A DerbyWars Double for Latest $20K Saturday Winner

It was a DerbyWars Double this weekend for Edward "Ted" Hanna (Sulemark) - he won the $20,000 Game on Saturday, then took down the $5,000 Game on SUNDAY!

Hanna came into the $20K from a $29 Auto-In Qualifier on Wednesday that featured Woodbine races. His contest plays started out chilly, but a play on  Precious Paula in the 9th race at Monmouth put him on the board with $27.60.

"I started out very cold, and after switching from Sly Tom in the 8th at Belmont with 20 seconds to go, I felt like I blew my chance. I didn't panic or change all my picks to ridiculous priced horses that had no chance, but focused on picking the horse that had an angle that I could bet on," said Hanna.

That strategy began to bear fruit in the 11th at Monmouth, the Eatontown Stakes, where his choice I'm Already Sexy toughed out a victory and gave him another $22.40 to his score. When the action turned to Santa Anita, Hanna's picks fired white hot. Going into the final two stakes races, the Royal Heroine and the Gold Cup, he was leading the field.

"Luckily, in the last race (the Gold Cup), I had a $20 cushion which allowed me to eliminate some very good horses. I knew if someone was going to beat me, it would be over 10-1. Fortunately earlier in the day, I already had chosen Hard Aces, and my position in the contest solidified my pick and was a no brainer."

Hard Aces upset the Gold Cup field at 7-1 by a nose over the late-charging Hoppertunity. Hanna banked a final score of $132.20 to take down the cash prize and entry into this weekend's $100K game!

"All of my handicapping is done on form, pace, breeding, and rider/trainer stats. I never even looked at a single past performance line all day Saturday," said Hanna. Hanna cultivated his handicapping skills playing his home tracks, Arlington Park and Hawthorne. "I only occasionally get to play the races, that is, until I discovered DerbyWars in February."

"I started contests because my brother in law's brother was the marketing director for the OTB's and encouraged me to come out. It instantly became a passion...I played in many Arlington and Hawthorne live money, on-site contests, and seemed to always do well. My best thoroughbred finish was 3rd place in the $50,000 Midwest tournament at Hawthorne in 2004. I won a few thousand dollars and a full ride to the World Series of Horseracing, but didn't do well in Vegas.   I also won a $5k top prize in a Harness contest a few years later, and just won minor awards since then. I have only played in a handful of contests in the last 10 years, and am just beginning to round back into form."


Hanna hit a new top on Sunday taking the $5K Game.

"On Sunday, I thought I would give it another shot in the 5k Sunday game. It was almost an identical scenerio to Saturday. I stared out cold, and switched from Crucero in the 4th at Santa Anita in the final seconds," he said. "Again,  I thought I blew it. I refocused on how I did it the day before, and sure enough, I started hitting everything at Santa Anita. I was down $10 going into the last race, and was looking on that price range. Luckily, I was in fifth place at the time, and probably nobody was really paying attention to me. So again, I took the best choice at the price I needed. With 45 seconds to go, I switched to Katy Drama, and my wife yelled at me and said, 'how many times have you lost by going against your 1st instinct?'

"So with 10 seconds left, I changed it back to the 8 horse. Luckily nobody ahead of me had the 8 horse (and someone did have Katy Drama). When the 8 won, I was in shock. To win both contests in the same weekend is probably something I could never do again...but I'll try!"

Hanna has a chance for another double this weekend in the $100K game and the $20K July 4th Game!

Saturday's $20K runner-up, Richard Smith (Smithr4791), had his own incredible story to tell. Smith, who says he is normally a Pick 6 player, signed up for a Free $250 Beginner contest on June 20, but, "I forgot to play while chasing a pick 6 carryover..."

Undeterred, he bought-in to the $20,000 Saturday game. "The game on Saturday was my first real attempt at a handicapping contest. My strategy was to concentrate on the Santa Anita races where I hit on 4 of my 6 winners. I placed my picks in the morning and then attended a cookout. When I returned home, I was happy with the results."

He had scored $108.10 to finish second in his first-ever DerbyWars game - that's something to be happy about!

Smith got into racing with the greyhounds, but it took him some trial and error, and a helpful teller, to get good at it.

"I have been handicapping horse races for approximately 20 years. I originally followed dog racing because a friend was a teller at a nearby dog track. Initially, I was such a bad handicapper that my friend would sometimes shake her head "No" and refuse to place some of my bets. Eventually, I improved on my handicapping skills. Shortly thereafter, the track commenced the simulcasting of horse racing. I placed my first bet on a race at Saratoga and have been playing the horses ever since that day."