Weekend rich in qualifiers

It may be too late to qualify for the Ultimate Betting Challenge, a live-bankroll contest taking place at both Gulfstream and Santa Anita this weekend, but there are still plenty of opportunities to win your way into major tournaments this weekend. DRF Tournaments is hosting two qualifiers on Saturday and three on Sunday.

On Saturday, up to two prize packages will be available for Keeneland’s Grade One Gamble on Sunday, April 23. The buy-in is $162, and packages will include $3,000 Keeneland seats plus $500 in travel. One in 25 entries will advance. The Grade One Gamble uses a live-bankroll format and is one of the most popular spring contests. Its prize pool, which gets paid back 100 percent, includes cash and seats to the Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge and National Handicapping Championship.

Also on Saturday, players can put up $108 to secure seats for the Wynn Challenge. The ratio of winners to entries in one in 27, and the top finishers will receive $2,000 Wynn entries plus $500 in travel. The Wynn Challenge is a mythical-money event focusing on Del Mar and Saratoga that takes place Aug. 4-5 at Wynn Las Vegas.

Sunday’s headline event is a qualifier for Del Mar’s summer contest, the 14th annual Del Mar Handicapping Challenge, on July 29-30. This is a chance for players to win their $7,000 Del Mar seats, plus $500 in travel, for $400. One in 22 players will qualify for the live-bankroll event. The Del Mar contest is the biggest prize, monetarily speaking, offered on DRF Tournaments.

There will also be a qualifier for Monmouth’s Pick Your Prize contest. Pick Your Prize debuted in 2016 and attracted a field of 140. This year’s event takes place Saturday, June 3. It’s a live-bankroll contest with a $2,000 buy-in, but on Sunday, one in 23 entries will win in for $126. Winners will also get $500 in travel.

The last big Sunday contest is an all-in qualifier for the Horse Player World Series. There’s no travel money on offer in this one, but players can win their $1,500 buy-ins for the HPWS, a multitrack, three-day mythical marathon that is expected to have a $1 million prize pool (based on 750 entries). The buy-in for the qualifier is $90, and one in 19 entries gets a seat. The HPWS takes place March 30 to April 1 at the Orleans in Las Vegas.

Additionally, be on the lookout for opportunities in feeders, credit builders and matchup contests you can use to fund your contest play. There are a variety of events at different price points every day Wednesday through Sunday in a typical week. For more information, go to tournaments.drf.com.