 Mark Koehler, of St. James, is the winner of Suffolk OTB’s October Handicapping Challenge. Kohler won $7,200 for his first-place finish in the contest, along with an all-expense paid entry into the Coast Casinos’ $1 Million Horse Player World Series, to be held at the Orleans Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas in January.
As part of the Challenge, contestants were required to make $2 Win/Place bets on 12 races – six each at Belmont and Keeneland – on Saturday, October 15th. Mr. Koehler had horses in the money in eight races he played, with five winners and three horses placing, giving him first place in the contest and a total of $169.10 in winnings.
Mr. Koehler has been actively handicapping thoroughbred racing since 1982, analyzing speed, pace, distance, bloodlines, surface, and class. Besides horse racing, his interests include Philadelphia Flyers hockey, golf and rock and blues guitar.
While winning this handicapping contest and the opportunity to compete in the Horse Player World Series is a dream come true for an avid handicapper, Mr. Koehler and his wife Michelle agree that the proudest accomplishment was the birth of their twin daughters, Paige Kennedy Koehler and Taylor Morgan Koehler last September.
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