Two local fans cram for handicapping contest

It’s not uncommon for people to start cramming in regard to study time and homework this time of year.

Billy Hartt and Lisa Rossignol have certainly done their share of it the last couple of weeks, but where most people’s cramming efforts usually revolve around term papers and finals, theirs have centered on watching harness races.

Given what these two local harness racing fans have scheduled next weekend, watching harness races from the Meadowlands via the Internet has become their version of “required reading” as they prepare for a contest with a guaranteed first prize of $50,000.

As winners of last year’s second annual National Harness Handicapping Championship contest at Bangor Raceway, Hartt, a 43-year-old lifelong Carmel resident, and Rossignol, an Old Town native living in Milford, will attend the NHHC national finals April 22 at The Meadowlands Racetrack in East Rutherford, N.J.

“I’m really looking forward to it,” said Hartt, president of Hartt Transportation. “A couple buddies and I are going to Mohegan Sun Thursday, going to the Meadowlands, and come back Sunday.”

Hartt’s hoping they come back with at least enough money to pay for gas and tolls, but he does get some help with travel and eating expenses.

He and Rossignol each get $500 for expenses, invitations to two dinner receptions at the track, and trackside accommodations at the Pegasus, the track’s well-known gourmet restaurant. They will also get $400 in betting funds which they will use to wager on 10 races – seven from the Meadowlands and one each from three other tracks (Balmoral, Northfield, and The Meadows).

“I think there are about 125 people total competing,” said Rossignol, a government administrative assistant. “They also pay our $1,000 contest entry fee and we get to keep our betting winnings in addition to the top prizes.”

Those top prizes are as follows: $50,000 for first place, $10,000 for second, $5,000 for third, $3,000 for fourth, $2,000 for fifth, and $1,000 each for sixth through 10th.

The contest works like this: Each contestant gets a $400 betting card and can make a maximum bet (either win or place) of $100 and a minimum of $40 per race. After the 10 contest-related races have been run, the order of finish will be determined by the total money amounts each contestant has.

“I’ve been watching [Meadowlands] racing a couple of weeks now, looking to see who the hot horses are and how the trainers and drivers are doing,” Hartt said. “You might get a value on horses that are undervalued and that’s what it’s all about when you’re actually betting and trying to build up your winnings.”

Hartt, who has owned at least one racehorse since he was 19, even talked to a woman who works at the Meadowlands just to get an idea how last year’s contest went and found out the winner won with around $800.

Rossignol’s strategy is essentially the same as Hartt’s.

“You look for angles with driver and trainer histories and performance. Another big thing is their starting position,” she said. “The idea is to find a good value horse. You wouldn’t want to bet on the odds-on favorite unless you have to.”

Their strategies differ from the ones they employed for the Bangor contest, which used an NCAA basketball tournament bracket format, pitting entrants head to head weekly until an initial field of 64 bettors was whittled to two. Also, points were awarded for win, place, and show winners selected from Meadowlands races.

Hartt was much more familiar with the Meadowlands races than Rossignol, but as someone who started attending races with her family when she was a child, she’s been a horse enthusiast for a long time and a regular harness racing bettor for the last 13 years.

Although their strategies and approaches may differ a bit, both agree on what their success will come down to.

“A lot of it is just luck. That’s a big part of it,” Rossignol said. “You have to have some.”

And they’re off…

Bangor Raceway will open its expanded 2006 season Friday. It’s the first of 45 race dates scheduled for the Bangor Historic Track’s 123rd season, which will conclude Nov. 5.

Scarborough Raceway got things started March 31 and is continuing with racing four days a week (Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) though Dec. 17.