John Shapazian (The Saratoga Special)
One of the five Power Grid handicappers in The Saratoga Special. He finished the 2026 Saratoga meet as its top handicapper by winners.
Our rating in one line: As of 31 Oct 2026, John Shapazian (The Saratoga Special)'s published record shows -23.22% ROI over 463 level-stakes bets (2026 Saratoga meet), self-reported: Performance 41/100. Transparency score: 55/100 (medium transparency).
- Channel
- Racing & sports media
- Outlet / platform
- The Saratoga Special
- Type
- Racing media handicapper
- Country
- US
- Coverage
- US thoroughbred racing
- Price
- Free with the outlet; no paid tipping service found
- Record
- View published record ↗
- First seen
- Not found yet
At a glance
- ROI
- -23.22%
- Settled bets
- 463
- Period
- 2026 Saratoga meet (season wrap published 10 Sep 2026)
- Evidence
- • Self-reported
18+. We are not paid by tipsters listed here.
Performance breakdown
| How the score is built | |
|---|---|
| Raw score (50 + 1.25 × ROI, capped 0–100) | 21.0 |
| Bets that count (self-reported, × ½) | 232 |
| Sample weight = bets that count ÷ (bets that count + 500) | 0.316 |
| Performance score = 50 + (raw − 50) × weight | 41 |
| Published record | |
|---|---|
| Settled bets / selections | 463 |
| Profit / loss | -107.52 $2 win units (1 unit = $2) |
| Level stakes | Yes |
| ROI | -23.22% |
| Odds basis | US pari-mutuel (tote) win payoffs |
| Period | 2026 Saratoga meet (season wrap published 10 Sep 2026) |
| Basis of record | Self-reported (the publication's own tally of its handicappers) |
| Notes | The Saratoga Special's wrap (10 Sep 2026): 128 winners from 463 races (27.6%), −$215.04 on a $2 win bet in every race, so −$215.04 on $926 staked = −23.2%. |
| Source | https://thisishorseracing.com/news/here-there-saratoga-wrap-up/ · checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| Sample size and uncertainty | |
|---|---|
| Settled bets in the record | 463 |
| Approximate 95% range for ROI | -34.5% to -11.9% (published ROI -23.22%) |
| Calculated from | 128 winners from 463 bets, from the record; average winning price 2.78 (decimal) |
| Re-check cadence | Every 7 days; next re-check due 7 Nov 2026. |
The whole range is below break-even.
The range is our own calculation from the published record, not the tipster's figure. Winners are paid at different prices, so the true range is at least this wide. How we calculate it.
50 = break-even. Past results don't predict future returns. How we score Performance.
Transparency score breakdown
The Saratoga Special prints each handicapper's picks on its Power Grid page before racing and publishes a season tally based on a $2 win bet in every race. The individual picks are not published as a downloadable ledger.
| Criterion | Max | Status | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tips published before the off, timestamped | 25 | ✓ Verified | 25 |
| Full record including losers (public ledger or independent tally) | 25 | Not yet verified | 0 |
| Price basis stated (SP, BSP, advised odds) | 15 | ✓ Verified | 15 |
| 500+ settled selections | 15 | ✓ Verified | 15 |
| Approach and staking explained | 10 | Not yet verified | 0 |
| Results downloadable (CSV/API) | 10 | ✗ Not met | 0 |
| Total | 100 | 55 |
Transparency score: how openly a tool or tipster publishes a record you can verify. How we score Transparency · How to raise a transparency score.
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