Q&A with Trey Stiles

Name:
David (Trey) M Stiles III

Hometown:
Born in Beaumont. Live in Houston.

Occupation:
Attorney

Do you have any children? Pets?

Two adult children. David IV just finished his first year of law school at Texas A&M. Joseph is a junior in the business school at Texas A&M. Yes, this longhorn has two Aggie kids.

What was the first contest you played in and when? Not sure. In 2001, the year before my first NHC qualification, I played in an NHC qualifier at Sam Houston Race Park. I just missed qualifying and the close result prompted me to keep trying.

What do you like most about handicapping contests?

I am not sure why I like contests so much but I prefer playing them over a regular day at the track. I seem to do better with the combination of handicapping and contest strategy.

What is your favorite racetrack?

Sam Houston Race Park (I have to say that), Saratoga and Santa Anita.

How did you get interested in handicapping contests?

I was lucky to have early success qualifying for the NHC my first few years on minimal attempts. Once I got to Vegas for the first time I was hooked.

When and where did you qualify for the 2023 NHC?

I am double qualified with both online on horseplayers.

Tell us about the day you qualified.

I played a Friday pick and pray on horseplayers so there was no strategy after the first race. After six races I had $0. I hit the last four winners to finish first out of 628 entries. I was driving to Shrp during rush hour the last four races to do SHRPe Time pre race show as the rally occurred. I kept pulling over to watch the last races on my phone. I was almost late and excited when I finally made it there!

What is your favorite restaurant in Las Vegas?

Bonito Michoacan Mexican Restaurant.

What do you like best about the NHC?

The players.

What are your ideas to improve the NHC?

Mostly keep it like it is. Mythical $$! Keep the little guy on a level playing field. The Tour scoring needs to change. Why are points capped at 300 entries? This makes no sense. Beating 301, 500, 1,000…so on…should get more points. Why are free contests capped at 1,000? This is where new/low budget players start. The NTRA should encourage, not discourage, this potential market and hopefully turn them into experienced/higher budget players.

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