Thursday, December 1, 2016

Trying My Hand as a Public Handicapper

So, earlier this week I received a surprise email from Scott Carson, founder of Public Handicapper, to be an "editor" for the site's "The Winter of Our Discontent Holiday Handicap" contest, which kicks off Saturday and runs through January 28.

NJ Horseplayer seen weekly at
www.publichandicapper.com
As an enormous fan of public service, and since I've been a regular PH.com participant for the last 5-6 years, I jumped at the chance to volunteer to break down and make publicly available selections on four of the top U.S. thoroughbred races each weekend.

Plus, I add to the already-charismatic roster of expert editors whose role, outside of winning the contest, is to provide insights that may help bettors win money at the track.

Mine and my colleagues selections can be found here each week, with analysis on each race (as of Thursday night there was a technical glitch that hid my analysis of my first two picks, but that'll be fixed shortly). 

For those new to the Public Handicapper, it's a free handicapping contest site where players make mythical $2 win wagers on 1-4 races per week and at least one hours before the listed post-time for each race.

The winner is the person who accrues the highest bankroll in the tournament after meeting the minimum requirement to make selections in 12 of the contest races.

Prizes for this particular tournament are largely cash and consolation-types (i.e. free past performances), coming off the May-November contest that awards two valuable seats annually to the National Handicapping Championship (NHC).

In that one, I finished in the Top 200 (of 4,000-plus contestants), which is the best I've ever done in what is a rigorous grind where the races are difficult and the competition top-notch.

The winter of discontent contest that begins on Saturday is a perfect example, featuring three extremely deep and difficult races from Gulfstream Park in Miami, FL, and a 12-horse, Grade 1 turf race at Del Mar in San Diego, CA.

If anyone has questions about joining the contest, let me know and I'll try to help. Otherwise, just click the "Sign Up to Play" link on the site's left toolbar and follow the simple instructions.  

And remember to click on "Editor's Picks" up top to get mine and the other experts' selections and analysis...and I just might tip a half-full pint of Guinness your way as a sign of goodwill.

If my picks don't work out for you, remember that you get what you pay for (my services are free).