Team TwinSpires well represented at NHC

DEROSA'S BLOG

JANUARY 27, 2014

Team TwinSpires well represented at NHC

by Ed DeRosa

The first-ever Final Table at the National Handicapping Championship

represented TwinSpires.com well, as all 10 of the competitors are account

holders with the official account wagering site of the Kentucky Derby, and two

of the top four players going into the final five races -- Michael Piccola and

Chris Skotz -- qualified via TS.

TwinSpires.com was the only qualifying site of any kind to have more than one

person at the final table.

Both Piccola and Skotz qualified via the TwinSpires

Online Handicapping Series, which began this past week for 2014 and has a

$10k guaranteed tournament every Saturday with satellites practically daily.

Piccola finished fourth and Skotz seventh after the three-day event.

"TwinSpires.com is

proud of the accomplishments of all our players who won their way in to the

National Handicapping Championship especially Michael Piccola and Chris Skotz

who made the final table," TwinSpires Vice President of Marketing Jeremy Clemons

said. "TwinSpires.com players

continue to prove they are among the best and the brightest in the game."

Team TwinSpires was easily identifiable in the playing area, as in addition

to their seat at the NHC, TwinSpires.com qualifiers earned a sporty blue Team

TwinSpires jacket. Brisnet.com was

on hand at Treasure Island as well to provide handicapping information to the

275 of its customers who qualified for the prestigious NHC.

Visiting with such passionate horseplayers for a weekend in Vegas is one of

the highlights of my year. It's exciting just to be an observer to this every

year, so it's easy to understand why players try so hard to make it back once

they've been a part of it.

This year's NHC went to a three-day format for the first time with the

traditional first two days (Friday-Saturday) deciding the top 50 for Sunday.

Those 50 then competed among seven races (three mandatory and four optional)

from five eligible tracks. The traditional first two days feature 15 selections

each day -- seven mandatories and eight optional races -- from seven contest

tracks.

The change to a Final Table with 10 players all required to make their

selections public before the race added a level of excitement to the final five

races (all mandatory) that had been missing from the previous 14 NHCs.

The three-day tiered format also allows for some better record keeping. Now

instead of just years qualified and wins (15 players now tied with one each),

the number of final tables and day 3 appearances will surely add prestige to any

horseplayer's resume.

A pair of Brisnet.com users added to that prestige as former champion Judy

Wagner nearly made the final table and NHC Tour winner from two years ago, Paul

Shurman, did make the final table.

The next big live tournament is the Horse

Player World Series at the end of March at the Orleans casino in Las Vegas.

TwinSpires.com will send 30 players to that event.

Get qualified for 2015 today.