DerbyWars $25K March Final Four: Neal Thomas

DerbyWars $25,000 Head-to-Head March Bracket Championship has gone from 64 players 2 weeks ago to a Final Four today! This month's contenders are all new to the Final Four, so let's get to know them!

Neal Thomas (Tnt) joined DerbyWars last August and has jumped to the top of the leaderboard, qualifying for the first $100K shortly after he signed up!

Thomas says he is "a Brooklyn boy with a passion for playing the ponies" that began when he was a boy. "My parents loved the ponies. Sunday afternoons at Belmont Clubhouse with large group was a weekly gathering," he said.

That passion and some smart plays got Thomas to the Final Four, after a record-breaking Saturday round and a wild Sunday that came down to the last race! It's not often that a player can miss a cap horse and yet still win a Head-to-Head contest, but Thomas not only didn't need the capper on Saturday, he more than doubled the $50 his competitor got for that longshot pick. Thomas scored $106.80 to crack 3 figures in a head-to-head game, a score that would have won many $20K games!

"I played jockeys this weekend," Thomas explained of his contest strategy. "(I) thought John Velazquez would have strong Saturday, and he did."

On Sunday, Thomas went head-to-head with Eric Moomey (Moomeyer), the February $100K winner. Moomey's appearance in the Final Four seemed certain - until the very last race! Moomey had scored $27.80 to Thomas's $16.60. In the final race, Gold Locket won for Thomas, added $22.80 to his total and put him $11.60 over Moomey's once-winning score. Thomas only scored on two races - and it was that final race of the contest that put him over the top!

"I simply got lucky," he said.

Thomas has now won 4 head-to-head matchups in a row. If he can win his next 2 games, he will take home the $10,000 First Prize and a championship trophy!

When asked to think about where he might display a trophy, Thomas said, "Is the trophy 24 carat (gold) with emerald studs? Around my neck!"

Thomas will face off with Carl Rasak (Razor) in the Final Four round coming up this Saturday.

As for the NCAA brackets, Thomas has picked Michigan State to win it all. "Izzo is due," he said.