Grose leads after first day of NHC

Last updated: 1/25/13 9:00 PM

Richard Grose of Missouri led after day one at the NHC

(Harold Roth/Horsephotos.com)

Richard Grose of Wentzville, Missouri, racked up a bankroll of more than
$230 to lead the first day of the Daily Racing Form/NTRA
National Handicapping Championship (NHC) on Friday. The 56-year-old qualified
for the NHC through horsetourneys.com.

According to the DRF, Grose used his “Best Bet” wager, a new feature
during the 2013 NHC, in the first of eight mandatory races and drew off to a
comfortable lead when his selection, Grande Chica, got up by a nose to beat the
8-5 favorite in the 3RD race at Gulfstream Park.

Grande Chica paid $29 to win and $9.40 to place, but Grose got $76.80 thanks
to the “Best Bet,” which counted as a $4 win-and-place wager instead of the
usual $2 win-and-place format.

Handicappers will make 15 mythical $2 win-and-place bets on each of two days
during the NHC, with eight races being mandatory and the other seven left up to
the player. The player with the highest bankroll after the two days wins the
grand prize of $750,000.

Contestant Mark Streiff of Mission Viejo, California, has the opportunity to
make NHC history as the winner of the fifth annual Daily Racing Form NHC
Tour in 2012. Streiff won $102,250 for his top scores in the year’s NHC
qualifying events and is now eligible to receive a $2 million bonus should he
emerge victorious in the main event, resulting in a payday of $2.75 million
($750,000 first-place NHC purse + $2 million NHC Tour bonus). Early during day
one, Streiff, had a bankroll of $68.

The rest of the unofficial top five on the first day of the NHC were Jim Benes ($169), David
Gutfreund ($166), Tim Darnell ($155) and Dan Flanigan ($153.60),
according to a tweet from the DRF Inside Post.

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