The story behind Jeff Klahr’s journey to the 2013 World Harness Handicapping Championship and its $40,000 first prize at the Meadowlands Racetrack last Saturday sounds more like fiction than fact.

The 59-year-old salesman from Erie, Pennsylvania earned his berth into the national championship under very unusual circumstances. Klahr played in “a few” of the first-ever USTA World Harness Handicapping Championship Free, Online Qualifiers held during January and February, but it was the Friday, Feb. 8 contest involving Northfield Park that started him on his odyssey.

“I used to play Northfield Park when I was in college, that’s where I got my start,” explained Klahr on why he chose to play this particular USTA online event. “I’ve played in some contests, not a lot. I’ve won some locally and placed in some national online contests.”

The rule for the USTA contest was simple, win and you are in. That night, Klahr had to beat more than 1,000 players to win a berth to the WHHC finals. And he almost did when he finished fourth, a little more than $40 behind the winner Andrea Nash, who finished just ahead of Bridget Nash and Kathleen Nash. Another Nash, Rusty, a professional handicapper who had done selections on the USTA website for a previous qualifier in the series, also finished in the top 10 in seventh place.

While the rules of the contest did not restrict family members from playing in the same contest, it became evident that the four family members had used many of the same picks. Rusty explained that he and his family had utilized a program that he developed to select playable longshots as the basis for most of their picks, which explained why they were so similar.

Klahr was surprised when he got the call from the USTA the next day informing him that due to the circumstances with the Nashes, they had decided to purchase an additional entry into the WHHC final and awarded it to him.

“[USTA] made the right decision, this is fair,” said Klahr when he was informed of his chance to compete at the Meadowlands.

The Erie resident took full advantage of his second chance when he travelled to New Jersey last weekend.

“I came pretty prepared and had already planned to bet on the horses that I used in the contest,” said Klahr. “I was definitely gunning for longshots because that’s how you win these things.”

The contest had three mandatory races, one each from Woodbine, Balmoral Park and Buffalo Raceway, plus any seven races from the Meadowlands that night.

Klahr’s longshot strategy on the Meadowlands didn’t start off very well, but he got rolling with his mandatory selections.

“I missed the first five races at the Meadowlands,” explained the 2013 handicapping champion. “My first win was at Buffalo (Race 8, $40 win, #4, win $3.30, $66.00 payout), so I thought at least I’m not going to get shut out. The next winner was the Woodbine race, but that was only a minimum $40 bet (Race 6, $40 win, #7, win $16.40, $328 payout).

"After that, I could bet $100 a race,” added Klahr.

Besides his eventual win, Klahr came away with more than the grand prize. He made a friend from Canada that helped him with his Woodbine pick.

“I hung out with a guy named Jim [Valleau] who was from Ontario,” said Klahr. “He knew a lot about the Canadian horses and he helped me.”

The hot streak continued with the final mandatory wager on the sixth race from Balmoral Park.

“The next one was the Balmoral race. I had a $100 win bet on (Race 6, #4, win $13.60) and that was the big one that I won $680 on,” recalled Klahr.

The Woodbine win moved Klahr into contention in 16th place and then the Balmoral Park score moved him up to third with two races left to play at the Meadowlands where he was 0-for-5 on the night.

With a real chance to win, the 2013 champion got more conservative in his approach. With his penultimate wager in the 12th race, he bet $100 to win on the 5-2 second choice Goddesss Justin, who beat the odds-on favourite by 1-1/4 lengths and produced a $360 windfall (win $7.20) to move Klahr into the lead with a race to go.

“I knew the guy in second still had a bet left and there was a big favourite that would probably win, so I had to play him,” said Klahr about the Meadowlands’ 13th and final race. “But I didn’t want to play $100 to win so I bet $50 to win and $50 to place.

“I figured anybody that could beat me would need to use a different horse, so I basically said ‘come and get me.’”

He figured right when the odds-on favourite at 1-2, Bullet Speed, had just that and won easily by four lengths, clinching the $40,000 grand prize and title of world champion for the unlikely winner.

A journey that started in college learning to handicap, that steered him to an online tournament that had greater than 1,000-1 odds to win and led to a supplemental entry in the final against 100 top handicappers from around North America. What are the odds?

Jeff Klahr beat the odds and now he has a great story to tell for the rest of his life.

In the end, he thanked the USTA for the chance he was given to beat those odds.

“I owe all of this to [the USTA] for making the decision to send me,” said Klahr in summing up the experience.

And now, the USTA has a great story to tell too.

(USTA)