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The 2025 Laurel Handicap: The Preliminary Line from the Happy Handicapper
By Stuart K. Tucker
New Bern, NC - Welcome back to this year’s Laurel Handicap—the Run for the Woods. Congratulations to last year’s winner, Band of Fools, who proved that the last can be first (in this case, the final team to enter the field last year). We open the preliminary line for them at 32-1. Ahead of them are top ranked teams Boys of Beachcon (19-1), who committed rare fumbles last year, and The Siegelmen (21-1), the most likely to knock off their own teammates. Last year’s third place team, Terrafarmers (31-1), clearly have the farming down. I’m a little more skeptical of the second and fourth place teams, 100 Acres of Wood (91-1) and Sweep the Leg (82-1). They remain underpowered teams. The fifth place team, Iron Meeples (47-1), is pushing up into the ranks of the top Greenville Mafia folks. Of particular noteworthiness, the early line for The Harry B’s (21-1) puts them as the third ranked team, despite coming off a bad year.
The Handicapper last year had a bad year with his Pick Ten (only two picks achieved the top ten, and a third lost the tie-breaker for tenth). However, the odds rankings continue to produce an excellent guide, as six of the top ten winners were ranked among the favorites in the top twenty. One team has caught my eye as a consistent performer that is rising up the ranks, ACTS Whisperers (41-1), last year’s tenth place team. Sweathogs (41-1) and School of Sharks (40-1) also had good years and are solid choices, ranked among the top fifteen in the preliminary line.
Four of last year’s top ten winners were long-shots, but not extreme ones. Those long-shots are all rated higher this year, but remain with odds worse than average, so don’t bet on repeats there. Disappointments from last year, those Dice Loving Canucks could have a nice rebound year, if they make it past the border guards.
As for the Mafia, it seems that last year involved far too many Places, and not enough Wins. Don’t you just hate making it to a final, and falling short? Last year, 248 baton carriers competed for their teams, and only 17 managed to win the right event. Numbers like that make for a great incentive to form a team and take a shot at winning the Laurel Handicap. Entries are being accepted now. Don’t wait too long. Make your run for the Wood a little more exciting by carrying a baton for a team.
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The 2025 Laurel Handicap: The Morning Line from the Happy Handicapper
By Stuart K. Tucker
New Bern, NC — It is almost post time for this year’s Laurel Handicap. Entries are in and the field is highly competitive. We have fewer long-shots haunting us this year, so this could be an ideal time to pick a favorite to win the Run for the Woods. As I peruse the field of 50, I must include the top two rated teams in my Pick Ten entry. Boys of Beachcon (13-1) and The Harry B’s (14-1) are both coming off bad years, so I am expecting the proverbial bounceback (a horse better’s dream). However, I see plenty of potential upsets to that Exacta. Consequently, I’m sliding them down the list of my Pick Ten entry to sixth and seventh. Instead, I’m taking as my Win, Place & Show, some teams that have performed well recently and have a history of being contenders. So, I am targeting Uncivil Servants (26-1) to win it all—this year seems like the appropriate one for them. They’ll probably have to win a tiebreaker against Terrafarmers (22-1) and Los Lobos Locos (36-1) to secure the victory. I’m also expecting the consistent team A.C.T.S. Whisperers (29-1) to step up and gain fourth.
As you know by now, I don’t think you can win the Pick Ten by just picking the top-ranked teams. You’ll need a healthy dose of long-shots in the mix to come away with the prize. I’m expecting Crashaholics (86-1) to gain fifth for me. I’m looking for RoboTruckers (120-1) to squeak in at tenth, just barely losing out to No Dice (55-1) for ninth. I round out my Pick Ten with a mid-pack, slightly-better-than-average team, Dice Hate Me (40-1), to come in eighth.
Pick Ten
- Uncivil Servants (26-1)
- Terrafarmers (22-1)
- Los Lobos Locos (36-1)
- A.C.T.S. Whisperers (29-1)
- Crashaholics (86-1)
- Boys of Beachcon (13-1)
- The Harry B’s (14-1)
- Dice Hate Me (40-1)
- No Dice (55-1)
- RoboTruckers (120-1)
Bust my bracket and pick yor winners for the bragging rights.
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