Videtic captures Del Mar seat

James Videtic was this weekend’s biggest winner on DRF Tournaments. Videtic netted his $8,000 seat to next weekend’s Del Mar Challenge, plus $500 in travel money, by finishing first of 36 entries in a qualifier with a score of $113.40.

Videtic started slowly in the 10-race sequence and sat on zero after three races. He got on the board with $20.40 win-place combined from Secreto Primero in Del Mar’s second, kept the momentum rolling with Quaff ($26.60) in Saratoga’s nightcap, and vaulted to the top via cap horse Double Truth ($64) in Del Mar’s sixth.

The Dan Blacker-trained gelding was forgotten in the wagering from the 13 post and closed well enough to win in a race that fell apart. He topped a rare 13-14-12 trifecta that returned $696.55 for $0.50 cents. File that under things you don’t see every day.

Extra credit to Ed Reidy, who ended up fourth. He was the highest finisher who didn’t use Double Truth. He had an interesting run in the contest, blanking in the first seven races before hitting a capper of his own – Kentan Road ($64) in Del Mar’s fourth – and adding $11.20 in the next Del Mar race. He got $1,300 in site credit. Secondplace finisher Michael Caposio and third-place finisher Gregg Kingma each walked with $2,700 in credit.

Also on Sunday, Peter Strauss won his $2,000 entry to Saratoga’s Fourstardave Challenge with a score of $70.30. There was a little bit of luck in this one as his initial pick in Saratoga’s nightcap, Compression, was a gate scratch, putting him on his alternate pick, eventual winner Quaff. But that’s not to take anything away from the win. First off, he had to be smart enough to put in an alternate and have it be the winner. Secondly, he put himself in a position to be lucky by doing well enough with his earlier contest play.

Saturday’s biggest winners were John Holmes and Jeff Bussan, each of whom won packages worth $3,500 that included seats to both days of the Saratoga Betting Challenge. Holmes cashed in five of the 10 races, tallying $65.20 overall. His biggest hit came via cap place points from 46-1 Gryffindor ($22) in Del Mar’s second. No word if he’s a big Harry Potter fan.

Bussan’s path to victory involved a lot of chipping away. He built his total of $49.30 via seven cashes, six of which were under $10. His biggest win came from the horse who bested Gryffindor, the amusingly named Gringo Star ($13.80).

Contest action returns to DRFT on Wednesday. Look out for free chances to start your journey to the World Championship of Handicapping, DRF’s online contest with big money and no takeout in the finals. Next weekend’s biggest games are qualifiers for the WCH and the Keeneland Challenge. Also, be on the lookout for special added games for the upcoming Saratoga Betting Challenge as well.

Go to tournaments.drf.com to check out the full range of options this week.