Taylor a tremendous machine in qualifier

In Saturday’s Grade 1 qualifier for the World Championship of Handicapping, Kenneth Taylor went to the front and improved his position. He’ll now have a shot at the $1 million purse in the no-takeout WCH finals, an online contest slated to take place early next year.

Things started on the right foot for Taylor when Marshall Eddy went wire to wire in Saratoga’s second race, returning the maximum $64 win-place combined. In the next race, Paradise Island ($36.40) gave him what turned out to be an insurmountable lead. Had he not received another dollar from there, he still would have easily qualified. But he kept on going on with it, ending up with a total of $137.30, nearly twice as much as second-place finisher John Holmes ($72.70).

Also on Saturday, Justin Dew ($78.90) won a seat to the Keeneland Challenge. Dew cashed in six of the 12 contest events but the late surge of West Coast ($21.80) in the Travers and Mohican ($22.20) in the Spa nightcap is what really put him over the top.

On Sunday, former Keeneland Challenge winner Rick Broth ($85.90) won his way back to the Keeneland contest. Broth collected four times but the Torrey Pines was really the key race for him. He initially picked Delitefull Lady, who scratched, but he had the presence of mind to choose Munny Spunt as an alternate. Zappercat passed under the wire first, but when she was DQ’d, Munny Spunt ($52.80) was elevated and so was Broth.

In Sunday’s other featured tournament, Tyler Whisman ($90.50) won his way to the Santa Anita Autumn Championship. Whisman’s winning card included five collections, highlighted by Munny Spunt. Scott Laraway, who finished third, deserves honorable mention. He got to his total of $83.30 without the benefit of Munny Spunt. He collected in the first five races, putting himself in an enviable position for the contest’s second half. He also backed the Zapperkat, the DQ’d winner. On the plus side, he and second-place finisher Tom Boyko each picked up $600 in site credit.

This week’s DRF Tournaments action centers around two events next weekend. One is a Grade 1 qualifier for the World Championship of Handicapping on Saturday where players put up $580 and one in 10 advance to the $5,000 buy-in finals. Sunday’s featured event will be a qualifier for the Woodbine Mile. The buy in for that contest is $320 and one in 12 will win their $3,500 (Canadian) buy-ins plus $500 (U.S.) in travel. There will also be more ways to win in to both Keeneland and Santa Anita.

For more information, go to tournaments.drf.com.