Michael Rip of Nutley, NJ, captured the $20,000 grand prize and bragging rights as the sport's top handicapper in the 2009 National Harness Handicapping Championship on April 25 at Meadowlands Racetrack

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With a bankroll of $1,858, Rip topped a field of 111 players who came from all across North America - including Canada, California and Curacao - to play in the 2009 championship. Contestants who did not win a seat through a qualifying tournament were able to enter through direct buy-in. The total fee to enter the NHHC was $800 [$400 entry fee plus $400 required tournament bankroll].

The NHHC contest format required contestants to bet 10 races: eight Meadowlands races of their choice, plus one mandatory race each from Balmoral and Cal-Expo racetracks. Bets had to meet a $40 minimum, $100 maximum per race. Contestants could only bet one horse per race and wagers could either be win, place or a combination of the two.

Rip cashed in seven of the 10 contest races. He got off to a solid start at the Meadowlands, building his bankroll with a $40 win bet on Fifth Wave in Race 2 [$7.80], and $100 win bets on favourite Fox Valley Cruiser [$5.80] in Race 4, Maltese Artist [$3.00] in Race 5 and E Shopper [$7.40] in Race 6. He also connected with a $20 place bet on Brown Bottle Flu in the seventh race at Balmoral Park and a $50 win/place bet on Laguna Beach [$7.00, $4.80] in the eighth at the Meadowlands. Rip locked up the 2009 NHHC title in the final race at the Meadowlands, cashing $1,010 from a $100 win bet on The Rising N [$20.20], which boosted his bankroll to $1,858.

"I got a little lucky in the last race," Rip said. "I was hovering in first or second for a while, but I needed to come in with a high-priced winner in that last race and there's nobody better than Brian Sears in the bike. I lost two other tournaments in the last race and this time, I was lucky enough to win."

In addition to the Meadowlands, the following partner outlets sent players to compete in the 2009 NHHC: Balmoral Park, Buffalo Raceway, Cal-Expo, Harrington Raceway, Maywood Park, Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs, Penn National OTW, Rosecroft, TVG, Tioga Downs, Vernon Downs, Western Regional OTB, and Youbet. The Horseman and Fair World/harnessracing.com Associate Editor Gordon Waterstone also competed in the tournament.

2009 NHHC Tournament Standings
Rank, Prize, Bankroll, Name, Qualifying Site
1, $20,000, $1,858, Michael Rip, buy-in
2, $10,000, $1,645, James Kennedy, Vernon Downs
3, $7,500, $1,345, Rick Arbiter, Youbet
4, $5,000, $1,340, Stephen Phillips, buy-in
5, $2,500, $1,148, Andy Berg, buy-in
6, $1,000, $1,136, Don Tiger, buy-in
7, $1,000, $1,110.40, Sam Agigian, buy-in
8, $1,000, $1,110, Matt Gallagher, buy-in
9, $1,000, $1,013, Evan Kallianes, Meadowlands
10, $1,000, $1,005, James Ross, buy-in

(NJSEA, photo courtesy of Lisa Photo)