How To Win The July $100K Game In Three Races

Bill Shurman (JasWas) defeated 133 other entries to take down the top prize in DerbyWars's $100,000 Juy contest! Shurman prevailed over two days and 20 races to win the $50,000 first prize with a final score of $125.20.

"I got off to a good start on Friday with a couple of collections, including the biggest price of the five races. Continue collecting was my strategy," he said. "With that many contestants, you can’t win it playing mostly low prices. On the other hand, with all the races being mandatory, collecting, sometimes even small amounts, becomes critical.  So I’d say that my strategy was to identify races that might be a little more chaotic and dependent on who is able to work out a good trip or get a favorable pace set up.  In those races you take your shots at prices.  In other races, where it looks like a few horses have a clear class advantage, look for the winner among those, even at a low price.  Of course, all that can go out the window in a hurry if a few long shots come in early in the contest and you don’t have them."

Shurman connected with the biggest price horse on Friday's first day of play, Daring Kathy in Belmont's race 8. "This was a 4 yr old coming off a layoff with Chad Brown now the trainer and Castellano riding. I knew the horse would have to improve to beat this field, but the elements were in place for that to happen."

On Saturday, he continued to come up big, scoring in the first 5 races of the day. As the racing action turned to the important stakes races, Shurman was ready for whatever the top horses would deliver.

"Another really important race was the Suburban," he said. "I thought Tonalist wouldn’t lose, but I struggled playing him at the price particularly with plenty of races left. I decided to play him, and even though I was wrong, the place price ($2.10) was the difference going into the last race of the contest and gave me the opportunity to play/block with Private Zone. If I am behind going into the last race, I can’t play Private Zone, and I don’t win the contest. The third very important race was the second to last race of the contest. I needed a certain price; the 1 horse was my choice as a horse with strong ThoroGraph numbers, and I just had to sweat out the price. That horse got me into the lead and allowed me to play Private Zone."
When Private Zone stormed home in the Belmont Sprint Championship, it meant a 7th DerbyWars $100K winner was crowned!

A longtime racing fan and player, Shurman was introduced to the sport while growing up on Long Island and going to Roosevelt Raceway to see the trotters. Shurman's brother, Paul, is also a horse player and qualified for the NHC in 2002. "I went (to Las Vegas) to spectate, entering a contest running at the same time next door, and became hooked on contests," he said. "The best thing about contests, and the reason I keep doing them, is the friendships I’ve made along the way. The camraderie is tremendous and what I cherish the most."

Among his friends, Shruman counts 2002 NHC Champion, Steve Wolfson, Jr. whom he met while at that first NHC experience. "He has since become a close friend and someone, along with his father (Steve Wolfson, Sr.), I’ve learned a lot from about handicapping over the years."

Of all the success he has had, "I’ve been fortunate enough to qualify every year for the NHC. I’d say my biggest accomplishment, and what I am most proud of, is a joint one with my brother. Together we have tried to qualify for the NHC 27 times (him 14 and me 13), and we are 27 for 27. There’s been a lot of good fortune in that, but it has required consistency over a lengthy period. That’s been my proudest achievement."

So what advice does he have for those just starting out in the contest world?

"Biggest tip -  Prepare! Be organized; watch what others are doing (how they are playing).  Don’t be afraid to take shots. In a 100 person contest, for example, it is better to finish first once and last nine times, than finish 20th ten times."