Photo of Ken Jordan courtesy of NYRA
By Christian Abdo
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Tournament veteran Ken Jordan bested a field of 68 entries to capture the 2024 Belmont Stakes Challenge, which was contested from Friday, June 7 through Saturday, June 8 during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga Race Course.
Jordan, a 66-year-old chartered financial consultant from Farmingdale, N.J., took home $51,000 from the prize pool plus $52,925 in live bankroll for a grand total of $103,925 in winnings. In victory, Jordan also secured a seat at the 2024 Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge (BCBC) in November at Del Mar plus hotel accommodations and covered travel costs.
The Belmont Stakes Challenge featured a buy-in of $5,000, including $1,500 that went directly to the prize pool, with the remaining $3,500 comprising each participants’ bankroll. Contestants could make Win, Place, Show, Exacta, Trifecta, Quinella and Daily Double wagers on-site or online through a registered NYRA Bets account.
“That’s a great prize. When I saw the leaderboard go up, I saw the $50,000 and I said, ‘That’s fantastic,’ I had forgotten all about the prize money from the contest at that point,” said Jordan. “It was well worth the trip. We love going to Saratoga and this was very memorable.”
Jordan climbed 21 spots to victory following a successful Daily Double of the Grade 1, $1 million Resorts World Casino Manhattan into the Grade 1, $2 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets, Races 11 and 12 on Saturday, also the last two eligible races for the contest.
The Charlie Appleby-conditioned Measured Time cashed the first leg as the 3-1 second choice of eight classy turf routers before Dornoch captured the Belmont Stakes at odds of 17-1 versus nine talented sophomore colts for trainer Danny Gargan’s first Grade 1 triumph.
Top Four Finishers
Player / Prize Money / Live Bankroll
Ken Jordan / $51,000 / $52,925
Darren Schweiger / $25,500 / $37,850
Michael Mulvihill / $15,300 / $19,690.15
Matthew Memolo / $10,200 / $15,585.20
Jordan, who earned his entry into this year’s challenge by finishing fourth in last year’s edition, said he has learned that hitting a double late can make a push for the podium.
“I had done well enough in the previous contest that I wanted to at least leave myself with money for the double of Measured Time and Dornoch,” Jordan explained. “I made a similar bet in last year’s Belmont contest, it got me fourth because I didn’t have enough to get past the guys at the top.”
This year, Jordan’s double returned $86.50 per $1 wagered, which secured first prize and exceeded all of his goals for the competition.
“At the start of the contest, I was shooting for 10 times my initial bankroll– $35 thousand– I saw a few guys had a shot for that number. The horse I liked best all weekend was Measured Time,” said Jordan. “I selected Dornoch for a local paper, the Asbury Park Press, so I had spent some extra time on the Belmont and I was convinced he was at least as good an option as anybody else in the field.”
Through analysis of the Daily Racing Form, including the Formulator and Pace Ace features, in addition to utilizing Racing Flow’s products, Jordan based his Belmont Stakes upset pick on a strong inclination that Dornoch would travel forwardly placed in a favorable pace scenario that indicated Grade 1 Preakness Stakes-winner Seize the Grey was likely to be on the lead for Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas.
“I thought he’d be close to the lead and as it turned out, he was, and it compromised Lukas’ horse, which I had knocks against. I had knocks against the first, second, third, fourth betting choices. That’s the time to dig deep into your pocket and make a big play,” Jordan said. “It wasn’t a tough bet for me to come up with, believe it or not.”
Before the race, Jordan was quoted in the Asbury Park Press regarding his Dornoch selection, which read, “[He] resented being rated in [the] Blue Grass and may have had the worst trip of all in the Kentucky Derby. The thinking here is that he will attend the pace set by Seize the Grey and Mindframe, then show some finish in the stretch.”
As Dornoch passed Seize the Grey at the top of the lane then fended off Mindframe, who stalked from third position before closing on the outside in the stretch, Jordan’s prediction came to fruition. The lucrative payout put him in front of runner-up Darren Schweiger, who led after Friday’s card and went home with $63,350 and the remaining 2024 BCBC Seat awarded for second.
“I probably started playing in 2009 or 2010, but when the contest world opened it was a whole new opportunity to make the game interesting, and it’s proven to be pretty profitable,” Jordan added, with a laugh. His resume features multiple NTRA/National Horseplayers Championship appearances including a runner-up finish in 2015 and four Top 10s at the Horseplayers World Series.
Jordan said he looks forward to taking his seat at the Breeders’ Cup Challenge on November 1 and 2 at Del Mar. For now, the experienced handicapper will be enjoying this thrilling win, along with time with his wife and their family of six children and six grandchildren.
Horseplayers are invited to take part in NYRA Bets Weekly Contests. Register to play using your NYRA Bets credentials, each contest includes a registration fee that funds the prize pool plus a live bankroll deposit. Upcoming contests include Saturday, June 22; Saturday, June 29; and Saturday, July 6: Belmont Derby Challenge, which offers a BCBC Seat. For more information, including about feeder contests into select Saturday events, visit https://racing.nyrabets.com/contests.
