Past the Wire

Jonathan Stettin

Professional Horseplayer Writer Founder of Past the Wire

There are those who watch the races, and there are those who see the game.

Rick Dutrow (right) and Jonathan Stettin. (Past The Wire) — Jon Stettin with Rick Dutrow after winning the Breeders’ Cup Classic

Jonathan Stettin grew up around New York racing with a father who worked behind the mutuel windows. The racetrack became his education early. By 16, he had left the classroom and was learning the game where it was played—watching horses, trips, riders, trainers, betting patterns and the people who made their living around the track.

That education eventually took him from the betting windows to writing, broadcasting and building Past the Wire, but the horseplayer has always remained at the center of it.

The Horseplayer

Jon is widely known as “The Pick 6 King,” a nickname earned at the windows. His documented scores include a $540,000 Pick 6 at Saratoga, where he held one of only two winning tickets; a $143,000 Saratoga Pick 6 anchored by a cold single in the final leg; and multiple major Gulfstream Park scores, including Rainbow 6 payouts of approximately $79,000 and $178,000.

Across his career, his documented Pick 6 scores exceed $3 million. The numbers tell part of the story. The larger part is the approach behind them: trip handicapping, bias, pace, value, ticket construction, discipline and the willingness to press an opinion when the work says the opportunity is there.

That same methodology helped shape the handicapping work Past the Wire has developed over the years and continues to influence the tools and wagering analysis being built today.

The Writer

Past the Wire began as a column and grew around Jon’s willingness to write about racing from the perspective of someone who had spent a lifetime betting on it. He has never approached the sport as an observer standing outside the ropes.

His work ranges from handicapping and wagering to investigations, governance, Computer Assisted Wagering, integrity issues and the people and events that shape racing. He is also the author of All 1’s: The Real Story of Ruffian, a deeply researched examination of one of racing’s most enduring stories.

The point has never been to follow the prevailing narrative. It has been to look at the facts, ask the questions and reach an independent conclusion.

The Broadcaster

As Past the Wire expanded beyond the written page, Jon moved naturally into long-form interviews, handicapping programs, commentary and original video. Through Past the Wire TV he has sat down with leading figures from racing and sports, while continuing to bring a horseplayer’s perspective to the conversation.

Today that programming includes racing, wagering and a growing sports presence, while keeping the same emphasis on informed opinion, preparation and conversations worth having.

The Builder

What started as one column became Past the Wire: an independent media and wagering platform encompassing original reporting and commentary, Past the Wire TV, The Wire Room, the Riders Up handicapping app and the Past the Wire Gambling Hall of Fame.

The platforms have changed and the subject matter has expanded. The underlying idea has not: see the game clearly, do the work, trust your own eyes and give the audience something worth knowing.

Past the Wire

Key Achievements & Milestones

The Pick 6

$540,000 Saratoga Pick 6 score — one of only two winning tickets.

The Career

More than $3 million in documented Pick 6 scores.

The Author

All 1's: The Real Story of Ruffian.

The Founder

Built Past the Wire from a guest column into an independent multimedia and wagering platform.

The Broadcaster

Host/interviewer across Past the Wire TV's original programming.

The Hall

Founding Inductee, Past the Wire Gambling Hall of Fame — 2026.

Three legends of Horse Racing, Jerry Bailey, Champion Jockey and all time great, John Stettin, the Pick 6 King and Past the Wire founder, and the great "Frankie" Frankie Dettori one of the best to ever do it world wide!, Past the Wire photo taken by another legend, John Gosden — Three Legends Jerry Bailey, Jon Stettin and Frankie Dettori.

Horse Racing Dissected & Delivered.