The BIG One just got bigger.
HorseTourneys announced today that it will pay a $500,000 bonus to the winner of the 2017 The BIG One should that player go on to finish first in the 2018 National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) Presented by RTN, Stats Race Lens and Treasure Island. And we’re not talking about an annuity. The bonus would be paid in a lump sum of $500,000.
The BIG One, to be held September 23-24 at Laurel Park in Laurel, Md., is a high-end, live-bankroll handicapping tournament expected to offer a total of $485,000 in cash and prizes, including eight full Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge entries; ten seats to the February 9-11, 2018, NHC; and ten entries to the 2018 Horse Player World Series. Entries to The BIG One are capped at a maximum of just 57, making the event one of the most lucrative on the contest calendar. Fourteen players have won entries to The BIG One thus far this year. Those 14 are eligible for the $500,000 bonus as well as those who make the field between now and September 23.
“The BIG One is designed as a ‘high-expectation’ event where every player walks in with a very realistic chance of winning a significant prize,” said HorseTourneys.com President McKay Smith. “This bonus further enhances The BIG One’s aggressive payout structure and would create a total payout of at least $1.3 million should our champion at Laurel in September go on to win the NHC.”
Online qualifying tournaments for the 2017 The BIG One are offered each week exclusively at HorseTourneys, with low-cost feeders also available for an entry fee of just $19.00. The next scheduled qualifier for The BIG One is slated for this Sunday, April 9.