National Handicapping Championship decided by a single dollar

LAS VEGAS What's the difference between $150,000 and $1 million?

One dollar.

That was the margin of victory as Michael Beychok became horse racing's latest millionaire by winning the 13th annual Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Championship in the final race Saturday to claim the $1 million first-place prize and an Eclipse Award as Handicapper of the Year.

Beychok, a 48-year-old political consultant from Baton Rouge, La., finished with a final score of $238.60 to rally past Dave Flanzbaum, 45, of Rolling Meadows, Ill., who finished with $237.60.

[NHC 13: Final results and video reports from Las Vegas]

NHC XIII, which was also presented by Sovereign Stable, was held Friday and Saturday in the ballrooms at the Treasure Island Hotel & Casino with a record 480 contestants. Finalists made 30 mythical $2 win-and-place wagers over the two days with 15 being mandatory races.

Flanzbaum was atop the leaderboard the last time it was updated for all the contestants to see after the last mandatory race of the tournament, just $11 ahead of Beychok.

Flanzbaum disappeared from the tournament area and rumors swirled that he was out of optional plays. Beychok used Glorious Dancer in the contest's final race, the ninth at Golden Gate. The horse won by a nose and Beychok cheered it home with his brother Ben and son Bradley and other contestants at his table. Glorious Dancer paid $8.20 to win and $3.80 to place for $12 in contest points to put him over Flanzbaum's posted score.

I had to sweat out the win and then sweat out the odds, said Beychok, who was cheering 3-1, 3-1 . . . before the off odds were posted. It was 5-2 before the race. I was afraid if it didn't get to 3-1 that it wouldn't be enough, especially as it didn't pay as much as I wanted to place.

What he didn't know at the time or anyone else in the tournament area was that Flanzbaum did have one bullet left and used it with the No. 2 horse, Royalism, in the last race. Royalism went off at 9-1 but was only able to get up for third, three-quarters of a length behind runner-up, Greeley's Agenda.

I had three ways to win it if my horse won, if it finished second or if he didn't pick the winner, Flanzbaum said. I liked the horse at the beginning of the day, so I stuck with her but she didn't get there.

Flanzbaum, who earned his berth at NHCqualify.com, collected the $150,000 second-place prize.

Beychok, who qualified for NHC XIII by finishing third in the TwinSpires.com Online Handicapping Championship on Nov. 19, was still in shock half an hour after learning he was officially the winner.

I've never actually won a tournament before, Beychok said. I've had seconds and thirds, so I guess I picked the right time to win one.

This was the first time the NHC paid a $1 million prize to the winner after being $500,000 the past four years. Prizes were paid through the top 50 as well as daily prizes.

Darwin Labordo, 62, of Sierra Madre, Calif., rallied late to get third-place money of $80,000 with a score of $206.60. Gaylord Grundy, 58, of Airdrie, Alberta, was fourth after Day 1 and finished fourth with $196.10 points to win $50,000.

Paul Shurman, 57, of Dix Hills, N.Y., who won the 2011 NHC Tour and was eligible for a $2 million bonus if he pulled off the double, finished sixth and had to settle for $26,000.

Nolan White, who led after the first day of the tournament with $164.30, finished 13th with a total of $184.30.