Delaware Handicapper Wins AmericaTab Contest

Edited AmericaTab release
Ronald Cote of Middletown, Delaware finished first in the second annual "Handicapping Open" sponsored by AmericaTab.

"Fantastic" was how he described his winnings of $60,000 for first place in the world's richest online handicapping contest. "Fantastic" was also how he described the finals and the qualifiers leading up to finals on Saturday, August 5.

Cote finished with a Return on Investment (ROI) of $114.70, besting the field and finishing above second place finisher Gordon Arenz of Bend, OR who completed the finals with an ROI of $101.50. The ROI was computed with mythical dollars and based on $2 win and $2 place wagers. Arenz was awarded $17,000 for second place in the finals.

After his win, Cote said he relied on Ultimate Race Summaries from Brisnet.com as a prime source of handicapping the races.

"Every time I play a contest, I get the Ultimate Race Summary from BRIS," explained Cote. "It helps break down the races for me. I use the Prime Power Rating, the Class Ratings, and the Late Pace figures."

Throughout the day he was changing his selections for a strategy based on his standings at the time. He picked up $26 for the runner Original Spin who finished second in the eighth race at Saratoga. There were 15 pre-selected races on the finals card and the longshot catapulted Cote to a comfortable position in the finals. It was not until Red Zipper finished first at Saratoga and paid a total of $21.20 for win and place that he felt he had a legitimate shot for the win. Red Zipper was in the 10th race at Saratoga and the 11th event on the Handicapping Open card.

"The Race Summary put me on my final winner, Red Zipper, in the 10th race at Saratoga," continued Cote. "He was ranked in the top two in the field on the Current Class, Speed Last Race, and Back Speed categories. I couldn't have done it without the Brisnet.com information."

Cote qualified the maximum number of two tickets for the finals and concentrated on the leading ticket in which he eventually won. He shifted to Red Zipper shortly before the race because he felt strongly about his chances. From there on out he concentrated on chalk horses and picked up $5.00 with Live Fast in the seventh race at Del Mar, the last event for the day.

"This tournament was so much fun, yet also nerve wracking," said Cote who said he will use a portion of his winnings to buy a new computer. "Having two entries was real helpful. Last year I made it into the Championship but only had one entry. This year my goal was to qualify twice and have a better chance in the finals. It paid off."

Over $103,000 was distributed with payouts down 30 places in the finals. A total of $257,550 was paid out through the 43 weeks of qualifiers and the one Saturday of the finals. The AmericaTab Handicapping Open returns 100% of the entry fee money to the players.

Third-place winner, John Markel of Baltimore, MD won $7,000 on Saturday. The top five places were rounded out by Darrell Lerner of Great Neck, NY, fourth with $4,500 in winnings, and Henry Reader of Indianapolis, IN, fifth with $2,000 in winnings.

Three quarterly winners were awarded trips to Oaklawn Park for the Racing Festival of the South; Churchill Downs for the Kentucky Derby; and the upcoming Pacific Classic at Del Mar. The top five players from each week qualified for the finals.

Delaware Handicapper Wins AmericaTab Contest

Ronald Cote of Middletown, Delaware after finishing first in the second annual "Handicapping Open" sponsored by AmericaTab.

"Fantastic" was how he described his winnings of $60,000 for first place in the world's richest online handicapping contest. "Fantastic" was also how he described the finals and the qualifiers leading up to finals on Saturday, August 5.

Cote finished with a Return on Investment (ROI) of $114.70, besting the field and finishing above second place finisher Gordon Arenz of Bend, OR who completed the finals with an ROI of $101.50. The ROI was computed with mythical dollars and based on $2 win and $2 place wagers. Arenz was awarded $17,000 for second place in the finals.

After his win, Cote said he relied on Ultimate Race Summaries from Brisnet.com as a prime source of handicapping the races.

"Every time I play a contest, I get the Ultimate Race Summary from BRIS," explained Cote. "It helps break down the races for me. I use the Prime Power Rating, the Class Ratings, and the Late Pace figures."

Throughout the day he was changing his selections for a strategy based on his standings at the time. He picked up $26 for the runner Original Spin who finished second in the eighth race at Saratoga. There were 15 pre-selected races on the finals card and the longshot catapulted Cote to a comfortable position in the finals. It was not until Red Zipper finished first at Saratoga and paid a total of $21.20 for win and place that he felt he had a legitimate shot for the win. Red Zipper was in the 10th race at Saratoga and the 11th event on the Handicapping Open card.

"The Race Summary put me on my final winner, Red Zipper, in the 10th race at Saratoga," continued Cote. "He was ranked in the top two in the field on the Current Class, Speed Last Race, and Back Speed categories. I couldn't have done it without the Brisnet.com information."

Cote qualified the maximum number of two tickets for the finals and concentrated on the leading ticket in which he eventually won. He shifted to Red Zipper shortly before the race because he felt strongly about his chances. From there on out he concentrated on chalk horses and picked up $5.00 with Live Fast in the seventh race at Del Mar, the last event for the day.

"This tournament was so much fun, yet also nerve wracking," said Cote who said he will use a portion of his winnings to buy a new computer. "Having two entries was real helpful. Last year I made it into the Championship but only had one entry. This year my goal was to qualify twice and have a better chance in the finals. It paid off."

Over $103,000 was distributed with payouts down 30 places in the finals. A total of $257,550 was paid out through the 43 weeks of qualifiers and the one Saturday of the finals. The AmericaTab Handicapping Open returns 100% of the entry fee money to the players.

Third-place winner, John Markel of Baltimore, MD won $7,000 on Saturday. The top five places were rounded out by Darrell Lerner of Great Neck, NY, fourth with $4,500 in winnings, and Henry Reader of Indianapolis, IN, fifth with $2,000 in winnings.

Three quarterly winners were awarded trips to Oaklawn Park for the Racing Festival of the South; Churchill Downs for the Kentucky Derby; and the upcoming Pacific Classic at Del Mar. The top five players from each week qualified for the finals.