'Pop, pop, pop'; Taylor chases longshots to top NHC 2020 finish

Back in her hometown over the weekend, Ashley Taylor was on the verge of history while in contention to become the first woman to win the National Horseplayers Championship since Judy Wagner took the title in 2001.

The Nevada native came up just short at Bally’s Las Vegas, though Taylor received a six-figure payday nonetheless by finishing fourth in her first try at the NHC. “I’m relieved,” Taylor said after the final table showdown. “I’m not having a panic attack anymore. This has all been a shock. I never expected to get this far.” Taylor, who represented the home team with an NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights cap throughout the tournament, pocketed $100,000 for her performance placing $2 win/place wagers on a series of races Friday through Sunday. Taylor’s bankroll totaled $350.40, with Thomas Goldsmith of Montgomery, Calif., winning thanks to his $404.10 total -- second-highest in NHC history. Taylor wasn’t positioned prominently from 690 entries after Day 1 of the NHC, sitting in 149th. But it was only a matter of time before her strategy kicked in. “For this tournament, the only way I was going to win was to get longshots,” she said. “I looked for my favorite longshots and would just go for them.” On Saturday, Taylor connected on 21-1 Admiralty Pier in the Tampa Bay Stakes (G3) and caught a big winner of the eighth race at Golden Gate Fields, the 41-1 shot Meet Miss Kitty. “I was chasing big numbers both days,” she said, adding that on Saturday, “They all hit. The first day I didn’t hit anything until the very end and (Saturday) it was just ‘pop, pop, pop.’” In addition to her NHC winnings, Taylor received a berth to this year’s Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge thanks to racking up the highest Day 2 total. She accumulated $216.30 from eight mandatory and 10 optional race plays. Taylor now resides in Encinitas, Calif., “right down the street from Del Mar,” she said. “It’s how I got going in all of this. “...I wasn’t working for the last year, so I used handicapping for fun then I got more into it and it’s paid off.” Taylor’s try at the Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge will also be her first as the championships return to Keeneland on Nov. 6-7. “I haven’t been able to process that part yet,” she said, “but hopefully I can make it out there and I can see it. I heard (Keeneland) is a beautiful track.”