While many of our very best players—including Dan Piazza, who earned both of his NHC entries right here at HorseTourneys—were out in Vegas doing their thing, Eric “Skeet” Boyd was doing HIS thing…playing in and winning our featured cash games.
Time will tell whether the defending HorseTourneys Tour champion can pull off a repeat, but if Boyd manages to do so, last Saturday could prove to be a key. With many players otherwise occupied, Saturday’s HT Tour event, a $15,000 Pick & Pray, attracted a relatively small crowd of 75 entrants. Two of those entries, however, belonged to Boyd—and one of those entries did quite well.
Fourth in the current-year HT Tour standings prior to this weekend, Boyd will improve his position after putting up triple figures in this cash game that was ultimately worth $23,100. The winner’s share of $11,550 went to Boyd after he recorded 2 wins and 2 places. By far, his biggest return came via For the Thrill ($107.00, $35.80) in the 9th at Gulfstream. One of his runners up paid like a winner, though. He got a max $22.00 place return from 45-1 Folktale in the 12th at the Hallandale, Fla., oval.
While Boyd is mainly known around these parts for his $2 win/place, mythical cash-game acumen, he will try his hand at a live-money competition in November.
That’s because Boyd played his winning HT Tour game entry back in Saturday’s $179 Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge qualifier. (For those of you wondering, Eric Boyd is no relation to the Tom Boyd who finished 2nd at the NHC yesterday.)
Boyd played two entries in the above-mentioned competitions. One accumulated $106.00. The other netted just $36.80. Unfortunately for Boyd, he chose the wrong one to play in Saturday’s $8,142 Big Bucks Pick & Pray.
Boyd’s misfortune was David Barnier’s good fortune. Barnier had For the Thrill plus two other winners and two places to make off with the $5,699 grand prize.
Another player who got a thrill from For the Thrill was Mark Stanton.
For the Thrill was one of 3 winners uncovered by Stanton in Saturday’s Florida Derby Challenge qualifier.
For Stanton, it was neither his only thrill of the weekend nor his only Florida Derby Challenge seat.
Stanton (4 wins, 1 place) came right back the very next day to add a second Florida Derby Challenge entry to his portfolio. After hitting Down the Islands ($23.20, $9.80) in the 7th at Gulfstream, Stanton elevated himself from 3rd to 1st at the end by nailing Speed of Elon ($15.20, $6.80) in the final contest race, the 4th at Santa Anita.
Our featured-tourney week got started, as per usual, on Wednesday when Mike Abernathy accounted for the $2,695 top prize in the day’s $5,000 Guaranteed cash tourney.
Abernathy hit three out of the final four races and finished with five winners on the day to prevail in this competition, which paid out a total of $5,391. His big horse was Ready to Reign ($17.60, $9.60) in the 9th at Tampa Bay Downs.
“Pistol” Pete Acocella also backed Ready to Reign.
That was one of three winners on the day for Acocella, who finished strong after blanking on the first five heats. Acocella got the $2,000 seat in Wednesday’s qualifier to the $350,000 Gtd. Players Championship here on April 5-6.
Cory Shorr counted Ready to Reign among his 4 Wednesday wins and 1 Wednesday place.
Shorr reigned in our qualifier to the Keeneland Grade One Gamble.
Francis Drew was ready for y’all in Wednesday’s Monmouth Pick Your Prize qualifier.
Drew (4 firsts, 1 second) didn’t have Ready to Reign, but he came ready with We Ready ($15.20, $7.40) in race 10 at Parx.
Thursday’s lone marquee game was our $6,000 Gtd. Pick & Pray.
Vineet Sharma squuezed out the up-top money of $2,799 in this one thanks to 3 wins and 1 place—highlighted by bomb Westhampton ($101.60, $36.00) in the 9th at Gulfstream.
Friday’s top cash game, an HT Tour event, was a $10,000 Gtd. Pick & Pray.
Kenneth Arnerich’s 3 winners came consecutively, capped off by Permed ($33.60, $13.00) in the 9th at Tampa. To that trio, Arnerich added a place collection, and he got the grand prize of $6,583 in a game that closed with a pot of $14,630.
Permed was the lone winner of the day for Robert Schintzius Sr.
Schintzius (1W, 2P) earned the $1,500 entry in Friday’s Florida Derby Challenge qualifier.
Permed certainly made Mike Steindler’s hair stand on end.
Permed plus one other winner brought Steindler a $10,000 entry in Friday’s Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge Low Ratio qualifier at HorsePlayers.
Bill O’Neal (2 wins, 1 place) whiffed on the first six contest races, but he got heated up over the final four.
One of O’Neal’s three late collections came with Permed, and he picked up a curly W in Friday’s qualifier to the Players Championship.
Kirk Tesar (3 wins, 3 places) scored with Permed—and before that, he hit Heaven Rules ($32.20, $13.60) in the 7th at Gulfstream.
Tesar put up the high score of the day ($114.00) en route to victory in Friday’s Keeneland Grade One Gamble qualifier.
Heaven Rules was the high-yielder on Friday for Wyley Agamenoni.
Agamenoni (4 firsts, 1 second) secured a $2,000 spot in the May 31 Monmouth Pick Your Prize Challenge.
Saturday’s Monmouth Pick Your Prize play-in went to Peter Grau (3 wins, 2 places).
Grau’s hit parade was led by 52-1 Gulfstream race 9 winner For the Thrill. By 60 cents, Grau’s score of $106.60 was the highest of the day.
Derek Isenberg (3 wins, 2 places) and Max Schnepf (6W, 3P) picked up $2,000 entries in Saturday’s qualifier to the $350,000 Gtd. Players Championship.
Isenberg hit it big with For the Thrill. Schnepf’s biggest return came with Immortallove ($13.00, $5.60) in the 8th at Tampa.
Bob Schreiter also supported Immortallove, and then at the end, he caught a capped $22.00 place return with 45-1 runner up Folktale in the 12th at Gulfstream.
Schreiter (5 firsts, 1 second) garnered the $3,500 berth in Saturday’s qualifier to the April 12 Keeneland Grade One Gamble.
Sunday’s highest total, $140.60, was posted by Joseph Brocato on the strength of 6 winners and 1 runner up.
In the 9th at Aqueduct, Brocato got a nice return from Maggie T ($21.20, $11.20). Heading into the last race of Sunday’s $10,000 Gtd. Pick & Pray (an HT Tour game), Brocato found himself in 3rd place, but he then hit Speed of Elon ($15.20, $6.80) in the contest finale, the 4th at Santa Anita. That winner completed a string of four straight winners to close things out, and Brocato took home the winner’s share of $10,139 in a game that was ultimately worth a total of $22,531.
Another Maggie T fan was 2024 Pick & Pray Classic champ Mark Stillmock.
Stillmock, who was also last year’s winner of the HT Grand Slam series, secured himself a $2,000 seat in the May 31 Monmouth Pick Your Prize Challenge.
Maggie T was also the highlight of the day for Phil Hoedebeck.
Hoedebeck picked 3 other winners in addition to Maggie T, and he landed the $1,500 spot in Sunday’s play-in to the Texas Two Step Championship on April 5 at Sam Houston.
On Sunday, we offered our first qualifier to a new contest, the April 19 Preakness Preview Day Challenge.
George Carr (4 wins, 3 places) will be showing up there at Laurel on April 19th with a paid-up $500 in his pocket. His primary springboard to success was Down the Islands ($23.20, $9.80) in race 7 at Gulfstream.
Rick “I-65” Broth was also down with Down the Islands.
That was one of five winners on the day for Broth, who exited with the $3,500 entry at the conclusion of Sunday’s Keeneland Grade One Gamble qualifier.
There were three winners of $2,000 seats in Sunday’s play-in to the Players Championship.
Congratulations to Dale Hatfield (6 wins, 1 place), Frank “54-40 or Fight” Polk (4W, 1P) and Edward Enborg (5W, 2P). Hatfield, who earned $4,055 for finishing second behind Joseph Brocato in the Sunday cash feature, picked four straight winners in the middle of the tourney. He and Polk both connected with Maggie T. The heaviest lifter for Enborg was Ignite the Lite ($17.80, $8.60) in race 8 at Aqueduct.
Matthew Ache certainly found his sweet spot on Sunday at HorsePlayers.
Ache recorded 4 winners (and 1 runner up) on the way to taking Sunday’s Breeders’ Cup Low Ratio qualifier. His winners fit into a very narrow band. They all paid between $15.20 and $17.80.
The other feature at HorsePlayers was a free, seven-race qualifier to the 2026 NHC. This truncated event was restricted to those who had not qualified for the 2025 NHC.
Congratulations to early ticket punchers Fred Troisi (3 wins, 2 places), Joel Avila, Robert Hutts, Raymond Carpio and Phil Cleek. All five came up with the two winners that paid more than $20.00.
Congratulations not only to all of last week’s winners, but to all of you who were sharp enough simply to participate in the just-concluded NHC. Sometimes qualifying comes easily and sometimes it doesn’t. Just ask Troisi, Avila, Hutts, Carpio and Cleek!
