The Breeders’ Cup—and, therefore, the Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge—begins a week from tomorrow at Del Mar. As some handicappers begin studying the pre-entries released yesterday, others are poring over the PPs of Belmont, Keeneland, Woodbine and Santa Anita. Why? Because those are the tracks that will supply the featured-tourney races this weekend for the seven separate direct qualifiers on offer this Friday, Saturday and Sunday at HorsePlayers.
Those seven BCBC play-ins are among 28 featured events this weekend at HorseTourneys and HorsePlayers. The first eight of those take place on Friday.
There are two BCBC qualifiers at HorsePlayers on Friday. One is a “regular,” $179 Pick & Pray with one $10,000 guaranteed and a winning ratio of 1-per-65.
The other is a $500 Low Ratio Pick & Pray. One $10,000 BCBC entry is certain here too, and the winning ratio in this one is 1-per-23.
There’s also a $75 NHC Pick & Pray on Friday at HorsePlayers. It offers two guaranteed seats to the 2022 event as well as NHC Tour Points if you finish in the top 10 percent of the field. The winning ratio is 1-per-143. Remember—you must be a 2021 NHC Tour member, prior to the start of the contest, in order to be eligible for an NHC package in this or any other NHC qualifier. If you’re not a member, you can become one quickly and easily at NTRA.com for a $50 membership fee.
Five more features come your way Friday right here at HorseTourneys.
The day’s HT Tour event is our $15,000 Guaranteed No-Limit Pick & Pray. You can test your handicapping feats of strength for $190, and there is no limit as to how high the purse could go.
There will be one Flo-Cal Faceoff qualifier per day on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Friday’s is a $118 Pick & Pray with a 1-per-15 winning ratio. Winners garner a $1,500 entry into the $250,000 Guaranteed, all-cash tournament here on January 15-16.
There’s also a play-in on each weekend day for the Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge Last Chance tournament, to be held on BC Eve, Thursday, November 4. One of every 15 entries in Friday’s qualifier will earn a $1,000 entry for the 4th…which can be played on track at Del Mar or at Xpressbet or NYRABets.
Also a daily occurrence this weekend is a Treasure Island Wager to Win qualifier. Friday’s will be a $79 Pick & Pray with winners earning a $1,000 entry for the November 5th contest on the Las Vegas Strip. The winning ratio is 1-in-15.
You can also grab a late $1,500 entry on Friday to Sunday’s Santa Anita Closing Day Challenge (playable at Xpressbet). An entry fee of $118 gets you a seat at the table for this 1-per-15 qualifier.
Contest races for the Friday features are the 8th through 10th from Keeneland; the 3rd ad 8th at Santa Anita; and races 2, 4, 5, 6 and 8 from Woodbine—10 races in all.
Since last week was a “Pick & Pray” weekend at HorseTourneys, this week the accent on Saturday and Sunday is on Live-format games.
One of those is Saturday’s HT Tour event, our $30,000 Guaranteed No Limit cash tourney. You can play for $350.
Hear ye, hear ye…it’s “Last Call” on Saturday for the Santa Anita Closing Day Challenge at Xpressbet (since their closing day is Sunday!). An upfront stake of $118 gets you a 1-in-15 chance at a $1,500 entry for the following day at Xpressbet. The format is Live.
There are also Live-format qualifiers on Saturday for the Flo-Cal Faceoff ($118), the Treasure Island Wager to Win contest ($79) and the BCBC Last Chance tournament (also $79).
Saturday’s Flo-Cal Faceoff play-in will also be a Pick & Pray. An upfront stake of $118 gets you into the action. Win this, and you will compete for a purse of at least a quarter of a million dollars in January.
Another Live-format tilt on Saturday is a $165, two-seats-guaranteed NHC qualifier. The winning ratio is 1-per-65.
Breaking the “Live format trend” is our Saturday Big Bucks tourney, which (on this particular day of the week) is always run as a Pick & Pray. It’s an “up-to-$20,000” game, with a purse guarantee of $10,000. Entries—at $1,150 each—are limited to 20 (unless we get a late arrival or two from last-minute Saturday feeders…in which case the pot will exceed $20,000). Payouts go just to the top three finishers with the winner collecting 70 percent of the net pool, the runner up getting 20 percent, and the third-place finisher picking up the remaining 10 percent.
The $15 Jackpot Pick 4 tourneys are also always run as Pick & Prays. Saturday’s has a carryover that has been reset to $500. You can thank (or blame) “The Commissioner” Tim Smith for that since he hit the Jackpot last Sunday. In our Pick 4 Jackpot games, going four-for-four means you win or share the Jackpot. (You don’t have to be the only winner.) Meanwhile, 70% of the daily net pool gets paid out to players via the traditional $2.00 win/place scoring system. The other 30% goes to the Jackpot pool. Entries in these Jackpot Pick 4 tourneys are limited to three per person.
Saturday’s Pick 4 Jackpot races are the 7th and 9th at Belmont and (similarly) the 7th and 9th from Keeneland. All four races are stakes.
There are two more guaranteed Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge qualifiers on Saturday at HorsePlayers.
One is a $179 Live-format play-in with one $10,000 BCBC entry guaranteed. The winning ratio is 1-per-65.
The other also guarantees one grand prize, but it’s a Super Low Ratio qualifier with an entry fee of $1,000 and a winning ratio of 1 in just 11. It, too, will be run in Live format.
The 12 featured-tourney races for Saturday are the 5th through 9th from Keeneland; the 6th, 7th, 8th and 11th at Woodbine; and the 7th through 9th from Belmont. Seven of the 12 are stakes races.
On Sunday, 10 featured events are on the menu—six here at HorseTourneys and a whopping four at HorsePlayers.
Three of the four HorsePlayers features are Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge qualifiers (all Pick & Prays). For $179, you can play in a 1-per-65 game with at least one $10,000 entry definitely being awarded.
Or you could up your ante to $500 and play with a winning ratio of 1-per-23. Again, at least one grand prize is certain to be won.
Or…you increase your theoretical chances even further by playing our $1,000 buy-in game where the winning ratio is just 1-per-11. And, yes, one seat is guaranteed here too.
The fourth of the four Sunday HorsePlayers features is an NHC “Maiden Special” restricted to those who have yet to earn a 2022 seat. The entry fee is $165 and one NHC seat is guaranteed in this 1-per-65 test, which will be contested in Live format. Please note that, due to the restricted nature of this tourney, no NHC Tour points will be awarded here.
Here at HorseTourneys, there are six marquee games on tap.
Our third of three weekend qualifiers to January’s $250,000 Guaranteed Flo-Cal Faceoff takes place on Sunday. It’s a Live-format game with a barrier to entry of $118, and one of every 15 will grab a paid-up $1,500 berth.
Also in play for a third straight day is the BCBC First Chance/Last Chance tournament with a $79 Live format competition. The winning ratio is 1-per-15 and the grand prize is a $1,000 entry to the Thursday November 4th contest, which can be played on track at Del Mar or at Xpressbet or NYRA Bets.
Ditto the Treasure Island Wager to Win contest. Sunday’s third consecutive day of TI qualifying requires the usual up-front commitment of $79. The format is Live, and the winning ratio is 1-per-15.
Sunday’s HT Tour event is our $20,000 Guaranteed, No Limit cash game. Entries cost $195 apiece for this Live-format tourney.
The Sunday Big Bucks tourney is always run in Live format. It’s an up-to-$20,000 affair with $7,500 Guaranteed and an entry fee of $1,150. Entries are limited to 20, and payouts go only to the first three finishers.
Our other Sunday feature here at HorseTourneys (though not pictured above) is the $15 Pick 4 Jackpot tourney (which is always a Pick & Pray). The Jackpot amount will depend on how many played in the Saturday Pick 4 Jackpot tourney—and whether anyone went a perfect 4-for-4. Check our website or our Twitter feed starting on Saturday night for updates.
Have a great weekend…good luck to those representing HorseTourneys on Sunday in the Santa Anita Closing Day Challenge…and, of course, Happy Halloween!