The big HorseTourneys news of the week is that the winner of this year’s The BIG One will now be eligible for a $500,000 bonus should he or she win the NHC. It’s the second significant bonus announced this year by HorseTourneys. The other was a $10,000 site credit bonus should any HorseTourneys qualifier go on to win the Del Mar Handicapping Challenge. And—sure enough—we have direct qualifiers coming up on Sunday for both The BIG One and the Del Mar Handicapping Challenge.
But there’s a lot more where that came from.
We get started on Friday with our $7,500 Guaranteed Pick & Pray that pays $3,750 to the winner and has prizes down to fifth place. There will be 10 contest races—the 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th from Keeneland; Oaklawn’s 5th, 6th, 8th and 10th; and Santa Anita’s 5th and 6th. The entry fee is $190.
Saturday, it’s Arkansas Derby Day—the last true chance for 3-year-olds to qualify for the Kentucky Derby—and the last chance for you to earn an entry to the April 22 Keeneland Spring Challenge. Entry is just $69 with one in 15 moving on to Lexington.
The most popular tourney of the day is sure to be our 2-seat-guaranteed NHC qualifier right here at HorseTourneys. It costs $165 to play and is a live-format contest, as are most of this weekend’s Saturday/Sunday featured competitions
For cash gamers, we have a $15,000 live-format event with $7,000 to the winner and prizes down to 7th. Contest races for this and the other featured games this day are the 5th, 6th, 7th, 10th and 11th at Oaklawn; the 6th through 9th at Keeneland, and the 5th through 7th at Santa Anita.
Also on Saturday are qualifiers for the Wynn Handicapping Challenge and the Monmouth Pick Your Prize tournament (both carry entry fees of $116) as well as one for the Santa Anita Spring Challenge (just $39).
The clear highlight of the Saturday action at HorsePlayers.com is a 2-seat-guaranteed qualifier to the Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge. Winners receive full $10,000 entries, and if we reach 195 entries we’ll toss in a third seat. The entry fee is $179.
Here’s a visual of the key Saturday action:
The excitement continues on Easter Sunday. A few tracks will be taking the day off but not us! At HorsePlayers, another 2-seat-guaranteed qualifier for the NHC will be offered. Same price point: $165. (Contest races TBA.) Winning this tournament is one sure way to have a Happy Easter.
Back here at HorseTourneys on Sunday, there are the aforementioned qualfiers to The BIG One and the Del Mar Handicapping Challenge. Each tourney will offer one seat guaranteed—regardless of how many or few participate. With the bonuses now in play for both events, you won’t want to miss these two.
Sunday is also your last chance to earn a $3,000 spot (plus dining and $500 travel) in the April 23 Keeneland Grade One Gamble. The entry fee for this live-format event is $162 with one player in 25 garnering a seat.
We also have a $10,000 Guaranteed game, and qualifiers for the Treasure Island Wager to Win tournament on Preakness weekend and the Santa Anita Preakness Challenge (also on Preakness weekend, not surprisingly).
And, of course, Sunday also includes our $1,500 Guaranteed Exacta game with $600 to the winner. Although last Sunday, Bob Ruge won and earned $1,000—because he also finished second, making a true exacta out of our Exacta tourney.
Here’s an at-a-glance look at the featured Sunday games:
We’ll also be offering low-cost feeders for an even more economical way to qualify for some of the above-listed brick-and-mortar events. And don’t forget about the Friday, April 21, combo qualifier at HorsePlayers with one tourney offering the winner(s) entries to BOTH the NHC and BCBC. In one day, you can knock off two of the biggest objectives on any contest player’s to-do list.
Good luck in any and all tourneys you decide to play. And may you all have a delightful holiday weekend.