My Personal View
The Rogue Handicapper® has been handicapping professionally and directly involved in the horse racing industry for more than 20 years. Note that from NHC I to NHC VIII the Rogue Handicapper® never started playing in NHC tournaments as NHC IX was his first year of competing.
My horse racing handicapping highlight reel is not about a particular horse or about a specifically large wager I won, but it is about all the times growing up as a little boy and as a young man that this game allowed me to spend countless hours, days and years getting closer to my father by talking and learning the game of handicapping…”Dad you’re the best”!
Father and Son at Saratoga cheer on their horses as they approach the finish line
May this game give you a lifetime of memories like this and a full highlight reel of winning wagers$
How I Got Into Handicapping
I got into handicapping from my father in my young teens years, when my father would take me along with him to Vernon Downs a local harness track or to the Off-Track-Betting Shops in Upstate New York and during the summer time to Historic Saratoga Race Course. It was during this time and after that I would look to get my hands on any and everything I could that had anything related to handicapping the horses or sports betting.
Some Handicapping Tournament Highlights
His First Online Contest
In 1997, the Rogue Handicapper® played in his first online contest and was the first place winner in the Iwnonline.com Breeders’ Cup Handicapping Challenge ’97 in which he out handicapped 440 competitors from over 40 states.
His First NHC Contest
In 2007, he played in his very first NHC event and was the day one leader and finished third place in “The Southwest Shootout” held at Sunland Park Racetrack & Casino. That qualified him for the DRF/ NTRA National Handicapping Championship IX. He proved his turf knowledge and gaming acumen in his first year in the DRF/ NTRA by qualifying and finishing 20th at the NHC IX Finals.
His First NHC Finals
In 2008, he played in his first NHC Finals which was the NHC IX Finals in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Red Rock Resort Casino & Spa. He competed against a total of 278 individuals and after day one he was in 14th place, and when the dust settled went on to finish in 20th place and cash!
His First Mentored Contest Player
In 2008, he mentored his first mentored tournament player who qualified for the NHC X Finals by finishing 2nd at NHC Oaks & Derby Online contest vs. over 660 players. The client then went on to place 27th in the elite NHC X Finals field of handicappers and cashed!
His BCBC Track Record “The Richest Live Money Tournament In North America”
In 2011, the Rogue Handicapper® mentored his second contest player who was the first place winner at BCQualify.com for the prestigious 2011 Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge. His client was the first place winner of the over 800 players that competed and advanced through two rounds of competition to win a full $10,000 entry for $100. Where the mentored player cashed & finished 42nd in the field. This BCBC had over $315,000 in total prize money awarded at the two-day contest event held at Churchill Downs.
In 2012, the Rogue Handicapper® qualified for The Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge. He accomplished this feat by being in the top six of the over 700 players that competed and advanced through two rounds of competition to win a full $10,000 entry for $100. Where he cashed & finished 14th against 138 players. This BCBC had almost $400.000 in total prize money awarded at the two-day contest event held at Santa Anita Park.
In 2014, the Rogue Handicapper® and his playing partner qualified for The Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge as they accomplished this trick by finishing second against a field of 204 players in a one-day qualifying event to win the full $10,000 entry. Then they went on to finish 3rd against a field of 286 contestants in the 2014 BC Challenge. This BCBC had $730,000 in total prize money awarded at the two-day contest event held at Santa Anita Park. Click Here to Read More
The First Published Book On Horse Racing Handicapping Tournaments
 |
Hal Wafer wrote and had published one of the industry’s first “how to books” on handicapping contests titled “A Survey of Track Handicapping Contests-Rules-Suggestions-Potential” which was published in 1999 by Harness Tracks of America and was used as a guide by The Daily Racing Form and the NTRA for helping to create their National Handicapping Championship.
This sparked his interest in the horse racing contest scene as a student in the Race Track Industry Program at the University of Arizona where he published one the industry’s first “How to Books” on handicapping contests titled “A Survey of Track Handicapping Contests-Rules-Suggestions-Potential” published in 1999 by Harness Tracks of America. Which was used as a guide by The Daily Racing Form and the NTRA for helping to create their National Handicapping Championship (NHC) .
Selected As A Member of The NTRA’s NHC Players Committee
He was selected to be on the NHC Players Committee in the fall of 2010, which is made up of 14 established tournament players and this panel is a “who’s who” of horse racing tournament world which includes three past NHC World Champions and one NHC Tour Champion that meet throughout the year to discuss, offer suggestions and try to implement changes for the betterment of all tournament players on the NHC Tour. “Know that as a member on this panel that I will always, do the right thing for you the small guy or gal and the average tournament player for leveling the playing field, so all big $ players or small $ players have at least the same equal and realistic opportunity in contests and on the tournament trail that is possible to create”.
Click Here to Read More about the NHC Players’ Committee
The Past, The Present and The Future
The Rogue Handicapper® has accomplished in just a few short years of tournament play what many veteran (20 + years) tournament players would already consider a successful tournament career and doing this all as a non deep-pocket player which makes this even more remarkable.
The Rogue Handicapper® will continue not to rest on his good or solid past results as he has a tenacious attitude & skills for wanting to be the best and his continued results bring to light his belief, “That a really great tournament players’ contest career isn’t based on one contest, or one year, but over a number of years of competing and consistently achieving successful results on the biggest stage against the world’s best horse racing tournament players”.
