Earns $27,000 Grand Prize and Berths in NHC and BCBC

LAUREL, MD – Tony Martin, a 51-year-old retired groundskeeper from Lexington, Ky., took home the grand prize of $27,000 plus his bankroll and seats at two premiere upcoming events during The BIG One handicapping tournament hosted by Laurel Park.

The two-day, live-bankroll tournament was held Sept. 21 and 22 in the second-floor clubhouse sports bar at Laurel, coinciding with Round 1 of Laurel’s September to Remember Stakes Festival that featured the $250,000 Xpressbet Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash (G3), won by Killybegs Captain, and the $200,000 Baltimore-Washington International Turf Cup (G3), won by Caribou Club.

Martin finished with a bankroll of $300.20 to go along with his grand prize winnings. He also earned a berth in the 2020 National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) in Las Vegas as well as the Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge (BCBC) Nov. 1 and 2 at Santa Anita.

A total of 54 competitors took part in The BIG One, limited to a maximum field of 57. Players were required to make $2 win and place wagers on 24 races, 12 from Laurel Park, Gulfstream Park, Belmont Park and Parx on Day 1 and 12 more from Laurel, Gulfstream, Belmont and Woodbine on Day 2.

Each day there were five mandatory races, with the remaining seven chosen by the players. Martin sealed his victory by selecting long shots in the Belmont Park finale each day – Cirque ($131.50 to win, $34.20 to place) and Saratoga Colonel ($61.50, $26.20).

Finishing second with a bankroll of $177.90 was Bruce Pratt of Las Vegas. Pratt took home his bankroll plus $13,500, a seat at the NHC and an entry to the Pegasus World Cup Betting Championship in January 2020 at Gulfstream Park. Paul Kirnos of Media, Pa. was third with a $156.40 bankroll, earning $6,750 plus a seat at the NHC and berth in the BCBC.

Rounding out the top 10, with bankroll, prize money and tournament berths, were Howard Welsh of Basking Ridge, N.J. ($152.40, $5,063, NHC, BCBC), Christopher Podratz of Santa Clarita, Calif. ($150.70, $3,375, NHC, BCBC), Edward Wright of Brooklyn, N.Y. ($150.40, $3,038, NHC, BCBC), T.J. Nola of Montgomery, Ala. ($119.50, $2,700, NHC, Pegasus), Steve Arrison of Point Pleasant Beach, N.J. ($115.40, $2,363, NHC, Pegasus), Howard Blumberg of Baltimore ($112.80, $2,025, Pegasus) and Mike Mulvihill of Palatine, Ill. ($112.20, $1,688, Pegasus). Since they are already dual qualified for the NHC, Blumberg and Mulvihill each received $5,000 in lieu of another spot.

In all, 10 NHC seats, five BCBC entries and five Pegasus World Cup Betting Championship berths were awarded, along with a total prize pool of $75,000 in cash. Top finishers had the option of selecting the BCBC or Pegasus tournaments.