**Please see attached photo of Scott Eyraud, 49, of Goose Creek, S.C., winner of the inaugural Saratoga Handicapping Tournament**
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Contact: Jenny Kellner
vkellner@nyrainc.com
EYRAUD WINS “BATTLE OF SARATOGA” HANDICAPPING TOURNAMENT
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Scott Eyraud of Goose Creek, S.C., went from last-to-first Thursday afternoon at Saratoga Race Course with a pair of longshots to win the top prize of $50,000 at the inaugural Saratoga Handicapping Tournament.
Eyraud, 49, had $0 at the conclusion of Wednesday’s first day of competition, but started his rapid ascent in the standings with his first bet, a $20 wager on Valiant Passion ($63) in the second race at Saratoga. In the last race of the tournament, Eyraud put $40 on Forthelonghaul ($17.60), who was up in the final stride to win the sixth race at Arlington, putting him atop the standings with a total of $996.
“I thought I had made a mistake because I passed on Precision Farming ($14.40) in the 10th race at Saratoga,” said Eyraud, who is retired from the United States Navy. “I can’t believe Forthelonghaul got up at the wire.”
Kelly Smith-Lawless, a 50-year-old program manager from Schenectady, N.Y., amassed $976 to finish second, winning $20,000, while James Templin, 70, of West Chester, Pa., who had $964, won $10,000 for third place in the “Battle of Saratoga.”
With Templin having previously qualified for the Daily Racing Form/National Thoroughbred Racing Association National Handicapping Championships in Las Vegas in January, Eyraud, Smith-Lawless, and fourth-place finisher Hal Wafer will represent Team Saratoga at the national tournament. The three will receive airfare and hotel accommodations for the DRF/NTRA tournament, courtesy of The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA).
“This is such an honor to represent Saratoga,” said Eyraud, who also won $1,500 for having the highest single-day total bankroll Thursday. “This is the greatest place on Earth.”
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