First-round bragging rights went to Matthew Sanchez, who won the free, online handicapping contest, sponsored by Yonkers Raceway and the Standardbred Owners Association of New York.
Sanchez earned $847 from his mythical $20 Win bet on eight races Tuesday night. He defeated 731 other opening-round participants, including Gerald Steffanelli ($843), Tony Beltrame ($842), Wendy Mandar ($840) and Mitch Lampert ($760).
The contest continues the next four Tuesdays (November 26, December 3, 10 and 17).
The final round is set for Saturday, December 21, Yonkers' final racing program of the season.
For each of the preliminary rounds, it's $500 for first place, $250 for second place, $200 for third, $150 for fourth and $100 for fifth. The first 10 finishers in each round qualify for the final, but each handicapper may only qualify once.
As for the final, $2,500 to the winner, $1,000 for the runner-up and $500 for third place.
The $10,000 total prize pool is a partnership between Yonkers Raceway and the SOA of New York.
(With files from Yonkers)