Richard Goodall, 64, earned the title Handicapper of the Year, and the
$500,000 grand prize, on Saturday
when taking first-place in the ninth annual Daily Racing Form/NTRA National
Handicapping Championship (NHC) at the Red Rock Resort in his hometown of Las
Vegas. Goodall and his wife, Sally, both qualified for the handicapping
tournament through NHCQualify.com.
Each contestant had to place 15 mythical $2 win-and-place wagers each day,
with eight mandatory races and seven optional plays from seven contest tracks.
The cancellation of Santa Anita and Oaklawn on Friday cut down on the
contestants’ choices.
A Brisnet.com customer, Goodall accumulated the highest mythical bankroll among the 277 contestants
in the two-day contest. In the process, he also set an NHC record for the
largest margin of victory with a final bankroll of $272.30, $78 more than Don
Beardsworth, 64, of Peoria, Arizona, who amassed a bankroll of $194.30.
At the conclusion of Friday’s racing action, Goodall ranked second in the
standings. He again finished second in Saturday’s one-day standings, but his
combined, two-day total propelled him to the championship.
Goodall, who has qualified for the NHC five times, owns horses with Bryan Wagner, husband to NHC II victress Judy Wagner. The
new Handicapper of the Year just made it into the NHC field, qualifying in the
December 22 one-day contest.
Beardsworth, another Brisnet.com customer, earned the second-place prize of
$150,000, while Roberta Cote, 62, of San Diego banked $194 during the contest to
take down third-place prize of $100,000.
Former champion and Brisnet.com member Judy Wagner finished fourth in the
second-day standings.
Overall, six of the top 10 finishers in NHC IX, and 12 of the top 20, are
Brisnet.com members.