Frank Evans, a professional poker player and veteran of numerous handicapping contests, is the 2005 winner of Turf-Vivor IV, Gulfstream Park's prognosticating challenge that annually attracts the best horseplayers in North America.Evans, 50, of Lake Hiawatha, NJ, earned the grand prize of $100,000 and posed with the championship trophy immediately following the conclusion of the three-day contest on Sunday."Turf-Vivor is always a great tournament," Evans said. "This is my third year here and I'll always come back because I have such a good time."
Finishing second in Turf-Vivor IV after losing to Evans in the final head-to-head competition of the afternoon was Lisa Kaufman, 22, a student at the University of California at San Diego. Kaufman earned $10,000 for her runner-up finish.Splitting the $5,000 third prize were Pat Heneghan and Mayer Kanter, with Heneghan winning a tie-breaker for an automatic qualification to the 2006 NTRA Handicapping Championship Tournament along with Evans and Kaufman.