It was James Lang earning recognition in Tuesday night’s third round of the free, online handicapping contest, sponsored by Yonkers Raceway and the Standardbred Owners Association of New York.
Lang earned $702 from his mythical $20 Win bet on eight races. He defeated 841 other participants, including Roxanne Dsalles ($620), Daniel Escoto ($619), Joseph Falsetta ($615) and Fred Valerio ($590).
The contest continues the next two Tuesdays (December 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.
Nearly 1,300 handicappers have signed up through the first three rounds.
(Yonkers Raceway)