Brisnet.com Handicapper's Hall of Fame Player Profile  John M Murphy   NY $31,302 Pimilico Twin Trifecta  Occupation: Teacher   Other Accomplishments: Third place ($16,500) in the finals of the 1985 World Series of Handicapping @ Penn National. Fourth place ($10,000) in the finals of the 1988 World Series of Handicapping @ Penn National. First place ($1,500) in the September 1989 September preliminary round of the World Series of Handicapping @ Penn National. Third place ($75) in the 1999 Capital District OTB Kentucky Derby contest. First place ($150) in the 1999 Capital District OTB Belmont contest. Won $35,000 with only ticket on the June 1, 1991 Twin Trifecta at Pimlico. I am most proud of my Third and Fourth place finishes at Penn National. While there are widespread contest these days, in the 1980's the WSH was the preeminent contest. While the 25 "professionals" received a free pass to the finals every year, amateurs had to survive a preliminary round (25 of 150 advance) to get there. I made it through the preliminary round seven consecutive years.   Started Playing: My first visit to the track (Narragansett) was in 1970, at age 21. I lost $2 in each race, but in the last I bought a $2Win, $2Place and $2Show ticket on the favorite and he aired. I had the pleasure of going to three different windows to cash, and felt like I had just conquered the world.   Handicapping Mentor(s): I read just about every book available when I first started out, but Andy Beyer had the biggest influence. His books are not only fun to read, but pass on an infectious enthusiasm. He made me look for clues within the trainers patterns and intentions, and he made me realize that you have to do something different from the crowd to be successful.    Handicapping Style: I always start by tossing all dropdowns and also those winners should have gone up in class. This is the best strategy for achieving "difference" from the crowd.  Back to Brisnet.com Hall of Fame [ Sign-up ] [ Products & Prices ] [ Bookstore ] [ Track Info ] [ Library ] [ Tech Support ] [ F.A.Q. ] [ Member Services ] [ Contact Us ]