Short odds help Gillum win national horseplayers contest
The National Horseplayers Championship is not by design apick-and-pray contest for players who do not fear chalk. Mike Gillum turned it into that this weekend.
“I didn’t change one single pick since Friday when westarted,” he said. “I got here on Friday. There were 16 races. I bet all 16 atlike 7:30 in the morning. I bet all 16 out, and I had like one scratch, so Ihad to go back and change it. And then on day 2, I bet all 20 races. I bet themcompletely out, and if I have to go back and change something, I’ll go back andchange it.”
Lather. Rinse. Repeat. Win.
After yo-yoing between fifth and 81st place early in thethree-day event, Gillum got on a hot streak just in time to get him to the 10-personfinal table. From there he vaulted from eighth place to the lead with one raceon his way to winning the $800,000 first prize Sunday at Horseshoe Las Vegas.
It could have been even more if Gillum had remembered totake advantage of a new rule for the consolation tournament. It used to be forthe 90 percent of the field who failed to get to the Sunday semifinals. Thisyear the silver Sunday contest was open to all 765 entries. Well, almost all ofthem.
“Since I qualified (for the semifinals), I forgot to put allmy mandatories in for the silver. I would have won the silver contest, and I missedout on a seat to next year.”
Gillum, 54, who runs a produce company near his home inIndianapolis, could have had another $25,000 to take home. Instead, he settledfor the 800 grand, one entry to the Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge, anotherfor next year’s NHC and the Eclipse Award as champion horseplayer.
“Absolutely incredible,” he said. “It’s like way tops afterthe kids being born and getting married and all that good stuff. You know, agrandbaby. This is just a great day. I’ll probably never get here again or dothis. Well, I’ll get here again. I don’t know about winning.”
Protecting his lead in the contest that is built on threedays of mythical $2 win-place wagers, Gillum led second-place Seth Morris, theday 2 leader, by only $1.22. It came down to the contest finale, the fifth raceat Santa Anita. Gillum backed 8-5 favorite Sharp Aza Tack in the six-furlongturf allowance. Morris, a bloodstock agent from Long Island, N.Y., was on 8-1Lincoln Hawk.
Sharp Aza Tack stalked the early lead before Flavien Prattook the lead going two wide in mid-stretch and ran on to a 1 1/4-lengthvictory. Lincoln Hawk came in fourth. Gillum had his victory.
“I had the glory yesterday,” Morris said. “My friends werelike, ‘Oh, my God. Look at you. You’re jumping all around. Get a new shirt fortomorrow.’ This was perfect. I got some good publicity. I got to talk to peopleabout my business and walk away with 250 grand and a shot at the Breeders’ Cupchallenge. I mean I couldn’t be happier.”
Where Morris found himself following the conventional wisdomof looking for value among long shots, Gillum was not afraid to eat chalk.
“There were 36 picks the first two days, and I played likethree horses or four horses who were double digits (in their odds). Maybe fivehorses who were double digits,” said Gillum, who qualified for the NHC througha tournament at Horseshoe Indianapolis. “The rest of them were 3-1, 7-1. Iplayed some 4-5 and even a 3-5, and I played some 6-5. There’s so manyopportunities just to collect, when you let one go, you kind of feel like you’regetting behind.”
With his rally from 81st to first, Gillum became the 25thdifferent winner in the 25 years of the NHC. He finished with $320.10 inmythical winnings. Morris was next with $310.28. Matthew Blanchet with $289.22,Lawrence Kahlden $284.56, Daniel Kaplan $278.48, Rob Henie $269.34, NicholasShirilla $267.20, day 1 leader T.J. Sonde $263.30, G.T. Nixon $257.36 and ScottCavalieri $256.72 completed the top 10.
David Harrison, who won the 2022 title, finished first inthe revamped consolation tournament with $128.50 and collected $25,000.
Accommodations for Horse Racing Nation coverage ofthe National Horseplayers Championship were provided and paid for by theNational Thoroughbred Racing Association.
