Columnist Ralph Siraco: Orleans contest winner brings home $123,900

Ralph Siraco

Monday, March 13, 2000 | 10:19 a.m.

Ralph Siraco's horse racing column appears Monday and his Southern California selections run Tuesday through Friday on the scoreboard page. Reach him c/o Las Vegas Sun, 800 S. Valley View Blvd., Las Vegas, NV, 89107.

Horseplayers enjoyed their own dose of March Madness on Sunday at the Orleans with the conclusion of the fifth edition of the National Handicapping Challenge. While the field of 708 players was much larger than the NCAA's field of 64, it took only three days and seven race tracks to crown the winner of the racing competition.

Joe Hinson of Tennessee can hang yet another championship banner from the crowded rafters of his domicile. Hinson, the most proficient tournament player on the circuit, won the Orleans trophy on his fifth try.

Hinson rallied from an opening-day second-place tie to garner the first-place prize of $123,900. The total prize fund was $404,000, making this the richest -- and largest -- handicapping tournament in the world.

Like a successful jockey who has never won the Kentucky Derby, Hinson had won virtually every major tournament except the coveted Orleans "granddaddy."

After Thursday's opening round, Hinson was 150 points off the lead, tied with two others at 3,930 points. Based on the format of 12 mythical $100 wagers per day, he was a 3-5 shot away from the lead.

Henry Lehnerer, who led on the first day with 4,080 points, dropped to second when Hinson came on strong in the second day of the competition to take an 8,152 to 6,360 lead.

Hinson eked out just 1,070 points on the final day of competition as Lehnerer compiled 2,650 points. But like High Yield in the Florida Derby, Lehnerer could not make up the ground he gave away early in the race. Lehnerer settled for the second-place prize of $56,640.

The husband-and-wife team of Kevin and Mary Osborne rallied for third place. After racking up 2,665 points for 15th place on Day 1, the pair struggled on Day 2 with a total of 730 points to drop to 91st place with 3,395. On Saturday they roared back with 4,920 points to round out the trifecta. The Osbornes banked $35,400 for their "show" effort.

The Silky Sullivan of this tournament was David Snyder. Amassing just 700 points on Day 1, Snyder was tied with 43 others in 298th place. But on Day 3, Snyder rolled up 5,958 points to finish fourth overall. His Saturday total was the highest of the day and garnered him the daily top prize of $3,500 in addition to $17,700 for his fourth-place finish.

In addition to total daily prizes of $10,000, players finishing in the top 10 percent received prize money paid down to 70th place. Coast Resorts race director Robert "Muggsy" Muniz was happy with the turnout and said that Hinson was one of the best handicappers in the business.

"The field of 708 represents the finest mix of tournament players and everyday punters ever assembled," Muniz said.

Many who participated in this version March Madness can't wait until the next edition of the tournament, scheduled for October.

* DERBY TRAIL: Saturday's Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park was a Fountain of Youth deja vu.

The Fountain of Youth saw High Yield beat Hal's Hope. In a "turnabout is fair play" rematch, Hal's Hope beat High Yield in the Florida Derby to give 88-year-old owner-trainer Harold Rose a shot at the Kentucky Derby after 30 years as a trainer.

Hal's Hope will race one more time before the May 6 Derby, most likely in the April 15 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland. Long shot Tahkodha Hills finished third.

Sunday's Louisiana Derby, held at the historic Fair Grounds in New Orleans, brought together the deepest field of Derby hopefuls so far this year, with Mighty taking top honors.

New York invader More Than Ready finished second and D. Wayne Lukas-trained Exchange Rate completed the trifecta.

* OAKS OR DERBY? Lukas holds a pair of aces for the Kentucky Oaks, to be held at Churchill Downs the day before the Derby. But after a pair of weekend victories by his dynamic damsel duo, Lukas, the four-time Kentucky Derby winner, may be having visions of another Derby triumph.

Team Lukas won the Fair Grounds Oaks with Shawnee Country on Saturday, then won the Santa Anita Oaks on Sunday with Surfside. Both are owned by William T. Young's Overbrook Farm of Kentucky and could be split between the Kentucky Oaks and Derby this year.

Surfside, who is the first foal out of 1994 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies winner Flanders, boasts seven wins in nine lifetime starts and is now 3-for-3 this year. She would be the more likely of the Lukas pair to test the boys in the Derby.

* DERBY FUTURES: The second of Churchill Downs' three Kentucky Derby pari-mutuel future book pools closed Sunday. The wager, offered by the Derby's home track, has Florida Derby winner Hal's Hope locked in at 15-1, High Yield at 12-1 and Tahkodha Hills part of the field wager at 5-1. The field is the favorite.

The Louisiana Derby trio, which ran after the pools were closed, stack up like this: Mighty at 23-1, More Than Ready at 19-1 and Exchange Rate at 16-1. Surfside, who also won after the pool had ceased, sits at 16-1 should she run in the Derby. The third and final pari-mutuel pool will be held April 13-16.

* PINCAY TRIBUTE: A limited number of tickets are still available for tonight's Laffit Pincay Jr. benefit banquet at the Orleans (7:30 p.m.). The event honors the world's winningest jockey and is expected to bring out a multitude of racing celebrities.

Proceeds go to the Shoemaker Foundation and the Don McBeth Fund. Tickets are $60 per person and are available at the Orleans box office.