Two-Minute Lick - Jim Benes
Jim Benes of Countryside, Ill., topped a field of 455 to win the $750,000 first-place prize and an Eclipse Award as Handicapper of the Year at the 14th annual Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Championship (NHC) Presented by Treasure Island and Sovereign Stable last Saturday.
The 50-year-old Benes, a professional horseplayer, amassed a winning score of $268.40 from 28 mythical $2 win-and-place wagers and two mythical $4 win-and-place “Best Bet” wagers over the course of the two-day, $1.5 million tournament held at Treasure Island Las Vegas. His margin of victory over runner-up Roger Cettina was just $1.20.
Name: Jim Benes
Birthplace: Berwyn, Ill.
What I do for a living: Professional handicapper
Most influential person in my career: Dad
My favorite racetrack: Hawthorne Race Course
My fantasy job: My job
What I like most about my job: I don't have to worry about other people.
Other sports/teams that I follow: Chicago Bears and Chicago Cubs
My favorite athlete of all-time: Walter Payton
Most treasured possesion/momento: My daughter
A pet peeve: Stupid people
What I am reading or have recently read: Daily Racing Form
Newspaper I read daily: Daily Racing Form
Favorite food: Breaded pork
What I drive: Toyota Camry
Favorite musician: Tim McGraw
Favorite actor: Adam Sandler
Best racetrack food: Corned beef at Oaklawn Park
Accomplishment I am most proud of: My daughter
My philosophy on life: Be happy since you never know when your last day is.
Favorite animal other than a horse: Dogs
Favorite non-horse racing sporting event that I have attended: Seeing the Cubs in the playoffs
What living person do you most admire: My daughter
Twitter handle: I don't have Twitter
No. 1 Bucket List item: I wish I had a bucket list.
