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Fantasy League Final: Team Welch WINS, Saratoga Slim Finishes LAST
Essential Quality (left) defeats Hot Rod Charlie to win the Belmont Stakes (Credit: NYRA)

Fantasy League Final: Team Welch WINS, Saratoga Slim Finishes LAST

It’s finally over!

After many ups and downs along the way, the 2020-2021 Triple Crown Fantasy League has come to a close. Team Welch prevailed with the championship, becoming the first two-time champion since the league expanded. That’s bad news for Saratoga Slim, who finished last and will be punished with a crazy outfit that he must wear on Saturday at the Breeders’ Cup.

Let’s take a look at the final standing and analysis: 

Final Standings

Ranking TeamScoreCurrent Team Members
1Jared Welch206Highly Motivated, Hot Rod Charlie, Ghazaaly, Donegal Bay, Class Reunion
2Aaron Halterman 191Collaborate, Jackie's Warrior, Parnelli, Whiskey Double, Rombauer
3The Killer Bs160Mandaloun, The Great One, Nova Rags, Lemon Pop, Get Her Number
4Dan Waite and Michael Myers 154Essential Quality, Nicky the Vest, Team Merchants, Wolfie's Dynaghost, Drain the Clock
5Jon White and Ryan Stillman 135Rock Your World, Rebel's Romance, Known Agenda, Concert Tour, Dream Shake
6Real Dynasty106Keepmeinmind, Helium, Soup and Sandwich, Weyburn, Proxy
7Paul "Free Beers" Withrow96Brooklyn Strong, Promise Keeper, Medina Spirit, Triple Tap, Malathaat
8The Magic Mike Show87Prime Factor, Easy Time, Starrininmydreams, Regular Guy, Midnight Bourbon
9Evil Steveil and Austin Elsey 81Classier, Spielberg, Freedom Fighter, Greatest Honour, Manor House
10Mike "Saratoga Slim" Spector 76Speaker's Corner, Caddo River, Savile Row, Risk Taking, Candy Man Rocket

Final Analysis 

1. Jared Welch

  • Highly Motivated – He was a solid first round pick; however, he never won a race.
  • Hot Rod Charlie – This was the star of the team who had an ultra-consistent season.
  • Ghazaaly – He never lived up to the hype of his price tag, only winning 1 race, a maiden at Keeneland.
  • Donegal Bay – Another Pletcher horse who did very little running.
  • Class Reunion – The filly was never close to breaking her maiden.

2. Aaron Halterman

  • Collaborate – This claim was terrible and ultimately cost this team winning the league.
  • Jackie’s Warrior – He didn’t make an impact on the Kentucky Derby Trail, but at least he earned some points sprinting.
  • Parnelli – He sucked all year; however, he did pick up a few points along the way.  
  • Whiskey Double – Another sprinter who earned a few points throughout the season.
  • Rombauer – He’ll go down as one of the best fifth-round picks ever after winning the Preakness Stakes (G1) and finishing third in the Belmont Stakes (G1).

3. The Killer Bs 

  • Mandaloun – They drafted the eventual Kentucky Derby (G1) winner in the first round, which was a great accomplishment. 
  • The Great One – He never could get back to his maiden score after this team claimed him. 
  • Nova Rags – He was ok; however, he just wasn’t good enough to compete with the top horses.
  • Lemom Pop – The Japanese runner never made a start for this team.  
  • Get Her Number – He was never close to winning any of his 3 starts.

4. Dan “Wise Dan” Waite

  • Essential Quality – It’s hard to believe this team owned Essential Quality and didn’t win the league. Truly incredible. 
  • Nicky the Vest – This was the worst claim in league history.
  • Team Merchants – The Doug O’Neill runner never got going.
  • Wolfie’s Dynaghost – Injuries set this horse back and caused him to never make an impact.
  • Drain the Clock – This sprinter turned out to be a pretty solid claim.

5. Jon White/Ryan Stillman 

  • Rock Your World – This claim worked out well in the beginning; however, he was truly awful in the Kentucky Derby (G1) and Belmont Stakes (G1).
  • Rebel’s Romance – He was a poor claim after having a small setback and missing the Belmont Stakes (G1)
  • Known Agenda – Another solid claim early for this team after he won the Florida Derby (G1), he also struggled in the Kentucky Derby (G1) and Belmont Stakes (G1).
  • Concert Tour – He went the opposite direction after a great start to the season.
  • Dream Shake – He went backwards after an amazing maiden special weight debut.  
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6. Real Dynasty

  • Keepmeinmind – This first round pick was never able to win a race; however, he did earn them a decent amount of points.
  • Helium – This sneaky claim ended up being one of the best of the year.
  • Soup and Sandwich – He was also a very good claim for this team.
  • Weyburn – This claim didn’t work out nearly as well, though, as he did little running after his Gotham Stakes (G3) win.
  • Proxy – He was disappointing after a promising beginning to his season.  

7. Paul “Free Beers” Withrow

  • Brooklyn Strong – This first round pick just kept having setbacks, which caused him to never get going.
  • Promise Keeper – This was a good claim; however, he needed him to run in the Belmont Stakes (G1)
  • Medina Spirit – If not for his disqualification in the Kentucky Derby (G1), Paul would have won the league.
  • Triple Tap – He’s become the “milk carton” horse…where is he?
  • Malathaat – Paul tried to get proactive with this claim; however, she decided to skip the Belmont.

8. The Magic Mike Show 

  • Prime Factor – Let’s just say this first round pick didn’t work out very well.
  • Easy Time – This draft pick also did not work out very well.
  • Starrininmydreams – This horse is not very good, but at least he earned this team some valuable points.  
  • Regular Guy – Is he the worst horse in fantasy league history?  
  • Midnight Bourbon – This smart claim kept this team out of last place.  

9. Evil Steveil and Austin Elsey 

  • Classier – This first round pick never even started in a race.
  • Spielberg – His second in the Southwest Stakes (G3) finish ultimately helped keep this team out of last place.
  • Freedom Fighter – He went the opposite direction for this team.
  • Greatest Honour – This was a great claim; however, his injury ended any chance they had of making a run at winning.
  • Manor House – He ran once, was horrific, and was never heard from again.

10. Mike “Saratoga Slim” Spector

  • Speaker’s Corner – This first round pick never started.
  • Caddo River – He started off great but ended up making no impact past January.
  • Savile Row – Another horse who never started in a race for this team.
  • Risk Taking – He had one good moment but never showed he was good enough to compete against decent competition.
  • Candy Man Rocket – This claim caused him to finish last, mainly because in order to get him, Slim dropped Known Agenda – the eventual Florida Derby (G1) winner.

Thanks for following along this year. We’ll be back in December with the 2022 Triple Crown Fantasy League draft!

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