Kent Meyer
Home: Sioux City, Iowa
Age: 39
Occupation: Owner/manager of apartments and houses
Road to the Finals: Defending National Handicapping Champion and Daily Racing Form/NTRA Handicapper of the Year for 2004.
Bio: Kent Meyer became the fifth winner of the Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Championship, beating a field of 261 players on Jan. 23-24, 2004 at Bally's-Las Vegas. The Sioux City, Iowa landlord won first prize of $100,000 and earned the crown of DRF/NTRA Handicapper of the Year for 2004. Meyer, who describes himself as an avid horseplayer who is rarely seen not carrying a Daily Racing Form, compiled a contest-winning total of $238.40 based on mythical $2 win-and-place bets on 15 races per day on each day of the two-day contest. Meyer was making his second straight National Handicapping Championship appearance after qualifying back-to-back at the Bettor Racing OTB in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The first time around, however, he used his free trip to Vegas more as an opportunity to elope with his wife Cammie than to win a handicapping contest, and ended up finishing 32nd in NHC IV two days after his wedding. Last year he returned as a more seasoned and focused player in NHC V, and the experience showed on his next trip to Vegas for his one-year anniversary. Meyer got out of the gate quickly in the two-day national handicapping finals, hitting a bet on the tournament's first long-odds winner, Jersey Gia, who paid $35 to win and $16.80 to place in Friday's second race at Aqueduct. Meyer then remained in the top three in the standings throughout the contest, crushing his seven optional plays on Friday with four winners and $132.40 in total earnings. He then won four more races and $106 on Saturday including Farnum Alley in race five at Gulfstream ($35.20 to win, $10 to place) to cement the victory. In total, Meyer had 8 winners between $14.40 and $51.80 plus two additional second-place finishes in the 30-race contest. Meyer says his tournament strategy is to look for prices and try to beat favorites. That is a philosophy he's honed since first being introduced to racing at Atokad Park back in 1982. Besides tournaments and work, Kent's other interests include playing golf, watching football, studying civil war history, and going to the races with his wife.
Photo: Harold Roth/Horsephotos