Labor Day Weekend brings September on in style at HorseTourneys and HorsePlayers. It’s our last opportunity of the year to play Saratoga and Del Mar—which is kind of sad. But parting can be such sweet sorrow when $60,000 and at least 18 seats to top onsite tourneys are up for grabs.
We start things out on Friday with a $6,000 Guaranteed Pick & Pray with pool-style payoffs that could allow the pot to go as high as $10,000 depending on how many people sign up.
These have been averaging total purses of about $7,400 thus far, but as you know…the more that play, the more we pay. Contest races are the last three from Saratoga, races 5-8 from Woodbine and the first three from Del Mar.
Using the same races, we’ll also offer our first of three Horse Player World Series qualifiers during the holiday weekend. Like the other two, this one will offer a $1,500 entry per every 20 entrants. Fee to play is $87.
Saturday is an extra special day–not just because we host our richest tourney of the weekend, a $25,000 Guaranteed game (live format) with $12,500 to the winner and prizes down to 8th place–but also because Kentucky Downs with its big fields and huge purses enters the mix.
Also on tap is an NHC “Lower Ratio” qualifier for $240 with one in 45 punching a ticket to Treasure Island next February. This, too, is a live-format game—as are most of the Saturday/Sunday contests.
If you can’t wait until February for a Vegas fix, try our Orleans Fall Classic qualifier for just $58. One in 10 will earn a $500 entry to the October competition. Contest races for the Saturday featured races at HorseTourneys are the 7th, 8th, 9th and 12th from Saratoga (we’re skipping the 5-horse field races); the first four from Del Mar and the 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th from Kentucky Downs–12 races in all.
Here’s a visual of the Saturday featured offerings:
And we also have three key tournaments at HorsePlayers on Saturday:
Sure to be the most highly subscribed is the final NHC Free qualifier of 2017. The top five finishers will all win NHC berths. Of course, you must be a 2017 NHC Tour member to participate in this Pick & Pray.
There is also a pair of BCBC Pick & Prays at HorsePlayers on Saturday. One is for the customary entry fee of $179 with one entry guaranteed and one per 65 winning a $10,000 entry. The other is a “Low Ratio” BCBC qualifier. This one costs $500, with one in 23 earning the rich contest entry for the 2017 Breeders’ Cup weekend in November.
Highways will have the most traffic on Monday, but our sites will be busiest on Sunday with 10 featured tournaments.
Sunday will mark your first chance to qualify for the Del Mar Fall Classic on November 11-12. You can play this live format contest for $236 with one in 25 winning a $4,500 entry plus $500 for travel.
Another rich Sunday offering is our qualifier to the Pegasus World Cup Betting Championship in late January. One in 30 entries (at $480 each) will earn an entry to this very high-end, live-bankroll competition at Gulfstream Park the weekend before the Super Bowl.
Gulfstream is also hosting the Pick Your Spot Tournament at the end of September. You can qualify for it here on Sunday for just $116.
Another live-format Sunday tilt is our qualifier for the popular Santa Anita Autumn Championship. This one costs $255 to play and one in 25 will win a package to Arcadia to take part.
Speaking of prestigious autumn tracks, Keeneland will be hosting its Keeneland NHC/BCBC Challenge on October 15. Clay Sanders has won our last two qualifiers for this event. Will he win again? Will he even try again? Sign up Sunday and find out.
September 16 is not that far off. That’s the date of the Woodbine Mile and—from a contest player’s perspective—the Woodbine Mile Handicapping Tournament. Our Sunday qualifier offers winners (one per each 25 entries) a $3,500 (Canadian) buy-in and a $500 (U.S.) travel stipend. It’s $148 (U.S.!) to play.
Horse Player World Series qualifier #2 of the weekend is Sunday. And so are our customary Sunday cash games. The richest one on Sunday is our (now) $15,000 Guaranteed game with $7,000 to the winner and payouts down to 7th. Entry is $195 with a limit of 86 entries.
Our Sunday Exacta game takes on a new twist this week. It will be guaranteed at $2,500 but could offer as much as $5,000 depending on how many participate. Entry fees for this Sunday staple remain at just $72.
And over at HorsePlayers on Sunday, there’s a good old-fashioned NHC qualifier…
…for $165. Note that this one is a Pick & Pray. Two seats are guaranteed to be awarded regardless of participation.
The weekend (the summer?) winds to a close on Monday. If you’re depressed about any of that, then lose yourself in one of five big Monday contests.
Cash game specialists will like the day’s $10,000 Guaranteed Pick & Pray for $195 with $5,000 to the winner.
Fans of major-event qualifiers will want to play this special Monday edition of The BIG One qualifer. Only a handful of spots remain for this Sept. 23-24 tourney that offers BCBC, NHC and HPWS seats galore (plus a lot of cash). Remember that there will be no more than 57 in the final field for The BIG One at Laurel, and packages are all-inclusive.
And as some may have guessed by now, yes, Monday is the day of our third Horse Player World Series entry-only qualifier of the long weekend. Again, $87 to participate.
At HorsePlayers on Labor Day, you can choose your ratio—low or high.
The BCBC Low Ratio qualifier will offer a $10,000 prize to one in 26 entries for a buy-in of $5,000 (up to three consolation prizes will also be offered). One BCBC entry is guaranteed
Or you could say “Ratios be damned, I want to play cheaply!” and take part in Monday’s $50 NHC qualifier. Two NHC berths are guaranteed in this budget-friendly game.
We hope the only labor you are engaged in this weekend is a labor of love—namely, tournament play. (Heck, it’s a labor of love for us and we’re not even playing!) We do hope that—no matter what you do this weekend—you spend your time enjoyably and safely. Good luck to all.