December Player’s Choice Tourney winner Brandon Barter with his handicapping assistant.
By G.S. Thompson
Brandon Barter won last Saturday’s Player’s Choice Tournament for the second time, but this time he won it by himself, and Roger Jones finally got what he always wanted for Christmas, the Handicapper of the Year title.
Roger was hoping he could take the Handicapper of the Year title after winning the September ASD Handicapping Challenge, and his seven best tourney scores, including another 2025 Player’s Choice win in February, were enough to get him home on top with 286 points and $3,500 in prize money. Dwayne McIvor finished second in the standings with 258 points and $500, while David Smook took third with 253 points and $250.
The $3,500 prize money for the Handicapper of the Year title will be put to good use, said Roger, who plans to spend his winnings in Vegas with fellow handicapper and partner Nicole Baker, but you get the feeling he’s really going to cherish his trophy.
As will Brandon Barter, who won the December Player’s Choice tourney by himself this time. He had tied for the win spot once before and split the $1,000 prize money, but hadn’t gotten the trophy. He has one now.
Brandon built his bankroll to $93.40 to defeat George Williams ($75.80) by $17.60, which was a large winning margin compared to the usual for the off-season monthly tournament. Donny Allard ($73.40) finished third, followed by Glen Gray ($72.30) and Steve Holborn ($72.30).
Barter’s Breakthrough Victory
For Brandon, a 48-year-old retired military veteran and former RCMP officer now living in Headingley, Saturday’s win represented the culmination of roughly 15 years of handicapping experience.
Originally from Newfoundland, Brandon was posted to Manitoba during his military service and decided to stay permanently, for good reasons. “The track is just down the road from me,” he said.
While he dabbled with harness racing during his days on the East coast, Brandon didn’t seriously pursue handicapping until discovering thoroughbred racing after moving to Manitoba in 2002. And it was only in the last five years that he truly committed himself to understanding the sport at a deeper level. “Trial and error,” he said, when asked how he learned to handicap.
His handicapping methodology focuses on fundamentals. “My main angles are class and pace,” said Brandon. And understanding how a race will unfold became critical to his development. “The first thing you have to do when you open the form is figure out what each horse is going to do. You have to know their running styles. How the race is going to set up. If you don’t know that right off the bat, you’re going to be in trouble.”
While many tournament players chase longshots, Brandon often looks for overlays. “I look for value,” he said, and that philosophy served him well on a day when favourites dominated. He had two winners and a number of places among his selections, with his biggest winner being Run Mama Run in the 4th race at Turfway Park, who paid $16.00, $8.80, $5.70 across the board.
“I just made the right plays this time,” said Brandon with characteristic modesty. He typically plays the tournaments from home online. “I really like the Player’s Choice,” he said. “I’ve never seen anything like it. The contest runs flawlessly. Sheri (tournament organizer Sheri Glendinning) is a gem.”
Regarding the prize money? “It’ll go towards some of this Christmas budget that was blown, said Brandon. “I guess it was a great time to win, right!”
Jones Achieves Year-Long Goal
2025 Handicapper of the Year Roger Jones in the ASD Fan Education Booth this fall with one of his many trophies.
While Brandon savoured his December victory, Roger Jones was celebrating an even bigger achievement, the 2025 Handicapper of the Year title that had eluded him. At 54 years old, soon to turn 55 on January 16th, the full-time Winnipeg bus driver with four decades of handicapping experience scored the perfect present.
“My goal has been Handicapper of the Year for a while,” said Roger. “I’ve had the lead a few times over the years. The problem for me is that I’m not that good on the live races at Assiniboia Downs. So I tend to get the lead earlier in the year when Remington is on and then fade out.”
This year was different. The February Player’s Choice win got him started, and the September ASD Handicapping Challenge victory positioned him perfectly for the final stretch. His seven best tournament scores were good enough this time.
“I felt this was my year, so I was determined to try to put it all together,” said Roger. “Every contest I entered, I tried my best to maximize my potential.”
Roger’s favourite races to handicap are quarter horses, and his handicapping methodology emphasizes watching replays and studying pedigrees. “And I like to play horses that are longer odds, maybe providing a little more value. If I like three or four of them, and I can get two of them to come in, that’s better. A lot of my horses run second is what I’m getting at.”
The $3,500 windfall comes with plans already in place.
“Same thing we did last time,” said Roger. “We already made reservations to go to Vegas again.” But you sense the trophy means more than the trip, it’s tangible proof of excellence sustained over an entire year.
Roger made special mention of how Assiniboia Downs honoured one of his horse racing mentors, Brian Gory, and others who passed away this year. “I was really impressed that Assiniboia Downs stood up and did special celebrations for these people, especially Brian Gory, who was a longtime handicapper,” he said.
His praise for Sheri Glendinning’s tournament administration echoed Brandon’s sentiments. “I think Sheri has done an outstanding job with these tournaments,” he said. “And they’re affordable. They offer great value with good prize money. I don’t know why everyone doesn’t enter them.”
A Season of Satisfaction
As Brandon hoists his December trophy and Roger adds his Handicapper of the Year hardware to his collection, both men exemplify what makes tournament handicapping so compelling. Brandon’s focused approach and patient pursuit of value, combined with Jones’s year-long consistency, demonstrate that success in tournament play requires discipline, experience, and the ability to execute when it matters most.
For Barter, it’s a trophy he can finally call his own. For Jones, the Handicapper of the Year title is, well…
The birthday present he always wanted.