Name: Matt Gatsas

Birthplace: Manchester, N.H.

Most influential person in my career: My father

How I was introduced to Thoroughbred Racing: My Dad and uncle would take me to Rockingham Park and Saratoga.

Other sports/teams I follow: I follow football in general. I also follow the Patriots, Celtics, Bruins, Red Sox and golf.

Why I love competing in Thoroughbred racing: The competition. I am competitive by nature. It’s one of the most difficult sports to succeed in, which makes the thrill of winning that much more exciting.

What I like best about the National Handicapping Championship: The excitement and the energy in the room.  Also, the passion of the handicappers and their love of racing.

Why it’s important for Sovereign Stable to be a part of the NHC: It’s a natural progression for a lot of owners.  A lot of them start out as handicappers, much like myself.  What better way to be in front of some of the best, most passionate players in the country? It’s a great way to let them know what’s out there in terms of ownership opportunities.

My favorite athletes of all-time: Tom Brady, Larry Bird, Jack Nicklaus

Most treasured possession/memento: They’re not possessions, but…my children.

A Pet Peeve: Any lack of cleanliness or organization.

Favorite Magazines: The Blood-Horse, Sports Illustrated, Golf Magazine, Horseplayer Magazine

Favorite websites I visit daily/weekly: DRF.com, NTRA.com, TDN.com, Racingpost.com, ESPN.com, Yahoo.com.

Gadget I cannot live without: My IPhone

Hobbies away from Thoroughbred Racing: Golf

Favorite movies: Hoosiers and The Bronx Tale

TV shows I watch: Anything sports related.  And an occasional season of Survivor.

Favorite foods: Steak, ice cream

Favorite vacation spot: The Bahamas

What I drive: Range Rover

If I could appear on any television show it would be: SportsCenter

Favorite Actor: Jack Nicholson

I’d like to have dinner with the following three people:  Vince Lombardi, Bill Belichick, Lou Holtz.

Best racetrack food can be found at: Saratoga…the Shake Shack.

Accomplishment I am most proud of: Being named to “40 Under 40” by Thoroughbred Times

My philosophy on life: Never give up.

Favorite quote or motto: “Winning is not a sometime thing, it is an all the time thing. You don’t do things right once in a while…you do them right all the time.” –Vince Lombardi

Things I collect: Baseball cards, winner’s circle photos

Favorite non-Thoroughbred racing sports event I have attended: Any football game.

Three words that define what Thoroughbred Racing means to me: Excitement, passion, beauty.

What historical figure do you most identify with: Vince Lombardi

Congratulations to photographer Elisabeth Davis, winner of this week’s Fan Photo Contest! From Elisabeth: “This is a photo taken in August of Dynaformer at Three Chimneys. Feel better, big guy!" Want in? E-mail your submissions with a brief caption to photos@NTRA.com!

Purse for January 2013 NHC guaranteed at $1.5 million (NTRA)

Sovereign Stable to again serve as presenting sponsor of the NHC (NTRA)

Mark McGuire of Newbury Park, Calif., continues to lead the NHC Tour with 8,669 points.  Click here to view the overall Leader Board standings. 

Speaking of McGuire, he is the NHC Tour’s first $5000 bonus winner.  Mark finished first in the April 8 Horsetourneys.com contest to earn a spot to NHC 14 and then also won an April 13 contest at Surfside Race Place. In the process, Mark benefited from this year’s new rule that awards $5,000 to those skillful enough to win a second (or third or fourth) qualifying tournament. 

Click here to read Mark’s complete NHC biography.

Surfside Race Place has awarded a total of five NHC berths in recent weeks. Three additional players advanced to the NHC Finals via Xpressbet.com.  Click here for a current list of qualifiers to the 2013 NHC.

Treasure Island to host 100% payback NHC Qualifiers May 6 and June 10 (NTRA.com)

Learn more about the 2012 Daily Racing Form NHC Tour (NHC)

April 26, 1853: En route to becoming England’s first Triple Crown winner, West Australian won the 2,000 Guineas, the first of three races that comprise England’s Triple Crown.

April 26, 1916:  The first Triple Crown winner, Sir Barton, was foaled at Hamburg Place, Lexington, Ky.

April 27, 1973: At Churchill Downs, Secretariat worked six furlongs in 1:12 3/5 in preparation for the May 5 Kentucky Derby.

April 28, 2001: Jockey Chris McCarron became the seventh American jockey to win 7,000 races, guiding Spinelessjellyfish to a neck victory in the Khaled Stakes at Hollywood Park in Inglewood, Calif. McCarron joined Laffit Pincay Jr., Bill Shoemaker, Pat Day, David Gall, Russell Baze and Angel Cordero Jr. in the 7,000 club.

April 29, 2003: Hall of Famer Laffit Pincay Jr., the world’s winningest jockey, retired with 9,530 victories to his credit.

April 30, 1941: Jockey Eddie Arcaro rode four winners out of five mounts at Jamaica racetrack before leaving for Churchill Downs to ride Whirlaway in the Kentucky Derby.

April 30, 1989: Bill Shoemaker won his 1,000th stakes race, guiding Charlie Whittingham-trained Peace to victory in the Premiere Handicap at Hollywood Park.

April 30, 2002: Two-time Horse of the Year Cigar and champion filly Serena’s Song were elected to the National Museum of Racing’s Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility. Also named to the Hll were trainer Bud Delp, jockey Jack Westrope and champion Noor.

May 1, 1943: Count Fleet won the “street car” Kentucky Derby, for which no tickets could be sold to out-of-town spectators due to wartime travel restrictions.

May 1, 1948: H.A. “Jimmy” Jones, son of Ben A. Jones, stepped aside as the trainer of Citation, allowing his father to be named the colt’s official trainer in the Kentucky Derby. Ben Jones was attempting to match the record of H.J. Thompson, who had trained four Derby winners. Citation did win and Ben A. Jones subsequently won two additional derbies, in 1949 and 1952, to set the mark for most number of wins in the Run for the Roses, six. Jimmy Jones was named as Citation’s trainer in the Preakness and Belmont Stakes, however, giving the Jones family a Triple Crown sweep.

May 1, 1971: The New York Off-Track Betting Corp. offered wagering pools on the Kentucky Derby, the first instance in which parimutuel wagering on the race took place outside the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Churchill Downs had refused to sell the rights to the race to OTB, but the pools were offered nonetheless, generating handle totaling $1,043,005

May 1, 1976: Trainer Laz Barrera won three stakes in three different states: the Kentucky Derby with Bold Forbes; New York’s Carter Handicap with Due Diligence and the Illinois Derby with Life’s Hope.

May 1, 1993: Paul Mellon became the second person in racing history of have bred and owned winners of the Kentucky Derby (Sea Hero, who won the 1993 Derby) and the Epsom Derby (Mill Reef, who won in 1971). John Galbreath was the first to have accomplished the Derby double, which he did with Proud Clarion (1967 Kentucky Derby) and Roberto (1972 Epsom Derby).

May 1, 1999: Charismatic won the 125th Kentucky Derby at odds of 31-1, giving trainer D. Wayne Lukas his fourth Derby win and his owners, Bob and Beverly Lewis, their second Derby victor.

May 1, 2004: Total wagering on the 130th Kentucky Derby, won by Smarty Jones, and the Derby Day racing card at Churchill Downs smashed North American betting records. A record $99,348,706 was wagered on the Derby. Total betting on the 12-race Kentucky Derby Day card was $142,775,857.

May 1, 2010: Trainer Todd Pletcher broke his 0-for-24 skein in the Kentucky Derby by saddling Super Saver to win the Run for the Roses.

May 2, 1904: Laska Durnell became the first woman to own a Kentucky Derby starter and winner when longshot Elwood took the 30th Run for the Roses. Elwood, the only Missouri-bred to win the Kentucky Derby, was also the first Derby winner to be bred by a woman, Mrs. J.B. Prather.

May 2, 1934: Future Triple Crown winner War Admiral was foaled at Faraway Farm, Lexington, Ky.

May 2, 1953: Native Dancer suffered his only defeat in 22 starts. He finished second in the Kentucky Derby as the 7-10 favorite, beaten a head by a 25-1 shot, Dark Star. Going into the Derby, Native Dancer had 11 consecutive wins.

May 2, 1970: Diane Crump became the first female jockey to ride in the Kentucky Derby. Her mount, Fathom, finished 15th in a field of 17.

May 2, 1981: The first simulcast of the Kentucky Derby took place, with three outlets—Centennial Park, Longacres Racecourse and Yakima Meadows—receiving the signal. Total simulcast wagering was $455,163. The Derby simulcast was suspended for the next two years, pending approval by Kentucky horsemen, and was reinstated in 1984.

May 2, 2000: Jockey Julie Krone became the first female elected to Thoroughbred racing’s Hall of Fame.

May 2, 2009: Mine That Bird, a 50-1 longshot, won the 135th Kentucky Derby by 6 ¾ lengths in a field of 19. The win would land Mine That Bird, and his jockey Calvin Borel, on the cover of the following week’s Sports Illustrated.

May 3, 1769: Namesake of racing’s annual awards, Eclipse made his first public appearance in a heat race at Epsom, England. The chestnut won his first trial easily, prompting gambler Dennis O’Kelly to predict “Eclipse first, the rest nowhere” at the start of the second heat. O’Kelly’s forecast was correct. Eclipse won the second four-mile race by nearly 1-4 mile.

May 3, 1902: Jockey James Winkfield, the last African American rider to win the Kentucky Derby, won his second consecutive Derby aboard Alan-a-Dale. 

May 3, 1952: The first coast-to-coast, network-televised Kentucky Derby aired on CBS. Favorite Hill Gail won the Derby, giving his jockey Eddie Arcaro a record fifth victory in the Kentucky Derby, and his trainer, Ben A. Jones, the record for most number of wins (six). Arcaro’s record was matched on this day in 1969 by jockey Bill Hartack. Jones’ record has not been equaled.

May 3, 1958: CBS used a “split screen” for its telecast of the Kentucky Derby, necessitated by the presence of the popular runner Silky Sullivan, who was famous for running far off the pace. Most of the screen was allotted to the main group of runners, with a small corner given over to Silky Sullivan. Although he was one of the favorites for the race, Silky failed to deliver his customary winning drive in the stretch and finished 12th, beaten 20 lengths by the victorious Tim Tam.

May 3, 1969: Jockey Bill Hartack won his fifth Kentucky Derby aboard Majestic Prince, tying Eddie Arcaro’s 1952 record. Majestic Prince was trained by Hall of Fame jockey John Longden, the only person to have trained and ridden a Kentucky Derby winner.

May 3, 1980: Diana Firestone’s Genuine Risk became the second filly to win the Kentucky Derby. Regret won it in 1915; Winning Colors, in 1988.

May 3, 1986: Charlie Whittingham, at age 73, became the oldest trainer to win his first Kentucky Derby when he sent Ferdinand to victory. Ferdinand’s rider, Bill Shoemaker, was the oldest jockey (54) to take the Run for the Roses. Whittingham topped himself in 1989, winning the Derby a second time (at age 76) with Sunday Silence.

May 3, 2003: Funny Cide won the 129th Kentucky Derby and became the first-ever New York-bred, and first gelding in 74 years, to win the Run for the Roses. 

May 3, 2008: Big Brown dominates the Kentucky Derby despite breaking from post 20. Derby runner-up Eight Belles was injured while galloping out after the race and had to be euthanized.

May 4, 1905: Belmont Park opened for its first race meet.

May 4, 1957: Bill Shoemaker, aboard Gallant Man, misjudged the finish line for the Kentucky Derby and stood up in the irons prematurely. Gallant Man lost the race by a nose to Iron Liege. Round Table was third and Bold Ruler was fourth in this historic finish.

May 4, 1968: Dancer’s Image became the first horse to be disqualified from the Kentucky Derby because post-race testing revealed an illegal medication. Forward Pass was declared the winner, giving Calumet Farm its eighth Derby winner, a record.

May 4, 1996: Trainer D. Wayne Lukas set the record for most consecutive wins in Triple Crown races, six, when Grindstone won the Kentucky Derby. Lukas’ winning streak began with the 1994 Preakness Stakes, which he won with Tabasco Cat.

May 4, 2007: Mark Guidry became the 21st jockey to reach the 5,000-win mark when he rode Chippewa Trail to victory in the first race at Churchill Downs.

May 5, 1934: Brookmeade Stable’s Cavalcade won the Kentucky Derby, his third victory in a span of less than two weeks.

May 5, 1973: Secretariat became the first horse to complete the 1 ¼-mile course for the Kentucky Derby in less than two minutes when he won the 99th Run for the Roses in a record 1:59 2/5,  which was 3/5 faster than Northern Dancer’s 1964 mark of 2:00, to set a track and stakes record that still holds. He ran each successive quarter-mile of the race faster than the previous one, with split times of :25 1/5, :24, :23 4/5, :23 2/5 and :23.

May 5, 1990: Frances Genter, age 92, became the oldest winning owner in Derby history when Unbridled won the 116th renewal of the Run for the Roses.

May 5, 2004: Smarty Jones became the first Kentucky Derby winner in 21 years to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

May 5, 2007: Street Sense became the first Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner to emerge victorious in the Kentucky Derby when he captured the Run for the Roses by 2 ¼ lengths under Calvin Borel.

May 6, 1895: African American jockey James “Soup” Perkins guided the favorite Halma to a wire-to-wire victory in the 21st running of the Kentucky Derby. Perkins, who was 15, joined fellow African American jockey Alonzo Clayton as the youngest jockey to ride a Derby winner.

May 6, 1896: African American jockey Willie Simms guided Ben Brush to victory in the 22nd Kentucky Derby, the first time the race was run at 1 1/4 miles. Two years later, Simms would win the Derby aboard Plaudit, giving him a perfect record in the Kentucky Derby: two wins in two attempts.

May 6, 1933: In the “fighting finish” to the Kentucky Derby—before the advent of photo-finish cameras and video patrol—jockey Don Meade on Brokers Tip, and Herb Fisher, on Head Play, pushed, hit, tugged and jostled each other to the finish line at Churchill Downs. Brokers Tip was declared the winner, by a margin of two or three inches.

May 6, 2000: Fusaichi Pegasus became the first betting favorite to win the Kentucky Derby since Spectacular Bid in 1979.

May 6, 2006: Unbeaten three-year-old Barbaro won the 132nd running of the Kentucky Derby by 6 ½ lengths, the biggest winning margin since Assault won by eight lengths in 1946.

May 6, 2009: Jess Jackson’s Stonestreet Stables purchased recent Kentucky Oaks winner Rachel Alexandra from owner/breeder Dolphus Morrison and partner Michael Lauffer.

May 7, 1938: The Kentucky Derby Glass made its debut. First used as a water glass for the track restaurant, the mint julep glass has been a part of the Derby tradition for more than 50 years.

May 7, 1949: Calumet Farm’s Ponder won the 75th Kentucky Derby, which was first telecast on a limited basis by local TV station WAVE.

May 7, 1973: Secretariat was flown to Pimlico Racecourse to prepare for the Preakness Stakes after his record-breaking performance in the Kentucky Derby.

May 7, 1983: Aboard Sunny’s Halo, jockey Eddie Delahoussaye became the last rider to win consecutive Kentucky Derbies. Other riders to have won back-to-back Derbies are: Isaac Murphy, Ron Turcotte and James Winkfield.

May 7, 1988: Winning Colors, the first roan and the third filly to win the Kentucky Derby, provided trainer D. Wayne Lukas with his first Derby win in 13 attempts.

May 7, 1992: Hall of Fame jockey Angel Cordero Jr. announced his retirement from race riding.

May 7, 2001: Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas saddled his 4,000th career winner, scoring with Added Spice in the ninth race at Delaware Park. Lukas’s mark put him behind only Dale Baird (8,479 wins), Jack Van Berg (6,300) and King Leatherbury (5,190).

May 7, 2002: Seattle Slew, the last surviving Triple Crown winner, died at Hill ‘N Dale Farm in Lexington, Ky., at age 28. Seattle Slew’s death came on the 25th anniversary of his Kentucky Derby victory.

May 7, 2007: Fresh off his victory two days earlier in the Kentucky Derby aboard Street Sense, jockey Calvin Borel attends a White House State Dinner honoring Queen Elizabeth II of England.

May 8, 1901: David Garrick, owned by American Pierre Lorillard, won the Chester Cup in England, under the guidance of American jockey Danny Maher.

May 8, 1915: H.P. Whitney’s Regret became the first filly to win the Kentucky Derby, 40 years after the race’s inception in 1875.

May 8, 1937: Mary Hirsch, daughter of Max Hirsch, who had conditioned 1936 Kentucky Derby winner Bold Venture, became the first woman trainer to saddle a runner in the Kentucky Derby. The horse, No Sir, who was also owned by Miss Hirsch, finished 13th in a field of 20.

THURSDAY, APRIL 26
Grey Goose Bewitch Stakes, 4&up (f&m), $150,000, Grade III, 1 1-2M (T), Keeneland

FRIDAY, APRIL 27
Elkhorn Stakes, 4&up, $150,000, Grade II, 1 1-2M (T), Keeneland

Inglewood Handicap, 3&up, $100,000, 1 1-8M (T), Hollywood Park

Gaviola Stakes, 3yo fillies, $90,000, 1 1-16M (T), Belmont Park

SATURDAY, APRIL 28
Texas Mile Stakes, 3&up, $200,000, Grade III, 1M, Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie

The Cliff’s Edge Derby Trial, 3yo, $200,000, Grade III, 1M, Churchill Downs

San Francisco Mile, 4&up, $150,000, Grade III, 1M (T), Golden Gate Fields

Westchester Stakes, 3&up, $150,000, Grade III, 1M, Belmont Park

Calder Oaks, 3yo fillies, $100,000, 1 1-16M (T), Calder

Inside Information Stakes, 3yo fillies, $90,000, 1M, Belmont Park

Bosselman/Gus Fonner Stakes, 3&up, $75,000, 1 1-16M, Fonner Park

Maryland Hunt Cup Timber, 5&up, $75,000, 4M (Timber), Glyndon

SUNDAY, APRIL 29
Wilshire Handicap, 3&up (f&m), $100,000, Grade III, 1M (T), Hollywood Park

WEDNESDAY, MAY 2
Heatherten Stakes, 3&up (f&m), $90,000, 1 1-16M, Belmont Park

Thirty Flags Stakes, 3yo fillies, $85,000, 6F (T), Belmont Park

THURSDAY, MAY 3
Milesius Stakes, 3&up, $90,000, 1 1-4M (T), Belmont Park

May 2 Derby Classics, 4:00-5:00 p.m., NBC Sports Network

May 2 Kentucky Derby Post Position Draw, 5:00-6:00 p.m., NBC Sports Network

May 3 Derby Classics, 4:00-5:00 p.m., NBC Sports Network

May 3 Live from Churchill Downs, 5:00-6:00 p.m., NBC Sports Network

May 4 Derby Classics, 4:00-5:00 p.m., NBC Sports Network

May 4 Kentucky Oaks (Churchill Downs), 5:00-6:00 p.m., NBC Sports Network

May 5 Kentucky Derby Undercard (Churchill Downs), 11:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m., NBC Sports Network

May 5 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (Churchill Downs), 4:00-7:00 p.m., NBC