Del Mar, California has been a popular stop of late on contest players’ itineraries—what with the Del Mar Fall Classic taking place last weekend and the BCBC the week before that. But there’s yet another reason to venture out to Lindbergh Field…or Jimmy Durante Boulevard if you’re within driving distance. It’s the Surfside Tournaments on December 29-31. Each of the three days offers two NHC seats and $5,500 in cash. And you can win your entry fees to all three days of Surfside right here at HorseTourneys starting on Sunday.
But that’s just a small part of pre-Thanksgiving weekend.
We get things started on Friday with our $6,000 Guaranteed Pick & Pray game with pool-style payouts that could mean a prize pool of as much as $10,000 depending on how many players play. But it will be worth at least $6,000 no matter what. The entry fee is $190, and entries are capped at 60. Contest races are the 7th through 9th at Aqueduct; the 7th through 9th at Woodbine; and the 3rd, 5th, 6th and 7th at Del Mar.
The same races will comprise the schedule for Friday’s $75 NHC qualifier at HorsePlayers.
Two NHC seats (two of at least seven that will be awarded during the weekend) are guaranteed in this low-risk, high-reward game.
Saturday brings with it the first Horse Player World Series full-package qualifier of the 2017-2018 campaign.
It costs $117 to play and one entry per 25 will receive not just a $1,500 entry to the big, three-day competition, but four nights at The Orleans and another $500 for your transportation expenses. Look for these full-package games to be a regular Saturday feature going forward.
Our Saturday Guaranteed cash game takes on a slightly new dimension this week. The entry fee remains at $260, and the purse is guaranteed at a robust $20,000. But the pot could now rise to as much as $30,000 depending on signups. (Entries are capped at 133.) This format doesn’t just increase your potential win…it reduces the chances of a tourney getting sold out before you get around to entering. And, yes, it does protect our “downside” a little bit should entries come up lighter than expected. But do note, that the guarantee remains a significant one–$20,000.
Over at HorsePlayers on Saturday, the third and fourth guaranteed NHC seats of the weekend will be awarded in a “regular” $165 qualifier.
Contest races for this—along with the Saturday HPWS and cash games—are the 7th and 8th at Aqueduct; the 7th through 9th at Laurel; the 1st, 2nd, 6th and 7th at Del Mar; and the 8th through 10th at Woodbine—12 races in all.
Sunday’s “new kid on the block” is the aforementioned Surfside qualifier for $92. One in 15 will win $1,180 in entry fees for the three days at Surfside Race Place. But that is just one of many featured games slated for Sunday.
Our top Sunday cash game will be guaranteed at $12,000 but with a pool-style, “The more that play, the more we pay” provision that could grow the pot to as much as $20,000 ($5,000 more than in past Sundays). It’s a Pick & Pray with an entry fee of $195, and entries are capped at $118.
Sticking with the cash side of things, there’s a $2,500 guaranteed Exacta tourney (you pick a three-horse box in every race) for $72, and the purse could reach $5,000 if the maximum number of entries (79) sign up.
There are three excellent direct qualifying tournaments on Sunday in addition to newcomer Surfside.
There’s an entry-only Horse Player World Series Pick & Pray for $87. One entry in 20 in this Pick & Pray will earn a $1,500 entry to next year’s “major” at The Orleans in Las Vegas.
If you have your sights set on Hawthorne, Sunday is your last chance to qualify for the November 24-25 Hawthorne NHC Super Qualifier. This one costs just $63 to play and one of every 15 entries will earn $800 in Hawthorne entry fees.
And the brand new Gulfstream Park Caribbean Classic Betting Championship is fast approaching (December 9). Sunday’s Pick & Pray will award $2,000 in entry fees to one of every 20 entries.
Over at HorsePlayers, a Sunday staple has become one of those increasingly-popular NHC Super Qualifiers.
It’s $500 to play and one in 21 will move on to Treasure Island in February. This, too, is a Pick & Pray.
It all shapes up as an exciting weekend-before-Thanksgiving weekend. And even more so for the 15 HorseTourneys qualifiers who will be doing battle Saturday at the Aqueduct Challenge. Good luck to them…good luck to you…and keep an eye out for a sumptuous contest menu next week during what many consider to be one of the most fun times of the year.