I just finished sweating the Derby City Classic. Here’s how my ten days at the event went.
Friday, 1/23
Arrived at the Horseshoe at about 8:30 PM. Used the evening to catch up with a couple of friends and saw no pool at all. Went to bed early.
Saturday, 1/24
Saw some of the 10 AM banks round but no matches stood out. Perhaps the performance of the day in banks was when Childress beat the always-dangerous Olinger by 3-0.
Saw Garcia vs Gomez in 10-ball. Gomez appeared to be in control but didn’t play well in the second half of the match and Garcia rallied for the win. Corteza easily dismissed Roberts. I saw the late stages of Labutis vs Montpelier, a blowout in which Labutis barely broke a sweat. In a match where Ussery struggled, Morra’s play up to 6-1 was breathtaking, and he cruised to victory.
I was upset by the absence of a shot clock in the arena, an invitation for extremely slow play that was accepted by nearly all the players. When I checked, I learned that the shot clock would be in use on “Championship Sunday” but not on any other day. The entertainment value of the Derby City Classic, in my opinion, was greatly compromised.
Banks appeared to be nearly through Round 5 by end of day.
Sunday, 1/25
I saw little of the bank pool, but the contenders for the title, with very few exceptions, were all in the mix at day’s end. The key match of the day was Gorst’s convincing win over Thorpe.
One pocket got started, but I saw none of it.
I saw all the 10-ball. Gorst beat Teutscher comfortably and then it was Filler vs Gerson Martinez. Josh looked to be in control at 6-3 ahead, but Martinez play over the next three racks was breathtaking and it was 6-6. Josh ran ahead to 9-6 and appeared to be in control in Rack 16 until a miscue cost him his tactical advantage and Martinez pulled to within 9-7. Two more well-played racks by Martinez brought things to double hill. At double hill, there was a 3-10 combo that had only half a pocket and Martinez opted to take it on. He missed it but fluked the ten into another pocket for the win. The pool gods had smiled upon him, but Gerson had played well.
The finest 10ball of the day was turned in by Roland Garcia, whose play up to 8-4 ahead was mind-blowing. While his level dropped a bit after that, he ran the last two racks for the win over Corteza. The last match was a three hour snoozefest in which Labutis struggled with his position play and John Morra was the steadier of the two for the win.
Monday, 1/26
There were numerous good matches in the banks, but Gorst vs Filler was electrifying. It took a long rack to decide it at double hill and Gorst’s three railer into the corner closed it out. Thirteen were left heading into Tuesday and neither Thorpe nor Lunda was among them. Gorst was clearly the man to beat for the title, but 2024 banks runner-up Justin Hall also looked dangerous.
In the 10-ball, Gorst survived a double hill match with Martinez, who scratched in the case rack to seal his fate. Morra cruised over Garcia. In the final, Gorst led 9-5 but Morra fought back for 9-8. Morra had a look at a runout that would have made it 9-9, but his pattern fell apart and when his safety wasn’t good enough, Fedor ran out to secure the title. The three-hour final without a shot clock was, at times, a yawn-fest.
Tuesday, 1/27
Banks was the main order of the day. Perhaps the best match was Fedor vs Shane, in which the unbeaten Gorst faced the once-defeated SVB. Shane fought hard for a 2-1 lead and the last two racks came down to late rack safety battles in which Gorst prevailed. Filler and Hennessee both fell in Round 12, tying for fourth place. At day’s end, the three left were Hall, Gorst and Woodward.
One pocket was starting to gain some momentum, but I saw none of it. Through the grapevine, I heard that Eric Roberts had a memorable win over Filler.
In a rare move for me, I watched an after-hours action match between SVB and Gomez and the game was K-ball, an offense-only variant of full rack rotation. Shane won in a tight one. The match, and the game of K-ball, were entertaining to watch.
Wednesday. 1/28
Banks played down to two and after Gorst eliminated Woodward, the Sunday final will be Gorst vs Justin Hall.
The 9ball got started and there were no major upsets on my radar. One pocket moved into the meaningful rounds. but it was too early to deem anybody the one to beat. Josh Filler was eliminated in Round 7 by Roland Garcia.
Fedor Gorst’s incredible week continued, as he has won the 10-ball, had not been beaten in banks or one pocket, and would enter Day 7 of the Derby with a perfect record. Wow!
Thursday, 1/29
In one pocket, the favorites began to make their statements. On a truly breathtaking day of one pocket, the biggest shock was the early elimination of Gorst, who lost back-to-back matches against DeMarco and Lunda. This shook the Master of the Table race to its foundation and both SVB and Woodward suddenly had a chance to catch Fedor in the Master of the Table race by reaching the one pocket final.
The fine play of Roland Garcia at this Derby continued. Roland was a 10ball semifinalist and is now among the last few in the one pocket. Just nine remained in one pocket entering Friday.
Incredibly, 9ball was still in Round 3 at Days end and it already looked like Saturday night was going to be a disaster.
Still, the biggest story of the day was that Josh Filler, who won the last two Derby City 9ball events, came down with some illness and did not feel well enough to play his match, so he chose to forfeit, not even appearing.
Friday, 1/30
The one pocket played down to three and SVB drew the coveted bye into the final. Roland Garica was to play Anthony Meglino on Saturday for the other spot in Sunday’s final. The best one pocket match of the day was Roland Garcia’s win over Gerson Martinez. SVB took the lead for Master of the Table.
The evening brought the banks ring game, an entertaining affair. It began with a tribute to recently passed Truman Hogue. Thorpe led much of the way, but once they got down to two, Devin Poteet outplayed him to take it down.
Still, most of the day was 9ball, and the fact that 9ball was in Round 5 at the end of the day had set the table for the worst Saturday in Derby City history.
Saturday, 1/31
I reckoned it would take a miracle to finish by 6:00 AM and that I should be ready for worse.
In the one pocket semi, Garcia topped Meglino to reach Sunday’s final vs SVB.
Filler was still under the weather but managed six wins to stay alive. In one of those wins, he shot a TPA 1.000 against Gorst to eliminate him and thereby end Fedor’s Master of the Table chances.
At 2:00 AM and a few rounds remaining, Diamond called off the remainder of the 9ball, which would continue Sunday. There was little doubt that had they not done so, the session would have gone past sunrise. Fans may now have to miss some 9ball matches if they watch the bank pool and/or the one pocket final, once again devaluing the fan experience, which had little to no priority all week.
The ones remaining at end of day were Meglino, Filler, SVB, Patsura, Pinegar and Teutscher.
Sunday, 2/1
9ball played down to two and the survivors were Filler and Patsura. In the banks final, Hall controlled much of the match, but Fedor kept it close and the match came down to the final ball of the case rack, with Hall prevailing. SVB won the one pocket title comfortably over Roland Garcia. In the 9ball final, Filler jumped out to 8-4, but Patsura rallied to within 8-7. Josh won the last three racks for the title. SVB was Master of the Table
Miscellaneous
The lack of a shot clock on the stream table for the first nine days, to me, almost justified a refund for those that, like me, paid good money for arena seats. With no shot clock, I spent less time in the arena than in any previous year. The “slow play forgiveness” implied by the lack of a shot clock on the stream table came back to bite the event producer and anyone that thinks that it was the bangers holding up the event wasn’t paying attention. For the most part, it was the best players who, invited to play at snail’s pace, did so time and again. Lethargically paced pool is not very entertaining.
Quite a few players, including far too many of the most elite, did not seem to take their appearance very seriously, many of them dressing in a slovenly manner. Let’s hope no potential sponsors were watching.
Socially
My friend Jim (Cue Buddy on AZB) had always said he’d check out the Deby once he retired and he was as good as his word. He and his son Cody, whom I’d met before, spent the first four days of the Derby with me and we had a hoot. Several of my Chicago cronies made it, including Tal, Pete Darlene, and Katie. Made a new friend named Sherine from Florida and I enjoyed sweating quite a few matches with her. Finally, I was glad to have my close friend Kristine there to hang out with periodically.
Was pleased to meet AZBers Icon of Sin and Nature Boy.
I caught up with many pros, but among the top pros, the only ones I had had any real time with were Josh and Pia Filler. Pijus Labutis, and Fedor Gorst.
Summation
It was ten fun days at the Derby and now it is time for me to reset. SVB, very impressively, won Master of the Table, his first in over a decade. Filler and Gorst showed strong form, too, and Filler’s third straight DCC 9ball title stood out as a remarkable achievement. Woodward and Meglino showed strong abilities across all the disciplines. Seeing Justin Hall win his first banner was exciting, too.
Thanks to Diamond and all those who worked hard to make the 2026 Derby City Classic happen.
Friday, 1/23
Arrived at the Horseshoe at about 8:30 PM. Used the evening to catch up with a couple of friends and saw no pool at all. Went to bed early.
Saturday, 1/24
Saw some of the 10 AM banks round but no matches stood out. Perhaps the performance of the day in banks was when Childress beat the always-dangerous Olinger by 3-0.
Saw Garcia vs Gomez in 10-ball. Gomez appeared to be in control but didn’t play well in the second half of the match and Garcia rallied for the win. Corteza easily dismissed Roberts. I saw the late stages of Labutis vs Montpelier, a blowout in which Labutis barely broke a sweat. In a match where Ussery struggled, Morra’s play up to 6-1 was breathtaking, and he cruised to victory.
I was upset by the absence of a shot clock in the arena, an invitation for extremely slow play that was accepted by nearly all the players. When I checked, I learned that the shot clock would be in use on “Championship Sunday” but not on any other day. The entertainment value of the Derby City Classic, in my opinion, was greatly compromised.
Banks appeared to be nearly through Round 5 by end of day.
Sunday, 1/25
I saw little of the bank pool, but the contenders for the title, with very few exceptions, were all in the mix at day’s end. The key match of the day was Gorst’s convincing win over Thorpe.
One pocket got started, but I saw none of it.
I saw all the 10-ball. Gorst beat Teutscher comfortably and then it was Filler vs Gerson Martinez. Josh looked to be in control at 6-3 ahead, but Martinez play over the next three racks was breathtaking and it was 6-6. Josh ran ahead to 9-6 and appeared to be in control in Rack 16 until a miscue cost him his tactical advantage and Martinez pulled to within 9-7. Two more well-played racks by Martinez brought things to double hill. At double hill, there was a 3-10 combo that had only half a pocket and Martinez opted to take it on. He missed it but fluked the ten into another pocket for the win. The pool gods had smiled upon him, but Gerson had played well.
The finest 10ball of the day was turned in by Roland Garcia, whose play up to 8-4 ahead was mind-blowing. While his level dropped a bit after that, he ran the last two racks for the win over Corteza. The last match was a three hour snoozefest in which Labutis struggled with his position play and John Morra was the steadier of the two for the win.
Monday, 1/26
There were numerous good matches in the banks, but Gorst vs Filler was electrifying. It took a long rack to decide it at double hill and Gorst’s three railer into the corner closed it out. Thirteen were left heading into Tuesday and neither Thorpe nor Lunda was among them. Gorst was clearly the man to beat for the title, but 2024 banks runner-up Justin Hall also looked dangerous.
In the 10-ball, Gorst survived a double hill match with Martinez, who scratched in the case rack to seal his fate. Morra cruised over Garcia. In the final, Gorst led 9-5 but Morra fought back for 9-8. Morra had a look at a runout that would have made it 9-9, but his pattern fell apart and when his safety wasn’t good enough, Fedor ran out to secure the title. The three-hour final without a shot clock was, at times, a yawn-fest.
Tuesday, 1/27
Banks was the main order of the day. Perhaps the best match was Fedor vs Shane, in which the unbeaten Gorst faced the once-defeated SVB. Shane fought hard for a 2-1 lead and the last two racks came down to late rack safety battles in which Gorst prevailed. Filler and Hennessee both fell in Round 12, tying for fourth place. At day’s end, the three left were Hall, Gorst and Woodward.
One pocket was starting to gain some momentum, but I saw none of it. Through the grapevine, I heard that Eric Roberts had a memorable win over Filler.
In a rare move for me, I watched an after-hours action match between SVB and Gomez and the game was K-ball, an offense-only variant of full rack rotation. Shane won in a tight one. The match, and the game of K-ball, were entertaining to watch.
Wednesday. 1/28
Banks played down to two and after Gorst eliminated Woodward, the Sunday final will be Gorst vs Justin Hall.
The 9ball got started and there were no major upsets on my radar. One pocket moved into the meaningful rounds. but it was too early to deem anybody the one to beat. Josh Filler was eliminated in Round 7 by Roland Garcia.
Fedor Gorst’s incredible week continued, as he has won the 10-ball, had not been beaten in banks or one pocket, and would enter Day 7 of the Derby with a perfect record. Wow!
Thursday, 1/29
In one pocket, the favorites began to make their statements. On a truly breathtaking day of one pocket, the biggest shock was the early elimination of Gorst, who lost back-to-back matches against DeMarco and Lunda. This shook the Master of the Table race to its foundation and both SVB and Woodward suddenly had a chance to catch Fedor in the Master of the Table race by reaching the one pocket final.
The fine play of Roland Garcia at this Derby continued. Roland was a 10ball semifinalist and is now among the last few in the one pocket. Just nine remained in one pocket entering Friday.
Incredibly, 9ball was still in Round 3 at Days end and it already looked like Saturday night was going to be a disaster.
Still, the biggest story of the day was that Josh Filler, who won the last two Derby City 9ball events, came down with some illness and did not feel well enough to play his match, so he chose to forfeit, not even appearing.
Friday, 1/30
The one pocket played down to three and SVB drew the coveted bye into the final. Roland Garica was to play Anthony Meglino on Saturday for the other spot in Sunday’s final. The best one pocket match of the day was Roland Garcia’s win over Gerson Martinez. SVB took the lead for Master of the Table.
The evening brought the banks ring game, an entertaining affair. It began with a tribute to recently passed Truman Hogue. Thorpe led much of the way, but once they got down to two, Devin Poteet outplayed him to take it down.
Still, most of the day was 9ball, and the fact that 9ball was in Round 5 at the end of the day had set the table for the worst Saturday in Derby City history.
Saturday, 1/31
I reckoned it would take a miracle to finish by 6:00 AM and that I should be ready for worse.
In the one pocket semi, Garcia topped Meglino to reach Sunday’s final vs SVB.
Filler was still under the weather but managed six wins to stay alive. In one of those wins, he shot a TPA 1.000 against Gorst to eliminate him and thereby end Fedor’s Master of the Table chances.
At 2:00 AM and a few rounds remaining, Diamond called off the remainder of the 9ball, which would continue Sunday. There was little doubt that had they not done so, the session would have gone past sunrise. Fans may now have to miss some 9ball matches if they watch the bank pool and/or the one pocket final, once again devaluing the fan experience, which had little to no priority all week.
The ones remaining at end of day were Meglino, Filler, SVB, Patsura, Pinegar and Teutscher.
Sunday, 2/1
9ball played down to two and the survivors were Filler and Patsura. In the banks final, Hall controlled much of the match, but Fedor kept it close and the match came down to the final ball of the case rack, with Hall prevailing. SVB won the one pocket title comfortably over Roland Garcia. In the 9ball final, Filler jumped out to 8-4, but Patsura rallied to within 8-7. Josh won the last three racks for the title. SVB was Master of the Table
Miscellaneous
The lack of a shot clock on the stream table for the first nine days, to me, almost justified a refund for those that, like me, paid good money for arena seats. With no shot clock, I spent less time in the arena than in any previous year. The “slow play forgiveness” implied by the lack of a shot clock on the stream table came back to bite the event producer and anyone that thinks that it was the bangers holding up the event wasn’t paying attention. For the most part, it was the best players who, invited to play at snail’s pace, did so time and again. Lethargically paced pool is not very entertaining.
Quite a few players, including far too many of the most elite, did not seem to take their appearance very seriously, many of them dressing in a slovenly manner. Let’s hope no potential sponsors were watching.
Socially
My friend Jim (Cue Buddy on AZB) had always said he’d check out the Deby once he retired and he was as good as his word. He and his son Cody, whom I’d met before, spent the first four days of the Derby with me and we had a hoot. Several of my Chicago cronies made it, including Tal, Pete Darlene, and Katie. Made a new friend named Sherine from Florida and I enjoyed sweating quite a few matches with her. Finally, I was glad to have my close friend Kristine there to hang out with periodically.
Was pleased to meet AZBers Icon of Sin and Nature Boy.
I caught up with many pros, but among the top pros, the only ones I had had any real time with were Josh and Pia Filler. Pijus Labutis, and Fedor Gorst.
Summation
It was ten fun days at the Derby and now it is time for me to reset. SVB, very impressively, won Master of the Table, his first in over a decade. Filler and Gorst showed strong form, too, and Filler’s third straight DCC 9ball title stood out as a remarkable achievement. Woodward and Meglino showed strong abilities across all the disciplines. Seeing Justin Hall win his first banner was exciting, too.
Thanks to Diamond and all those who worked hard to make the 2026 Derby City Classic happen.
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