John Scheinman of Baltimore, an NTWAB member and two-time Eclipse Award-winning writer, won the the Maryland Jockey Club’s Champions Handicapping Tournament held Oct. 15 at Laurel Park, landing a berth in the Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge at Keeneland.

Scheinman compiled a bankroll of $1,691.10, besting 130 other entrants and edging second finisher Robin Buser by $51.90. He earned $12,000 in prize money to go with a $2,500 BCBC entry fee and a $7,500 stake to play in the tournament.

Scheinman said he devised a strategy in advance to play three horses only to see it go haywire out of the gate.

"The first one, Mugsy Malone in the second at Laurel, I chickened out on and actually bet his key rival because of how sharp he looked warming up and watched in horror as Mugsy came in and paid $16.40," Scheinman related. "That was supposed to be a $100 win wager. I almost had a meltdown in the press box, where I holed up to play, because I deviated from my approach on the very first bet and should have been in first place. It took about 20 minutes to calm down, and then I recomposed and sniffed around for something to attack."

Scheinman said he "called a solid audible" in a Keeneland allowance and hit with $16.88 winner Kentucky Ghost, trained by Vickie Oliver, to move into in eighth place. That got him back to his original plan, which was waiting for the stakes races.

"I laid my entire bankroll on Skims in the Sands Point at Aqueduct and vaulted into the lead, doubling the winnings of the second-place contestant. I bet that horse solely because Shug McGaughey called on Johnny Velazquez for the ride, and I spent enough time around the backstretch when I had my NYRA job at Saratoga to learn he was the go-to jockey for important turf assignments for some of the older trainers."

Scheinman went on to increase his advantage with the final horse in his plan, Gina Romantica, who won the QE II at Keeneland.

"I picked her over McKulick in the QEII because she's a miler and McKulick had been running in these really long races," he said via email.

Scheinman decided it would be a mistake to stand pat with one race left at Keeneland.

"I worried I might get caught by somebody dropping a desperation big bet, so I put $30 to win and place on Divine Leader. On the turn, he emerges from a four-horse pace war, and Laurel chart caller Keith Feustle and I start screaming in unison in front of the TV like happy children. Divine Leader puts away the favorite in the lane only to get nailed on the wire by a head. My place bet paid $5.24. If you look at the final tally, that place bet secured the win," said Scheinman.

Scheinman made the BCBC, set for Nov. 4-5, his selection among the tournament options offered to the contest winner. The other choices were the National Handicapping Championship and the Pegasus World Cup Betting Challenge.

"I don't really have any interest in the tournament world," Scheinman said, "but I virtually always play the Champions Tournament at Laurel. I've come in second in the past, losing to tournament killer Tony Zhou on the final race at Saratoga.

"I was about $1,000 up on the field when he passed me. At the table to collect, he turns to me and says, 'You're the guy I beat, huh?' I said, 'Yeah,' and he says, 'I didn't even know the name of the horse I bet on.' He's a computer algorithm player. Let's just say I showed a little more grace Saturday talking with my runner-up, and I actually do my own picking."

Scheinman authored "Bal Harbour Blues," a comic crime novella that climaxes at Gulfstream Park. The BCBC at Keeneland will climax his 2022 betting action.

"I feel like I'm going to be in way over my head at the Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge, but I've always been a big-day player. I touted Rich Strike twice on Twitter and Facebook before he even had drawn into the field and made a really nice Kentucky Derby score," Scheinman happily recalled. "This has been a fine year playing, and just maybe I have one more bit of magic in me."