Late Move by Rich Zipp Wins Arlington Park Handicapping Contest at Hodgkins on November 21

Laura Skamser, Ken Lieske, Art Woelffer, and Stan Koper Round out the Hodgkins Five

One goal of these stories that recap the handicapping contests is to give you, the reader, hints on how to win a contest.  Here are two more hints:  one, play on your birthday, and two, play where your brother won.

RICH ZIPP

That worked for Rich Zipp last Saturday.  It was his birthday, and he celebrated by winning one of the coveted trips to Las Vegas to play in the Coast Casinos World Series handicapping tournament. 

Followers of the Arlington handicapping contests will remember that it was the kick-off installment of the fall, 2008, OTB Tour that Mark D’Amato, on his birthday, won a trip to play in the 2009 World Series.  Mark D’Amato is captain of Team D’Amato that faithfully travels from Green Bay and Milwaukee to play in Arlington handicapping contests.

Followers will also remember that it was Tom Zipp, Rich’s little brother, that won the Las Vegas trip just two weeks ago, at the same Hodgkins OTB!

“I go into every contest believing I can win,” emphasized Rich Zipp.  “Obviously, I won’t win every contest, but all I really have to win is one in order to get myself back to Las Vegas.”

Getting back to Las Vegas is important to Zipp.  “I’ve competed in the Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Championship as well as the World Series, the two national capstone handicapping tournaments,” he explained.  “The first time is a little overwhelming, but after you’ve been there, you can’t wait to get back.”  That’s a refrain your correspondent has heard from everyone that has competed in the Las Vegas handicapping tournaments! 

Zipp’s winning move came late in the most-recent Hodgkins tourney.  “The race I liked most was the last race, so I planned to keep some money on my contest account until late in the card,” he explained.  “I dabbled some earlier, but I still had $24 left on my primary entry going into the eighth race.

“When you (this correspondent) handicapped the card, and especially the eighth race, for us before the Hawthorne races started, you pointed out that trainer Rick Slomkowski had a great record when taking the blinks off, and my attention perked up,” Zipp continued.  “I liked the favorite, Maur Hill, in the eighth race and bet him in a daily double, but I decided to also take a $10 double with Slomkowski’s Oak Forest to the Canani favorite, Palace Tenor, who I liked in the ninth race.

“The Slomkowski ‘blinks off’ horse won the eighth race at 11-1, and I was really excited going into the ninth,” revealed Zipp.  “When Palace Tenor edged ahead in the stretch, I began my patented finger-popping and ‘come on baby, you got it’ chant and the horse responded, giving me an $87 double, times five. 

“That was my only winning contest bet, but that was all it took,” stated Zipp.  “I always save some bullets when I like something late in the card, and this time it paid off.” 

Each Saturday’s handicapping contest awards prize money to the top five finishers.  Those top five from last Saturday are:

          1.  Rich Zipp           : $ 427.60 - Wins World Series trip plus $200 prize money

          2.  Laura Skamser  : $ 183.10 - Plus $100 prize money
          3.  Ken Lieske        : $ 171.30 - Plus $50 prize money

          4.  Art Woelffer      : $ 159.20 - Plus $25 prize money

          5.  Stan Koper        : $   90.00 - Plus $25 prize money

LAURA SKAMSER

Laura Skamser followed a strategy similar to Zipp’s.  “My favorite race was the ninth, but I knew the Canani/Calabrese horse, Palace Tenor, would be a heavy favorite,” she began.  “So I had to come up with a way to make some significant return, working around that horse. 

“Earlier in the card I made some 10-cent supers (superfectas), just to have the contest requirement of five races out of the way while hoping to catch lightning in a bottle,” she continued.  “I liked the eventual winner of the seventh race so I won some money on that one with a win-place bet.  In the eighth race I liked the favorite, Maur Hill, so I made a $10 daily double with that horse to Palace Tenor in the ninth race. 

“But I’m a big believer in trainer patterns,” Skamser continued.  “When you stated in your review that Slomkowski had big ‘blinks off’ stats, I decided to make a $3 ‘saver’ daily double with his Oak Forest to Palace Tenor.  Obviously, now I wish I would have bet that combo bigger.”

Nonetheless, Skamser finished second for her effort and moved up in the cumulative standings.  “I won a handicapping contest a couple of years ago, but I’m still learning when it comes to handicapping, and more so when it involves tournament play,” she offered.  “I have improved my overall performance by competing in these contests, and employing all I have learned about handicapping and wagering strategies.

“I will be on the Tour for each of the remaining stops,” declared Skamser.  “I love going to a different OTB each Saturday, plus one never knows when a particular day is the one where he or she comes in first.  And, as you (this correspondent) always say, ‘you can’t win it unless you get in it.’”

KEN LIESKE

“I’m calling Ken Lieske to conduct my weekly interview,” I began when Lieske answered the phone.

“Hah!  I hope you have reason to keep calling every week,” Lieske responded with a laugh.

Lieske (rhymes with risky) now holds the record for the most in-the-money finishes of this fall, 2009, OTB Tour handicapping contest series.  Last week he finished third, the week before, at Lockport, he was fifth, and two weeks ago, at Hodgkins, Lieske finished second.  One time, earlier this fall, he finished in the top five with both entries!

“That’s great,” Lieske assessed, “While I’m making money with my betting I’m also picking up bonus money from Arlington, plus I’m building my cumulative total.”

Like Zipp and Skamser above, and Stan Koper as we shall see below, Lieske’s favorite horse of the day was Palace Tenor in the ninth race.

“I wasn’t having any success earlier in the card, and my contest balance had dwindled,” Lieske related.  “But I made some trifecta bets in the ninth race, working around Palace Tenor, and one of those tickets hit.  I manage my money so as to have some available when the better races come up, and that practice served me well in this instance.”

Lieske will be present and accounted for on the remaining Saturdays of the OTB Tour.  “I haven’t been to the South Beloit or Rockford parlors, but I understand both are basically right off the I-90 Tollway so they are easy to get to.  I’m looking forward to seeing what they are like.  I’ll be shooting for the Vegas trip at the Rockford parlor, and I’ll be working to climb in the cumulative standings at each parlor.”

ART WOELFFER

Art Woelffer managed to reverse the pattern of the other top-five finishers.

“I won early, and was probably leading after the second race,” Woelffer surmised.  “I had the second race exacta that paid about $225, then I won some more money on the third and fourth races.

“At that point I got conservative and decided to basically sit on my balance,” continued Woelffer.  “I did like some other things later in the day but I simply didn’t pull the trigger.  I was content to let the others try to catch up to me.

“I don’t know if I would have beat Rich for the win, but I could have come in second,” Woelffer summarized.  “However, that’s with the benefit of hindsight, so I’m not going to berate myself over it.  I still did well to make the top five, and I will continue to improve.”

STAN KOPER

“I’m not any good at this,” lamented Al Stan Koper in a familiar refrain.  Koper often downplays his ability but fools no one since we all remember that he won a handicapping contest last year and went to the 2009 World Series. 

“I’m better at harness,” he continued.  “I understand it better.  Handicapping these Thoroughbreds is just so tough.”  Not so tough that Koper couldn’t come in fifth last Saturday!

“I couldn’t hit anything,” Koper explained.  “When I got to the last race, I only had $18 left on my card.  “I really liked Palace Tenor, the 4-5 favorite, like everyone else, but I knew just betting him to win wasn’t the thing to do.

“I also gave a little shot to Justin Front so I made an exacta with those two horses and they finished 1-2, lucky for me,” concluded Koper.  “The exacta paid about 10 bucks so that’s how I got back up to $90.”  Add in the $25 for finishing fifth and Koper more than doubled his money last Saturday.  Not bad for someone who is ‘not any good at this.’

My OTB Tour travels to the South Beloit OTB parlor located in TADS Sports Bar and Grill, home of “awesome burgers” and more.  Bring your appetite and wear your handicapping shoes.  Arrive early to get a good seat in the main OTB room – it will fill up fast.  I will handicap the Hawthorne races at about one hour before first post.   Register with me for drawings, and register with Andrew for the handicapping contest.

This is the first time we will be offering a Thoroughbred handicapping contest at the South Beloit parlor.  While a trip to the World Series is not offered to the first-place finisher this Saturday, we will still be giving the other prizes to the top five finishers ($200-$100-$50-$25-$25), and particularly important is that you can add to your cumulative total in pursuit of the consistency prize which is that coveted trip to the World Series.

South Beloit is about 10 miles north of Rockford.  The OTB in TADS is located just a few blocks west of Interstate 90 on Gardner Street which is also Highways 75 and 51 and has its own exit off I 90.  For directions and a map click here then scroll down and click on Trackside South Beloit.

For more information about the fall, 2009, OTB Tours, seminars, and handicapping contests, including a complete schedule of Tour stops plus handicapping contest rules, click here.

We’ll see you in South Beloit.  It just may be your time to win a handicapping contest and have Arlington send you to Las Vegas along with Team Zipp and the other 21 Arlington Park fans who will be making the journey in pursuit of the World Series top prize estimated to be $300,000. But you can’t win it unless you get it, and it’s free to get in it!

Good handicapping!  See you at South BeloitodgkinsHodg!!

Scott

M. Scott McMannis

Arlington Handicapper, The Chicago Sun-Times

Midwest Correspondent, The HorsePlayer Magazine

Owner/Publisher, Arlington and Hawthorne Trainer Patterns,

   and The McMannis Speed & Trip Service Weekly Newsletter

Seminar and Contest Host, Arlington Park