NHC 2018 a family tradition for Brooklyn duo Scanio, Davis

Fifteen years ago, cousins Joe Scanio and Stephanie Davis saw an ad in their Aqueduct race program promoting a free trip to Las Vegas. The only catch: qualifying for what was then called the National Handicapping Championship.

Scanio made the cut and played in his first NHC in 2004. Davis joined him in 2006. And with just a couple years the exceptions, the Brooklyn, N.Y., residents have returned to Vegas each year since, including for this weekend’s competition at Treasure Island.

“Initially, I was helping her,” Scanio said. “Now she’s a better player than I am. She doesn’t ever get emotionally involved. The Italian comes out in me. I want to throw things and everyone ducks.”

But “he’s gotten so much better,” Davis added. “He was never one of those who would flip a table or kick a garbage can — there are people who do that — but he has learned so much to not worry about everyone around him and concentrate on what he has to do.”

When the semifinals ended Sunday, Davis posted her best finish yet at 21st. Scanio registered his second-best result, 41st, after finishing sixth in 2015.

It’s Scanio’s goal to continue growing family’s presence at the NHC. His wife joined him this week in Las Vegas, and his daughter turned 21 on Saturday. She, he said, “is learning to read the sheets” and is “on her way” to a run at Rookie of the Year in 2019.

“It’s not a difficult community to get into,” Scanio said of the NHC, which includes a tour loaded with qualifiers. A record number of players, 568, made their way into this year’s field.

”What’s difficult,” he added, “is to continue to be able to play and not get beat up. You need to always make sure you’re getting some kind of return. This is where everybody wants to be, but it can be costly if you don’t have some churning — some money in return.”

Both Scanio and Davis said they’d played online contests, such as those offered at DerbyWars.com. They learn screen names there that blossom to friendships in the NHC ball room.

“This room gives you energy,” Davis said. “It energizes you and keeps you focused.”

And as for some handicapping advice?

“I stay focused on playing horses I really believe can win the race and not looking at odds or trying to hedge my bet,” she added. 

Scanio, who works as a sales manager for Hilton Hotels, with an acting career on the side, said he focuses on “controlling emotion.”

“You’re going to make mistakes,” he said. “We made a couple mistakes, and we did not let it affect us. I would say the whole thing is, you can’t take whatever happened in the last race into the next race. And whatever you’ve got going outside, for these two days you’ve got to leave it there.”

At least in the last respect, that trip to Vegas helps.