Kentucky Downs’ King Of The Turf Handicapping Challenge Expanded For 2021

Kentucky Downs' one-of-a-kind online handicapping tournament is getting super-sized: the 2021 King of the Turf Handicapping Challenge presented by Daily Racing Form will feature a trio of two-day handicapping contests spanning the all-grass meet's Sept. 5, 6, 8, 9, 11 and 12 dates.

Last year's inaugural event involved a pair of one-day contests with the cumulative winner, Andy Muhlada of Lawrenceburg, Ind., crowned the first National Turf Handicapping Champion. The separate online tournaments are live-money events, meaning that entrants use a real bankroll and get to keep whatever they might earn. All contest bets must be placed through the TVG, 4NJBets or Xpressbet ADW platforms.

“The philosophy at Kentucky Downs has been that if something works well, how can we make it even better?” said Kentucky Downs Vice President for Racing Ted Nicholson. “Those were the marching orders for our marketing team. The beauty of this format is the flexibility it provides for those who might face scheduling conflicts that prevent them from playing in one or two of the tournaments. But we also wanted to reward those who play all six days.

“With the ever-growing popularity of Kentucky Downs racing, with our big fields and low takeout, we believe the Turf Handicapping Challenge will be a big hit with simulcast players and NHC Tour members alike. We also wanted to award prizes to make it worth players' time and money. And as with last year, all the buy-in fees are returned to the players through either the prizes or their bankrolls.”

Seats at the National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) will be awarded to the top finishers in all three individual competitions, with seats for the Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge (BCBC) also up for grabs in the final two contests. The overall winner who participates in all three contests over the six dates will be crowned National Turf Handicapping Champion and earn additional prize money, along with the National Turf Handicapping Champion Trophy presented by BetMakers.

“The 2020 Kentucky Downs Turf Handicapping Challenge proved to be a massive success,” said tournament director Brian Skirka, who also is Monmouth Park's director of marketing. “We look to build off that success this season with three, two-day contests encapsulating the entire Kentucky Downs meet. The uniqueness of all-turf cards combined with full fields, great betting opportunities, and the chance to become the National Turf Handicapping Champion make these contests a can't-miss for contest players across the country. I look forward to being part of the contest team yet again and thank Kentucky Downs for the opportunity.”

Based on conservative estimates, a projected minimum of 13 qualifying seats and prize packages (hotel and airfare up to $400) to the 2022 National Horseplayers Championship and three seats with the $10,000 buy-in to the Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge at Del Mar will be awarded. The exact numbers of automatic qualifiers to the NHC and BCBC buy-ins depend on entries, with more than $100,000 in cash projected to be paid out.

Muhlada says he plans to defend his title.

“The format looks intriguing and intense,” he said. “Seems fitting that this unique track and meet is hosting such a challenging tournament series. I am excited to participate!”

Half of the buy-in amounts for the three stand-alone tournaments goes to the entrant's live bankroll and the other half goes toward the prizes, including cash payments to the top 10 finishers in each contest. Players must wager on a minimum of five races each day, with no maximum. All contests are based on Kentucky Downs racing that day. Also new this year: doubles join the betting menu in addition to straight and exacta wagering.

Here's a quick look at the three contests (with projected prizes based on 175 entries per contest):

Sunday Sept. 5 and Monday Sept. 6: $600 buy-in, $30 minimum bet per race. Projected prizes: four NHC prize packs, $10,000 to the winner down to $800 for 10th.

Wednesday Sept. 8 and Thursday Sept. 9: $800 buy-in, $40 minimum bet per race. Projected prizes: One BCBC seat and $10,000 buy-in, four NHC seats and prize packs, $12,000 to the winner down to $1,000 for 10th.

Saturday Sept. 11 and Sunday Sept. 12: $1,200 buy-in, $60 minimum bet per race. Projected prizes: Two BCBC seats and $10,000 buy-in, five NHC prize packs, $18,000 to winner down to $1,500 for 10th.

The National Turf Handicapping Champion is the player with the highest aggregate six-day bankroll once scores are combined from the three individual contests. Based on 175 entries for each contest, the Turf Handicapping Champ will receive $25,000 in addition to prizes earned during the three tournaments.

“This is a unique tournament series with reasonable entry fees and great prizes for each individual tournament,” said Scott Coles, a Chicago futures trader who in 2019 became the youngest NHC champion at age 34. “If you play them all, you can win your entries into the major championships, pick up a lot of NHC Tour points and be crowned King of the Turf all in the same week. Get involved!”

For more information or to sign up, contact Brian Skirka at bskirka@monmouthpark.com.

Low-priced feeder contests will be available each week on www.horsetourneys.com, providing the opportunity to win fees-paid entry to all three contests. Click here for information about Sunday's Horsetourneys.com first feeder contest.

Click here for complete rules

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Santa Anita’s Free Online ‘Showvivor’ Handicapping Challenge Returns With $5,000 Prize Money

Santa Anita's popular free online “Showvivor” marks its return on opening day, Saturday, Dec. 26, with a new Total Win Earnings category and a Monthly Contest provision which will be included in the existing season-long total prize money awarded of $5,000.

With special early first post on opening day pegged at 11 a.m., the contest offers fans a variety of cash incentives, highlighted by the $2,500 top prize, which will be awarded to the longest “Show Streak” over the course of the entire Winter/Spring season which culminates on June 20.

Registration at showvivor.santaanita.com is free and easy and Showvivor participants can select one horse from one race each racing day. That horse must run no worse than third in order for the player to “Showvive.” If the player's selection fails to run 1-2-3, that individual is not totally eliminated, as he or she may start up a new streak the next racing day. The player with the longest “Show Streak” on June 20 will be declared the top prize winner of $2,500.

The longest “Show Streak” is just one of five separate says to win beginning Dec. 26.

SHOW STREAK The player that has the longest “show” or no-worse than third place finish streak at the end of the Winter/Spring Meet will win the Grand Prize of $2,500. Players are advised that if they fail to make an online selection on a given day, their streak is still alive, but they will not receive credit for any days missed.

WIN STREAK This carries a $1,000 prize and is intended to reward players who have selected the most consecutive first place finishers. If a player fails to make a selection on a given day, his or her streak may continue, but the player will not receive credit for any days missed.

TOTAL WINS On closing day, June 20, the player that has selected the most total wins will receive a $500 prize.

HIGHEST SINGLE WIN PAYOUT This carries a $500 prize and will be awarded to the player with the single highest win payout (on a Two Dollar wager) over the course of the entire meet.

TOTAL WIN EARNINGS This is a new Showvivor category which carries a prize of $500 and is awarded to the player that accumulates the highest total dollar amount-won based on their selections at the end of the meet. For example, each time an entrant's selection finishes in first place in the official standings (Wins), the dollar amount, based on Santa Anita's official Two Dollar Win payout, will be added to that player's total money-won to date. The winner will be determined on closing day.

MONTHLY CONTEST, NEW WAY TO WIN Separated into five different date ranges, beginning Dec. 26 through Jan. 31, and ending June 4 through June 20, the winner, by Total Monthly Win Earnings, of each of these individual calendar periods earns an entry into the next $500 Live Money Handicapping Contest via Xpressbet and thus an opportunity to compete for more cash and prizes. No exchanges are offered.

Entries for opening day, Saturday, Dec. 26, will be taken this Monday, Dec. 21. For additional information on ShowVivor, please visit santaanita.com or call (626) 574-RACE.

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Registration Now Open For 2020 Online Edition Of The Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge

Continuing to draw top horseplayers from around North America for Thoroughbred racing's biggest live-money tournament, registration is now open for the 2020 Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge (BCBC).

Now in its 12th year, the Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge will crown the winner with the highest accumulated bankroll at the end of the two-day Breeders' Cup World Championships, which will be held this year at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky., on Nov. 6-7.

This year's BCBC total cash prize pool is expected to be $1 million based upon a minimum of 400 players registered.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, players will not be able to participate at Keeneland this year. All BCBC tournament play will be conducted online at TVG.com, the official Breeders' Cup wagering partner, Xpressbet.com, NYRA Bets and at designated satellite locations at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J., and Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla. Additional satellite locations, such as Santa Anita Park and Del Mar in California, will be announced at a later date if they are able to host players.

To register now and to view complete 2020 BCBC rules and information, go to BreedersCup.com/BCBC.

For the 2020 BCBC, a $2,500 buy-in and $7,500 betting bankroll ($10,000 total) are required of each player. All buy-in monies are applied to the prize pool. Players can bet into the Win, Place, Show, Exacta, Trifecta and Daily Double pools with their $7,500 bankroll over the two days and keep all monies earned from their betting.

“The excitement and prestige of playing in the Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge continues to grow as the ultimate test in live-money Thoroughbred racing tournaments, with horseplayers tackling the large and ultra-competitive fields of the World Championships races,” said Tim Schram, BCBC Tournament Director. “As a bonus, we encourage players of all levels to sign up and play in our online BCBC qualifying tournaments on HorsePlayers.com from now until late October to earn a free entry into the BCBC on Nov. 6-7.”

An exciting feature of the 2020 BCBC is the $3 million National Horseplayer Champion (NHC) Tour bonus that will be awarded to any horseplayer who wins the BCBC and the NTRA Horseplayers Championship (NHC) in January 2021. As part of a reciprocal agreement with the NHC, Thomas Goldsmith, winner of this year's NHC in February, is eligible for a $3 million bonus should he win this year's BCBC.

Players can earn free entry into the BCBC by winning a BCBC Qualifying Tournament. For details on upcoming live and online qualifying tournaments, go to Horseplayers.com.

In the 2019 BCBC, a record 457 players entered the competition and Brad Anderson of Sarasota, Fla., finished on top. Anderson made a $25,900 wager on 9-2 Vino Rosso in the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic, the final race of the tournament, which vaulted him to victory. Anderson finished with a total score of 145,040 points and, with a first-place prize of $343,000, saw total winnings of $488,040.

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Kentucky Downs Staging Pair Of Online Handicapping Tournaments During 2020 Meet

America's most unique racetrack is staging a one-of-a-kind online handicapping tournament twosome during the RUNHAPPY Meet at Kentucky Downs.

The Kentucky Downs Turf Handicapping Challenge presented by Daily Racing Form, America's only tournament using exclusively grass racing, will award multiple seats at the 2021 National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) and the 2020 Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge (BCBC) during stand-alone tournaments on Sunday Sept. 13 and Wednesday Sept. 16. The twist is that the player with the highest aggregate two-day total will be crowned the National Turf Handicapping Champion, receiving additional prize money and a BCBC spot, worth $10,000.

The separate online tournaments are live-money events, meaning that entrants use a real bankroll and get to keep whatever they might earn. The competition will be based on Kentucky Downs' all-grass cards, with the Sept. 13 contest also offering the option to play turf races from New Jersey's Monmouth Park. Betting in the tournaments will be conducted through Xpressbet, TVG and 4NJBets online-wagering platforms.

The Sept. 13 tournament has a $1,000 buy-in, with $500 comprising the player's bankroll and the other $500 going to the prize pool. The buy-in is $600 for the Sept. 16 tournament, with $300 going to the prize pool and $300 for the contestant's bankroll. Players must compete in both tournaments to be eligible to earn the distinction of being National Turf Handicapping Champion.

Both contests require entrants to bet a minimum of $50 (win, place, show and/or exacta) on a minimum of 10 races on Sept. 13 and six on Sept. 16. Complete rules will be available soon on kentuckydowns.com. Monmouth Park marketing director Brian Skirka is the tournament director. Players must pre-register with Skirka by emailing bskirka@monmouthpark.com or by calling 732-571-6595.

“We were looking at an online tournament even before we had to make the tough decision to go spectatorless at our live meet because of the COVID surge,” said Ted Nicholson, Kentucky Downs' senior vice president and general manager. “Our betting product has become so popular across the country that we wanted to let as many people as possible participate, and we wanted to come up with prizes to make it worth their investment in time and money.

“Horseplayers' enthusiasm for our American-best large fields and low takeout has led to a 244-percent increase in wagering on Kentucky Downs since 2015. This is one way of showing our appreciation. We are the nation's turf-racing capital and we want to showcase that by having a National Turf Handicapping Champion.”

Regular tournament player Adam Aiken, who coincidentally is moving from Springfield, Mass., to Nashville in early September, makes a point to bet Kentucky Downs' elite meet and was thrilled to hear about the track's tournaments. He applauds the idea of a two-day overall champion.

“That's an interesting format, kind of a unique and different format that isn't around anywhere else,” Aiken said, adding with a laugh, “It obviously gets you to want to play the second one. You have three chances in a way” to win the big prizes.

Aiken said he'll be firing away on his mobile device to try to be anointed Turf Champion.

“I'll be playing wherever I am,” he said. “I was in a tournament where I finished fourth and 13th and I was at a wedding…. I love turf racing. I love turf sprints. I always play Kentucky Downs. The big fields and low takeout are just the ticket for serious handicappers.”

Based on 100 entries in the Sept. 13 tournament, the total prize pool will be $50,000, including four NHC prize packs (including flight reimbursement up to $400 and hotel) and one BCBC berth. The top five finishers will split $5,000, with $2,500 to the winner and an estimated $2,956 toward the cash awarded to the National Turf Champ. The top 10 finishers also receive a free spot in the Sept. 16 contest.

Prize money paid to the Turf Champ will increase along with the number of entries. At 150 entries, five NHC prize packs and two BCBC berths will be awarded.

Based on 80 entries in the Sept. 16 contest, the total prize pool will be $24,000, with the top three finishers earning an NHC prize pack and splitting $3,000, including $1,500 to the winner, with remaining cash going to the champ. Additional seats could be awarded based on final participation.

“I'm honored that Ted reached out to me to assist with putting on this unique tournament,” Skirka said. “Kentucky Downs is known for some of the biggest fields and best turf racing around, and I'm excited to help make this first-of-its-kind contest a success. From my experience, I think players will really gravitate to a tournament featuring such wide-open, competitive and high-class racing.”

Players must be an NHC Tour member prior to the start of the contest to be eligible for NHC seats.

Horsetourneys.com will stage online feeder tournaments, providing low-priced ways to win spots into both contests.

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