Columnist Ralph Siraco: Oakland landscaper wins national title

Ralph Siraco

Monday, Jan. 28, 2002 | 8:54 a.m.

Ralph Siraco's horse racing column appears Monday and his Southern California selections run Tuesday-Sunday.

The third annual Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Championships were held over the weekend at the MGM Grand.

At the end of the two-day competition that featured total prize monies of $212,000, there was a 50-year-old landscaper from Oakland, Calif., surrounded by a pair of Penthouse Pets.

Let's explain: Herman Miller -- the landscaper and a member of the four-person team representing Golden Gate Fields -- had just won the $100,000 first prize by beating a field of 176 other horseplayers for the overall championship.

Alexa Lauren (Sept. 1999) and Cheyenne Silver (Dec. 2001) -- the Penthouse Pets -- were members of a four-person team representing their magazine.

Team Penthouse won $10,000 for charity in the tournament's media division. Lauren and Silver had never played in a horse racing tournament before, and had been to the races only a handful of times.

Miller had never played in a tournament either, until his qualifying event last December at Golden Gate.

Miller hit a total of nine winners of his 30 plays in the tournament, racking up a bankroll of $205.30, which was based on a $2 win and $2 place betting format.

After jumping out to an early lead thanks in part to Crazy Star -- who won Friday's 10th at Gulfstream and paid $75.20 to win and $22.60 to place -- Miller ended Day 1 with a bankroll of $135.90.

Although Miller lost his lead early Saturday, he connected on three late winners to go ahead for good.

When Alystone Lane came bounding home at $11.20 and $6.80, it gave Miller a $16.30 lead over eventual runner-up Tim O'Leary of Newville, Pa.

O'Leary ended up with a total of $189, beating out Don Speaks of Oceanside, Calif., who placed third with $183.

Sid Weiner ($179.30) of Saugus, Mass., and John Martin ($167.30) of Lexington, Ky., rounded out the top five.

Defending champion Judy Wagner of New Orleans finished 136th with $54.60, and inaugural champion Steven Walker of Lincoln, Neb., placed 42nd with $112.60.

Charles Yoder finished the highest of the five Las Vegans in the field, placing 57th at $104. Other locals were Guy Vitale ($94.60), Richard Goodall ($76.60), Paul Zubemick ($62.80) and Sally Wang.

In addition to the individual competition, players were divided into four-person teams representing the sites where they qualified.

The $20,000 first prize in that category went to the Keeneland A team of Don Alvey, Rich Nilsen, Tony Martin and Tim Holland.

Individual champ Miller will be given the Handicapper of the Year Award at the annual Eclipse Awards ceremony on Feb. 18 in Miami. He also receives a sponsors' exemption into next year's national championship field.

Miller said going against the favorites is the preferred strategy in this kind of tournament.

"If it's a full field and I think the favorite is going to lose, then I use my own system to find the winner," Miller said.

Miller was not the favorite to win the tournament, but then neither were Lauren and Silver. However, Miller has always been known to be nice to Pets.