the next day's Empire 6.

For more information, please visit NYRABets.com.

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