On Preakness day, we have both Live and Pick & Pray cash features (plus the Big Bucks game too) on tap, and there will be two NHC qualifiers, including a rare Low Ratio play-in.
It’s a big day and a big weekend—which gets started here on Friday.
Not only is Friday Black-Eyed-Susan Day at Pimlico where there’s a big, 13-race card set to go, it’s also the final day in which to qualify for the following day’s Preakness Challenge. One of every 15 entrants, at $118 per entry, will grab a late, $1,500 spot in the Saturday Xpressbet tournament.
On Friday (and Saturday and Sunday as well), you can participate in qualifiers for the Monmouth Pick Your Prize Challenge on June 3 and the Spa & Surf Showdown here on August 5th and 6th.
Friday’s Monmouth Pick Your Prize Challenge Pick & Pray carries an entry fee of $156, and one in 15 will move on to June 3 with a paid-up $2,000 berth.
The Spa & Surf Showdown is a $400,000 Guaranteed, all-cash blockbuster that doubles as the final leg of the 2023 Tourney Triple. You can earn a coveted, $2,500 spot in it in Friday’s $147, 1-per-20 Pick & Pray. One of every 20 entrants will do just that.
For cash gamers, there’s Friday’s $15,000 Guaranteed, No Limit Pick & Pray. It’s an HT Tour event, and the entry fee is $190.
At HorsePlayers, the two Friday favorites are back on the menu.
One is the trusty $75 NHC qualifier, which assures two seats for March 2024 in Vegas. The winning ratio is 1-per-143.
The other is a $500 Low Ratio Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge Pick & Pray. At least one $10,000 is certain to be won. The winning ratio here is 1-per-23.
There are 12 featured-tourney races this Friday. They are the 5th through 8th from Belmont; the 8th through 13th (five of them stakes) at Pimlico; and the 8th and 9th from Gulfstream.
Saturday’s a very big day with the Preakness going on in Baltimore—and 11 featured tourneys being hosted here and at HorsePlayers. Let’s start with how things look at HorseTourneys.
This day, we have two HT Tour games, rather than one. The richer of the two is our $30,000 Guaranteed Pick & Pray, which has an entry fee of $350.
For those who prefer to “pick as they go along,” we also have a $20,000 Guaranteed HT Tour test in Live format. Here the entry fee is $260.
The other Preakness Day cash feature is Saturday’s Big Bucks Pick & Pray, which has a guaranteed pot of $7,000 this week. Entries are $1,150 each, with the winner earning 70 percent of the net pool, the runner up getting 20 percent, and the third-place taking home the remaining 10 percent. Entries are capped at 20, and if we reach that number, the total purse will exceed $20,000.
Of special note on Saturday is that there will be two opportunities in which to qualify for the NHC. One of them is here at HorseTourneys—a $165 Pick & Pray with two spots guaranteed. The winning ratio is 1-per-65.
The priciest qualifier of the week is Saturday’s Del Mar Summer Challenge play-in. The entry fee is $384, and one of every 20 participants will receive a $6,500 package ($6,000 entry fee plus $500 travel stipend) for the on-track-only tournament on July 29-30.
Another Saturday qualifier for an on-track-only contest is that for the Lone Star Million Betting Challenge. One of every 15 entrants in this Pick & Pray, at $196 per entry, will get a $2,500 entry to play in Texas on Memorial Day.
For those who live near (or like to visit) Chicagoland, there’s a play-in to the June 24-25 Hawthorne Spring NHC qualifier. Entries for this Pick & Pray cost $118 apiece, and one of every 10 will garner a $1,000 berth.
For the second straight day, we’ll have qualifiers to the Monmouth Pick Your Prize Challenge and the Spa & Surf Showdown. The entry fees are the same as on Friday, and both will again be Pick & Prays.
There are two Pick & Pray features on Saturday at HorsePlayers, including the day’s other NHC qualifier.
The NHC game is a special $500, Low Ratio battle with a winning ratio of 1-per-21. Note that there must be at least 10 entries signed on in order for this game to go forward. Also note that, per NTRA rules, NHC Tour points will not be awarded unless there are enough entries to award two spots. Fine print aside, if all you want to do is qualify for the NHC, this is one of the best opportunities to do that.
The other Preakness Day feature at HorsePlayers is a $179 Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge Pick & Pray. At least one $10,000 seat is guaranteed in this 1-per-65 skirmish.
Saturday’s featured-tourney contest races are the 9th through 13th (all stakes) on the Preakness Day card from Pimlico; the 2nd, 6th and 8th at Santa Anita; and the 9th through 12th from Gulfstream. Closing time is scheduled to be 3:31 pm ET.
On Sunday, in the afterglow of the Preakness, another eight marquee games are on the schedule.
Sunday’s HT Tour get together is our $20,000 Guaranteed Pick & Pray. The price to play is $250.
There’s another $7,000 Guaranteed Big Bucks game on Sunday, though unlike Saturday’s, this one will be contested in Live format. Again, payouts go just to the top three finishers on a 70/20/10 basis. A maximum of 20 entries will be accepted—and if we get that many, the purse will top $20,000.
For the second consecutive day, you can compete to win a $2,500 entry to the Lone Star Million Betting Challenge on Memorial Day and/or a $1,000 entry to the Hawthorne Spring NHC qualifier on June 24-25.
For the third consecutive day, we’ll host qualifiers to the Monmouth Pick Your Prize Challenge and the Spa & Surf Showdown. These two (and also the Hawthorne qualifier) will be Pick & Prays.
Two Pick & Pray qualifiers share the Sunday featured-tourney spotlight at HorsePlayers.
The NHC game guarantees two seats and is a $165 Pick & Pray. The winning ratio is 1-per-65.
The Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge option is a $500, Low-Ratio qualifier with a winning ratio of 1-per-23. One $10,000 seat is certain in the prize pool regardless of participation.
Enjoy Preakness weekend, and good luck in all of your tourney and parimutuel wagering pursuits!