Some people just go to church on Christmas and Easter, but we here at HorseTourneys surround ourselves in prayer on a regular basis…at least every other weekend! This weekend happens to be one of those Pick & Pray weekends—which could leave you more time for some holiday shopping. If nothing else, it will relieve you from worrying about whether you should change your picks as the horses are about to enter the starting gate. We have 24 featured tourneys this weekend—all but four of them of the “set it and forget it” variety.
The featured picking and praying begins on Friday.
There are six guaranteed NHC spots on offer this weekend, and the first two of them come in a $75 Pick & Pray at HorsePlayers. Winning this event would be the answer to a lot of people’s prayers, and not just those still needing another “Bally’s Berth”…a lot of NHC Tour points will be on the line too.
Five featured events are on the Friday schedule here at HorseTourneys.
New to the Friday slate is a qualifier to the February 29-March 1, Flo-Cal Faceoff. The Faceoff is a $100,000 guaranteed online event here, though it’s a “No Limit” tourney, so the final pot could potentially exceed $100,000. On Friday, you have your first of two weekend opportunities (see Sunday too) to earn a $1,500 entry to the Faceoff, which will feature full-card racing from Gulfstream and Santa Anita during Fountain of Youth weekend. Sunday’s qualifier will carry an $86 entry fee. The winning ratio is 1 in 20.
There are also two chances this weekend to win a $6,500 package to the Pegasus World Cup Betting Challenge on January 25th. The entry fee for this high-end Pick & Pray is $384. One per 20 will punch his or her ticket to the Pegasus.
Two chances also exist this weekend in which to win a spot to the NHC Last Chance Tournament on February 6 at Bally’s Las Vegas. One of every 10 entries will earn a $500 entry. Please note…should you win an entry to this tournament and later earn an actual 2020 NHC seat prior to February 6, you have the option of keeping the entry, trading it in for $500 in HorseTourneys credit or transferring the entry to another player. Please note that the deadline for making such a decision is February 1.
Players have not one, not two but three weekend shots at the Horse Player World Series. The first, of course, is Friday. This one is an entry-only Pick & Pray with an entry fee of $89, and the winning ratio is 1 per 20. Winners get a $1,500 entry to one of the oldest, most storied handicapping contests anywhere.
Last but far from least on Friday is our up-to-$15,000 Pick & Pray with $7,500 certain. An entry fee of $190 gets you in the door. By order of the Fire Marshal, capacity is limited to 90.
Contest races for Friday (for all six features at HP/HT) are the 7th and 8th from Laurel; the 7th and 8th at Aqueduct, the 7th through 9th from Tampa Bay Downs; and the 8th through 10th at Gulfstream—10 races in all.
Another six featured competitions take place on Saturday.
The weekend’s most lucrative get-together is Saturday’s up-to-$30,000 Pick & Pray with $15,000 Guaranteed. The cost to play is $260, and no more than 140 may sign up. Win this, and a Merry Christmas is virtually assured.
Your second consecutive day of Horse Player World Series qualifying takes place on Saturday. This one is a full-package play-in. Winners get a $1,500 entry plus a four-night hotel stay at The Orleans (where hot dogs are available in the sports book for $2 each day) and a $500 travel stipend. Note that the entry fee for this weekly, full-package game has been increased slightly to $148. That means that, accordingly, the winning ratio has been reduced. It’s now down to 1-per-20.
Also available for your Saturday handicapping pleasure is a qualifier to the Santa Anita Opening Day Challenge, which takes place on the track’s traditional, December 26 opening day. Winners of our one-per-15 qualifier earn a $1,500 entry.
On Saturday, you can also try to win a paid-up berth to the Tampa Bay Downs High Roller Tournament on January 11. One of every 15 entries, at $80 each, will garner a $1,000 to Tampa. May your horses not be the last ones away.
We also have a Last Chance qualifier on Saturday. It’s to the December 28 NHC qualifier at Monmouth. One of every 10 entries will receive not one but two entries (worth a total of $600) for Monmouth on the 28th. The entry fee on Saturday is $71, and please note that this is one of the few live-format events this weekend.
Your Saturday NHC opportunity takes place once again over at HorsePlayers.
This one is a special $210 live-format game that offers a lower winning ratio (compared to $165 games) of 1 per 50.
Contest races for Saturday will be the 5th through 9th at The Big A (they still call Aqueduct that, right?); the 6th, 8th and 9th from Laurel (The Big L?); and the 7th, 8th, 9th and 11th at Gulfstream. That’s 12 races in total.
As many featured tourneys as we offer on Friday and Saturday put together, that’s how many we have on Sunday (12).
A pair of $10,000 Guaranteed, up-to-$20,000 Pick & Prays top the Sunday lineup. One is our customary, $195-buy-in game (Pick & Pray this week). If we get enough entries, the pot could swell to as much as $20,000…but it won’t be less than $10,000.
The other $10,000 Guaranteed Sunday tourney is our “Big Bucks” game, which has an $1,150 entry fee and permits no more than 20 entrants. Payoffs go solely to the top three finishers on a 70%/20%/10% basis, and if we draw a full field, the pot will exceed $20,000. These Big Bucks games are always run as Pick & Prays.
After a day off, the Pegasus World Cup Betting Challenge is back on the board on Sunday. One of every 20 entries in this $384 live-format qualifier gets a $6,000 entry plus $500 for travel to the January 25th live-bankroll competition.
For the third straight day, you can compete for a spot at the Horse Player World Series. Sunday’s qualifier is an entry-only affair with an entry fee of $89. One in 20 will advance to play at the The Orleans next March in Las Vegas.
Not too deep in the heart of Texas is Sam Houston Race Park and on Sunday, you can try to win a $1,000 entry to their January 26 NHC qualifier. The entry fee for this Pick & Pray is $80, and one in 15 will prosper.
A $1,500 entry will be on the table in Sunday’s qualifier to the NTRA/Santa Anita NHC Super Qualifier on January 4. This, too, is a Pick & Pray with a 1-per-15 winning ratio. The entry fee in this one is $118.
Another qualifier to the NHC Last Chance Tournament at Bally’s takes place on Sunday. Due to strong participation, there have been four or five winners in each of these lately. Once again, one of every 10 entries, at $59 each, will pick up a $500 entry for NHC eve.
The second of two weekend qualifiers to the Flo-Cal Faceoff is also on the Sunday menu. Like the Friday qualifier, this one has an $86 entry fee, and the winning ratio is 1 in 20.
Two more cash tourneys—both live-format contests—round on the Sunday slate.
One is our up-to-$5,000 Exacta tourney with $1,000 Guaranteed. Players select a mythical three-horse-exacta box play in each of the 12 contest races. It’s $125 to take part. Your mileage may vary…but last week’s winning score (based on $1.00 payoffs) was a modest $46.90.
The other is our $8 Pick 6 Jackpot tourney. Seventy percent of the net pool goes to top finishers via the normal, $2 win/place scoring method, while the other 30% gets directed to the Jackpot pool. Pick the winners of all six races and you win (or share, if multiple players do so) the Jackpot, which is now up to $3,875. You can take a shot at the Jackpot and still get change for your ten-dollar bill.
Over at HorsePlayers, there are two featured Pick & Prays awaiting customers. One is a qualifier to the NHC, and the other is a play-in tied to the Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge.
The NHC game is a “regular,” $165 qualifier with two spots guaranteed. The winning ratio is 1-per-65.
The BCBC qualifier is a Low-Ratio slugfest with an entry fee of $500 and one $10,000 seat guaranteed. The winning ratio here is 1-per-23.
Last-minute holiday shopping…not really all that much fun. Shopping among the various tourneys available at HorseTourneys…lots of fun. The choice is yours. Good luck!