Kentucky native Sean Boarman has been offically declared the winner of the 2023 Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge following the complete audit called for in the contest's rules and regulations.
The 15th annual BCBC drew a record 571 entries as top horseplayers wagered Nov. 3-4 on the Breeders' Cup World Championships at Santa Anita Park. The tournament players generated an all-time contest-record wagering handle of $7,759,434. Over $4.6 million of that total was wagered at Santa Anita Park, representing more than 23.6% of the total on-track handle.
In the 2023 BCBC, each player was required to fund a $2,500 buy-in and a $7,500 betting bankroll ($10,000 total). All buy-in monies were applied to the prize pool, making the total prize pool $1,427,500. Players made real wagers (win, place, show, exacta, trifecta and daily double) with their $7,500 bankroll and kept all monies earned from their wagering.
Boarman, 43, finished with a total score of 231,238 points. Combined with his first-place prize of $411,125, he earned a grand total of $642,363, the highest total any player has achieved in BCBC history. Kevan Strom of Niskayuna, New York finished second, with 215,453 points, and with his $274,075 prize money added, he amassed a total of $489,528. Mike Mulvihill of Palatine, Illinois finished third with 173,160 points, and combined with prize money of $148,450, he earned a grand total of $321,610.
Participant Vince Foglia made a place wager on his own horse, a violation of BCBC rules which was discovered during the audit. As a result, the winnings from this non-approved wager ($14,000) were deducted from the final score, which resulted in Foglia dropping from 8th place to 13th place in the final standings.
Complete tournament results are available here.
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