DerbyWars $25K Final Four Player Profile - Tony Brice

The Final Four face off in DerbyWars' $25,000 Head-to-Head February Bracket Championship Saturday, with the Final round on Sunday. The Four players who advanced this far have won 4 matchups in a row, against some tough competiton and with some challenging races. Here's a player profile!

Tony Brice (Lonestar609) gutted out victory by $2.60 the first weekend of this month's Championship to advance to the Sweet Sixteen, and his strong play has taken him all the way to the Final Four.

"This is my first time in a head-to-head format, and I was really fortunate to get past the second round and the Elite 8 -- I had the lowest winning total two Sundays ago," said Brice. "Then (I) was lucky enough to have a favorite nose out the horse that could've beaten me this past Sunday. It was an extremely close contest, and I was up against one of the best DerbyWars players (Jan Head-to-Head Final Four participant, Damian Verno (Skezzer)). I'm excited to be in the Final Four and see how it goes!"

Brice, of Colleyville, Texas, joined DerbyWars in November after a banner year in contest play, topped by a runner-up finish in the 2014 NHC!

"My first contest experience was in 2013. I qualified for the NHC late that year, and then went on to finish second two months later at the NHC 15 in Las Vegas. That finish gave me the confidence that, on any given day or weekend, I could compete at the highest levels."

 

He would have to be at the top of his game for this month's Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight rounds, where he defeated Edward Ramsey (Wrongway) and 2015 NHC runner-up, Joe Scanio (Trots). 

"My strategy is always to try to play to my strength -- finding value in a race," Brice said. "In tournaments with hundreds of contestants, you almost have to use at least a couple of longer odds entries that you might not use under normal circumstances. In head-to-head play, I've learned quickly that you have to adapt to the competition as it evolves. It's especially important to find a balance between value plays and deserving, short-odds horses when circumstances dictate."

 

• Head-to-Head Championship Winners 

Brice faces Mike Martin (Actioncatxmike) in Saturday's Final Four, and judging by the past weeks' play, it will be an epic battle from both contenders. The $10,000 First prize is an impressive amount that Brice plans on re-investing: "If I'm fortunate enough to win, I'll map out my contest strategy for the rest of the year. The prize money would definitely give me more options as far as how many contests and which ones I'll play in 2015."