Just experienced ten great days at the Derby. Here is what it was like to be there.
Day 1, Fri, 1/17
Got to the hotel by 5:00 PM. After claiming my credentials, I began to greet friends inside and outside the arena. I sweated the Filler vs DeLuna 10ball match and then saw Chinahov vs Morra.
Day 2, Sat, 1/18
I got to the arena at 10:45. I watched bank pool, including Morra’s nice escape after losing the first two racks. The next round of banks ran concurrent to the 10ball match between SVB and Martinez, which I watched with one eye on the monitor. With fine play, Martinez ran up to an 8-5 lead, but Shane won the next two and had a good look at a runout to tie the match at 8-8. When he failed to get out, it ended his chances.
In banks, Gorst and Filler were on adjacent tables, and each advanced easily. I only saw some of the Neuhausen vs Styer 10 ball match, but Neuhausen advanced. In the evening, all I watched was 10ball, which offered two master-class efforts from Labutis, who beat Gorst and Pagulayan, who looked like the Alex of old in dismissing Patsura.
Day 3, Sun, 1/19
Gomez produced a solid 10ball win against Corteza. Next, Filler played lights out to top Chinahov. I missed Martinez over Neuhausen but returned to watch a good battle between Pagulayan and Labutis. The play was even up to 6-6, but the play of Labutis down the stretch was fantastic and Alex missed an 8-10 combo that I felt was 75%, so Labutis advanced.
Before bed, I sweated bank pool between Gorst and DeRuyter, which went double hill before Fedor played well to close it out. For the most part, favorites were cruising in bank pool, with Gorst, Chohan, Thorpe, Murphy, Woodward, Morra, and Lunda still undefeated, while Filler and Pinegar had already used up their buybacks. One pocket began, but I saw none.
Day 4, Mon, 1/20
Monday is moving day in the banks and the day on which the 10ball title is awarded. I saw some bank pool early, then watched Filler’s victory over Gomez in 10ball and then watched Filler beating Morra in the banks, but Fedor then beat Josh to eliminate him in Round 9. It was clear that this result gave Fedor an early boost in the Master of the Table race.
Labutis was too much for Martinez in the second 10ball semi. I saw Chohan beat Thorpe in banks and, after dinner, it was time for the 10ball final. Labutis outplayed Filler for fourteen racks, but found himself tied at 7-7. Although Labutis scratched on his next two breaks, Josh did not win either rack, and it spelt the end of his chances, with Labutis a deserving champion. After bronze at the International and the Bigfoot title at the Derby, Labutis is on the rise.
Day 5, Tue, 1/21
I missed banks round 11 but saw some of the one-pocket. The best match I saw was Bustamante vs Krause. At 1-1, rack 3 reached 7-7 when Bustamante secured it for a 2-1 lead. Krause played well to capture rack 4 and had a brilliant runout at 2-2 to win the match. The evening was all banks. SVB, Thorpe and Krause were eliminated in Round 12. In round 13, Shannon Murphy was beaten, leaving him in fourth place. Woodward lost the semifinal to Gorst, who earned a spot in the bank pool final against Chohan.
Day 6, Wed, 1/22
The 9ball began and I saw the match between Neuhausen and Corteza. Moritz had lost twice to Corteza at Turning Stone just a week earlier. With near perfect play, Lee raced ahead for a 7-2 lead, but Neuhausen’s play in the remainder of the match was incredible. Lee never even attempted another shot, as Moritz completed every runout and got every safety right for the 9-7 victory. I then saw a fantastic one pocket match between Lunda and Filler, and both played well, with the match coming down to the last few balls of the double hill rack, with Lunda executing at a brilliant level to close out the match. The 9ball event was in Round 1 at the end of the day.
Day 7, Thu, 1/23
My day began with Kristina Tkach’s Round 1 9ball match, which she won easily. I then checked out two one pocket matches in Round 8. Fedor took care of Patsura easily. Filler, on the other hand, had a very stiff test against Yerry Calderon, who led 1-0 and 7 to -1 in Rack 2. Filler then tried a tough two railer and pulled it off, followed by nine and out, tying things at 1-1. Josh went on to win. In the afternoon, Gorst and Filler staged a classic which came down to the last few balls of the double hill rack and Fedor prevailed. One pocket played down to three after Gorst eliminated Shuff, who finished fourth. Undefeated SVB was scheduled to play Gorst Friday to earn a spot in the final, with Krause waiting in the wings.
Day 8, Fri, 1/24
In one pocket, Gorst beat SVB, leaving himself, SVB and Krause with a loss. Fedor drew the bye into the final. SVB and Krause met for the other spot in the final. The breaker lost each of the first four games to bring the match to double hill. With SVB having a clear positional advantage, Krause took a flier on a table length kick combo and his miss sold out the match, with SVB advancing to the final, where he was to meet Gorst. 9ball continued all day long and appeared to be adhering to the schedule, and it seemed that starting Round 5 well before Round 4 had finished was a stroke of genius that really got things on track. Round 6 was still playing at days end.
Most of the favorites in the 9ball were cruising, but Krause and SVB each came from well behind to stay undefeated. It was a very good day for the Fillers, as Josh and Pia both finished their day undefeated going into Round 7.
Woodward sizzled in the banks ring game, running eight at one point to easily beat out Billy Thorpe for the title.
Day 9, Sat, 1/25
Day 9 of the Derby City Classic is a wild one, with 9ball the only game contested, and the prospect of play going late looming large. It was a day in which the favorites hung around. Filler lost to Can Salim and was in danger of being eliminated by Neuhausen, whose play was brilliant, but Josh dug his way out of a 5-2 hole and survived. SVB was cruising, until Filler beat him in Round 12. Gorst was playing well, but back-to-back losses to Pagulayan and Filler eliminated him. Even though Filler turned in two different TPA 1.000 matches (vs Krause and SVB), Pagulayan was surely the story of the day, winning over some super-tough opponents and earning a place in the final. Gorst and Filler matched up for the other spot, and Filler jumped out to 6-1 when Gorst, surprisingly, opted to concede the match. Finally, Kudos to Pia Filler, who reached Round 10 and ended up tied for 10th place. Play went a bit past 3:00 AM, held up significantly by the lack of a shot clock on the TV table in some later rounds. The entire crew had already gone to sleep well before those rounds and all in attendance paid a price for it. Still, there was enough time to get a good night’s sleep before the Sunday banks final.
Day 10, Sun, 1/26
The first Championship Sunday at the Derby had arrived. The finish line was near and the best was yet to come. In the bank pool final, the 3-0 final score belied how well the match was played tactically by both Chohan and Gorst, but Gorst was the deserving winner. In the one pocket final, Gorst was superb in dismissing SVB 3-1. The 9ball final was competitive as Pagulayan played well to keep it close most of the way, but Filler prevailed with a great performance, 9-6, including a long bank of the nine ball to close out the match.
Socially
For the first seven days of the Derby, I had some close friends from Chicago with me in Tal, Katie and Darlene, and thanks to each for making sure I always had fun inside and outside of the arena. For Katie, this Derby was her first pro pool event attended, and her incredible level of enthusiasm was something I never saw coming. Pro pool may have a new groupie!
It was great to spend quality time catching up with many of my friends from the world of pro pool, but especially, Josh and Pia Filler, Pijus Labutis, Moritz Neuhausen, John Francisco, Francesco Candela, Mickey Krause, Fedor Gorst, Kristina Tkach, Demetrius Jelatis and Elliot Sanderson. I was also pleased to catch up briefly with some other friends, including Nick Varner, Mark Wilson, Scott Frost, and Jerry Briesath. Also caught up at length with AZBers Kentucky Rack Man, Fatboy and my good friend Tony, who lurks but does not post.
The Host Hotel
I am not very keen on the Horseshoe, but the convenience of staying there is something I cannot pass up. As my friends from Chicago had driven there, I had access to a car for most of the Derby, so I ate a few meals out. I never did get into the steak house at the Horseshoe and most restaurants in the food court were closed for the length of my stay. On the bright side, the Pizza place in the food court was open at the weekend, and the pizza was tasty.
The Biggest Takeaways
Here we go: 1) Fedor Gorst is amazing, having now won three of the last four Master of the Table trophies, 2) Pijus Labutis, Mickey Krause and Moritz Neuhausen are showing sustainable excellence and are ones to watch, 3) Gerson Martinez shows positive development, 4) Filler is still a killer, with the 9ball title and a second in the 10ball. 5) the schedule was usually maintained, which made this the best Derby City Classic since 2020, and 6) Championship Sunday was electrifying, a total triumph in the eyes of this fan.
All at Diamond can take a deep bow for a job well done. Thanks for a great time!
Day 1, Fri, 1/17
Got to the hotel by 5:00 PM. After claiming my credentials, I began to greet friends inside and outside the arena. I sweated the Filler vs DeLuna 10ball match and then saw Chinahov vs Morra.
Day 2, Sat, 1/18
I got to the arena at 10:45. I watched bank pool, including Morra’s nice escape after losing the first two racks. The next round of banks ran concurrent to the 10ball match between SVB and Martinez, which I watched with one eye on the monitor. With fine play, Martinez ran up to an 8-5 lead, but Shane won the next two and had a good look at a runout to tie the match at 8-8. When he failed to get out, it ended his chances.
In banks, Gorst and Filler were on adjacent tables, and each advanced easily. I only saw some of the Neuhausen vs Styer 10 ball match, but Neuhausen advanced. In the evening, all I watched was 10ball, which offered two master-class efforts from Labutis, who beat Gorst and Pagulayan, who looked like the Alex of old in dismissing Patsura.
Day 3, Sun, 1/19
Gomez produced a solid 10ball win against Corteza. Next, Filler played lights out to top Chinahov. I missed Martinez over Neuhausen but returned to watch a good battle between Pagulayan and Labutis. The play was even up to 6-6, but the play of Labutis down the stretch was fantastic and Alex missed an 8-10 combo that I felt was 75%, so Labutis advanced.
Before bed, I sweated bank pool between Gorst and DeRuyter, which went double hill before Fedor played well to close it out. For the most part, favorites were cruising in bank pool, with Gorst, Chohan, Thorpe, Murphy, Woodward, Morra, and Lunda still undefeated, while Filler and Pinegar had already used up their buybacks. One pocket began, but I saw none.
Day 4, Mon, 1/20
Monday is moving day in the banks and the day on which the 10ball title is awarded. I saw some bank pool early, then watched Filler’s victory over Gomez in 10ball and then watched Filler beating Morra in the banks, but Fedor then beat Josh to eliminate him in Round 9. It was clear that this result gave Fedor an early boost in the Master of the Table race.
Labutis was too much for Martinez in the second 10ball semi. I saw Chohan beat Thorpe in banks and, after dinner, it was time for the 10ball final. Labutis outplayed Filler for fourteen racks, but found himself tied at 7-7. Although Labutis scratched on his next two breaks, Josh did not win either rack, and it spelt the end of his chances, with Labutis a deserving champion. After bronze at the International and the Bigfoot title at the Derby, Labutis is on the rise.
Day 5, Tue, 1/21
I missed banks round 11 but saw some of the one-pocket. The best match I saw was Bustamante vs Krause. At 1-1, rack 3 reached 7-7 when Bustamante secured it for a 2-1 lead. Krause played well to capture rack 4 and had a brilliant runout at 2-2 to win the match. The evening was all banks. SVB, Thorpe and Krause were eliminated in Round 12. In round 13, Shannon Murphy was beaten, leaving him in fourth place. Woodward lost the semifinal to Gorst, who earned a spot in the bank pool final against Chohan.
Day 6, Wed, 1/22
The 9ball began and I saw the match between Neuhausen and Corteza. Moritz had lost twice to Corteza at Turning Stone just a week earlier. With near perfect play, Lee raced ahead for a 7-2 lead, but Neuhausen’s play in the remainder of the match was incredible. Lee never even attempted another shot, as Moritz completed every runout and got every safety right for the 9-7 victory. I then saw a fantastic one pocket match between Lunda and Filler, and both played well, with the match coming down to the last few balls of the double hill rack, with Lunda executing at a brilliant level to close out the match. The 9ball event was in Round 1 at the end of the day.
Day 7, Thu, 1/23
My day began with Kristina Tkach’s Round 1 9ball match, which she won easily. I then checked out two one pocket matches in Round 8. Fedor took care of Patsura easily. Filler, on the other hand, had a very stiff test against Yerry Calderon, who led 1-0 and 7 to -1 in Rack 2. Filler then tried a tough two railer and pulled it off, followed by nine and out, tying things at 1-1. Josh went on to win. In the afternoon, Gorst and Filler staged a classic which came down to the last few balls of the double hill rack and Fedor prevailed. One pocket played down to three after Gorst eliminated Shuff, who finished fourth. Undefeated SVB was scheduled to play Gorst Friday to earn a spot in the final, with Krause waiting in the wings.
Day 8, Fri, 1/24
In one pocket, Gorst beat SVB, leaving himself, SVB and Krause with a loss. Fedor drew the bye into the final. SVB and Krause met for the other spot in the final. The breaker lost each of the first four games to bring the match to double hill. With SVB having a clear positional advantage, Krause took a flier on a table length kick combo and his miss sold out the match, with SVB advancing to the final, where he was to meet Gorst. 9ball continued all day long and appeared to be adhering to the schedule, and it seemed that starting Round 5 well before Round 4 had finished was a stroke of genius that really got things on track. Round 6 was still playing at days end.
Most of the favorites in the 9ball were cruising, but Krause and SVB each came from well behind to stay undefeated. It was a very good day for the Fillers, as Josh and Pia both finished their day undefeated going into Round 7.
Woodward sizzled in the banks ring game, running eight at one point to easily beat out Billy Thorpe for the title.
Day 9, Sat, 1/25
Day 9 of the Derby City Classic is a wild one, with 9ball the only game contested, and the prospect of play going late looming large. It was a day in which the favorites hung around. Filler lost to Can Salim and was in danger of being eliminated by Neuhausen, whose play was brilliant, but Josh dug his way out of a 5-2 hole and survived. SVB was cruising, until Filler beat him in Round 12. Gorst was playing well, but back-to-back losses to Pagulayan and Filler eliminated him. Even though Filler turned in two different TPA 1.000 matches (vs Krause and SVB), Pagulayan was surely the story of the day, winning over some super-tough opponents and earning a place in the final. Gorst and Filler matched up for the other spot, and Filler jumped out to 6-1 when Gorst, surprisingly, opted to concede the match. Finally, Kudos to Pia Filler, who reached Round 10 and ended up tied for 10th place. Play went a bit past 3:00 AM, held up significantly by the lack of a shot clock on the TV table in some later rounds. The entire crew had already gone to sleep well before those rounds and all in attendance paid a price for it. Still, there was enough time to get a good night’s sleep before the Sunday banks final.
Day 10, Sun, 1/26
The first Championship Sunday at the Derby had arrived. The finish line was near and the best was yet to come. In the bank pool final, the 3-0 final score belied how well the match was played tactically by both Chohan and Gorst, but Gorst was the deserving winner. In the one pocket final, Gorst was superb in dismissing SVB 3-1. The 9ball final was competitive as Pagulayan played well to keep it close most of the way, but Filler prevailed with a great performance, 9-6, including a long bank of the nine ball to close out the match.
Socially
For the first seven days of the Derby, I had some close friends from Chicago with me in Tal, Katie and Darlene, and thanks to each for making sure I always had fun inside and outside of the arena. For Katie, this Derby was her first pro pool event attended, and her incredible level of enthusiasm was something I never saw coming. Pro pool may have a new groupie!
It was great to spend quality time catching up with many of my friends from the world of pro pool, but especially, Josh and Pia Filler, Pijus Labutis, Moritz Neuhausen, John Francisco, Francesco Candela, Mickey Krause, Fedor Gorst, Kristina Tkach, Demetrius Jelatis and Elliot Sanderson. I was also pleased to catch up briefly with some other friends, including Nick Varner, Mark Wilson, Scott Frost, and Jerry Briesath. Also caught up at length with AZBers Kentucky Rack Man, Fatboy and my good friend Tony, who lurks but does not post.
The Host Hotel
I am not very keen on the Horseshoe, but the convenience of staying there is something I cannot pass up. As my friends from Chicago had driven there, I had access to a car for most of the Derby, so I ate a few meals out. I never did get into the steak house at the Horseshoe and most restaurants in the food court were closed for the length of my stay. On the bright side, the Pizza place in the food court was open at the weekend, and the pizza was tasty.
The Biggest Takeaways
Here we go: 1) Fedor Gorst is amazing, having now won three of the last four Master of the Table trophies, 2) Pijus Labutis, Mickey Krause and Moritz Neuhausen are showing sustainable excellence and are ones to watch, 3) Gerson Martinez shows positive development, 4) Filler is still a killer, with the 9ball title and a second in the 10ball. 5) the schedule was usually maintained, which made this the best Derby City Classic since 2020, and 6) Championship Sunday was electrifying, a total triumph in the eyes of this fan.
All at Diamond can take a deep bow for a job well done. Thanks for a great time!
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