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I finished 119th out of 695 entries with $151.60
The race that made all the difference for me was the 12th at Gulfstream on Friday. Cryogenic, the 8 horse, burst through on the rail, took the lead by half a length with probably 100 yards to go and for some reason slowed up, losing by a nose at 23-1. If I hit that race and you assume I bet the same horses I bet after that race (just to make a point) I'd have had $193 and been in 30th place at the end of Saturday and I'd have been in the finals.
I'll say this. If you are a first-timer, the Friday session can be overwhelming. I made one stupid mistake. You have to bet 18 races, 8 of which are mandatory and 10 of which are optional. I had a horse I liked quite a bit, went to bet it and found out I had already used up my 10 optional bets. Of course, the horse won.
There was one guy who missed getting to the finals by 20 cents. Imagine how he felt.
119th doesn't sound brilliant, but considering 70th place gets into the finals, I wasn't that far away, something like $20.
I'm not sure I'll do it again. Handicapping, then nine hours at the races, then more handicapping, then not much sleep and then do it again.
I'll give NTRA a lot of credit--it was a well run operation.
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