With a relatively conservative place bet on Nyquist in the GI Kentucky Derby, Ohio accountant Ron Myeress earned $22,560 for combined winnings of $152,752, good enough fo victory in the inaugural Kentucky Derby Betting Championship (KDBC). The two-day event featured 53 players competing for the $100,000 first prize. Myeress finished with a bankroll of $42,752 and he also earned a $10,000 entry to the Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge.
“My first thought was that Nyquist would finish second, so I played some big exactas with him in second, but then I saw the place pool and figured he'd pay pretty good to place for a 2-to-1 favorite, so I bet him to place thinking that would cover me if he won,” said Myeress. “I know a lot of people didn't like Nyquist, and I knew the closers would have a hard time, so I was pretty confident that he'd finish at least second.”
Myeress's approach featured bets of the aforementioned conservative variety with some more aggressive wagers mixed in. He played a $400 trifecta wheel in Friday's GII Eight Belles S., keying Carina Mia on top of all in second and Nickname in third. The triple, with 20-1 Blip n' Th Bye (Tale of Ekati) finishing runner-up returned $110.80 for $2.
Each of the 53 participants paid $20,000 to enter the contest.
“From the TwinSpires.com welcome event in The Mansion to a Gold Room experience during the races, it was a pleasure playing host to the inaugural Kentucky Derby Betting Championship,” Churchill Downs Race Track President Kevin Flanery said. “Betting on the Kentucky Derby is as much a part of the pageantry of the event as the blanket of roses or mint julep, and we look forward to the KDBC being a part of the tradition for years to come.”
“The Kentucky Derby Betting Championship was a great experience for horseplayers, Churchill Downs, and TwinSpires.com,” said TwinSpires.com President Ted Gay. “TwinSpires.com is about experiencing the thrill of horse racing, and to bring that thrill to the live-bankroll contest environment at the world's greatest race and racetrack is something we are glad to be a part of. We would like to thank all of the players, as well as the TwinSpires.com and Churchill Downs team members, who made the inaugural KDBC a resounding success.”
Garret Skiba finished second with $39,619, and won an additional $65,000 plus a BCBC seat. Bill Chenvert finished third with $35,884 and won an additional $35,000 plus a BCBC seat. Kevin Smith, Frank Mustari, and Michael Caposio finished fourth, fifth, and sixth, respectively, and each qualified for the National Handicapping Championship. Overall, the contest generated $1.3-million in on-track handle.
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