Local horse handicapper Bruce ”The Oracle’ Meyer might not have a lot in common with quarterback Tom Brady but each has six titles. Brady won six Super bowls, while Oracle has six Canterbury Park Handicapper of the Year belts.
Brady may have the bigger stage; millions of people are watching him, while Oracle toils away to crowds of several thousand, but the magnitude of the accomplishments of each must not be understated. Beating back multiple foes six times over the course of several years is something.
On Sunday in the Big Game, Brady can win his seventh ring. In 2021, The Oracle can win his seventh HOY. Brady gets his answer tomorrow; Oracle in 10 months. He caught a point last month in the In The Money chop. One point a month has been his target for years. Many try. Few succeed.
The QB won his first title in the 2000-2001 season and his sixth in the 2019 game. Oracle started chasing the HOY after qualifying for the NHC in 2008. He won his first title in 2011 and his sixth in 2019 and has never gone two year since ’11 without a championship. If that trend remains true, this is again his year.
“Wouldn’t that be great,” Meyer said. “The comparison between Brady and me is a natural one to make. If Brady wins, I definitely need to catch him. Luckily my handicapping career will extend past his pro football career. But I think the Chiefs will win anyway.”
The Oracle providing bulletin board material for Brady.
Like any endeavor, commitment, skill and a degree of good fortune can vault one into the rarified air of champions. It does not come without sacrifice for The Oracle. For example, an upcoming trip is scheduled for Sunday through Thursday to avoid missing contests.
In 2021, Canterbury Park will offer handicapping contests every month; some will be free to enter like the Road to Kentucky contest going on now, others require an entry fee like the weekly Spring Tune Up Super Satellites now underway, but all will award winners Handicapper of the Year points that will accumulate toward the Canterbury Park Handicapper of the Year award and an additional $2,000 prize. The runner-up will receive $500.
Speaking of Big Game Sunday, the Canterbury Casino is open 24/7 and the Racebook will be open prior to the game with racing from tracks like Gulfstream, Oaklawn and Santa Anita.
