Qualifier action heats up Saturday

There’s important action this weekend on DRF Tournaments, starting with the latest Grade 1 qualifier for the $1 million, no-takeout World Championship of Handicapping. On Saturday, players can put up $580 and 1 in 10 will win a $5,000 seat. Players can also put up just $95 in Round 1 events, where 1 in 7 will advance to next weekend’s Travers Day Grade 1.

On Saturday, DRFT will also be offering a qualifier for Monmouth’s Super Qualifier contest, which takes place next Saturday, Aug. 26. Players put up $120 and 1 in 10 will receive a prize package worth $1,000 (a $500 entry plus $500 in travel).

For a full list of all the contests happening this weekend, go to tournaments.drf.com.

New racetrack partnerships

DRF Tournaments announced two new racetrack partnerships this week, with qualifiers added for both the Keeneland Challenge and the Woodbine Mile tournament. Along with the Santa Anita Autumn Championship, for which DRFT is also running qualifiers, these represent three of the most important live-bankroll events this fall.

Woodbine’s tournament is first on the calendar. It takes place on Sept. 16 and the $320 buy-in qualifier will be held on Sept. 3 using the live format. Winning packages from the qualifier include a seat ($3,500 Canadian value) plus $500 in U.S. dollars for travel. The Woodbine contest debuted last year and was a success. Contestants sit in a V.I.P. area at the top of the stretch, providing excellent viewing for a great day of racing. It’s the perfect opportunity for U.S. racing fans looking for an excuse to visit Woodbine.

Feeders – smaller buy-in contests that are essentially qualifiers for the qualifier – are already up and running for the Woodbine event. Players can start the qualification process for as little as $9.

Santa Anita’s contest takes place Oct. 7. The first qualifier will be held on DRFT on Sunday, Aug. 27. Feeders are up and running for that.

Keeneland’s contest takes place Oct. 15 and normally costs $3,000, but players can win in on DRFT starting for as low as $22. Two-stage qualifiers are being offered for both Woodbine and Keeneland. This means you have a lot of options, depending on your bankroll.

As for Keeneland, you can buy in directly to the Sunday, Aug. 27, Keeneland qualifier for $410. Or you can win in to the qualifier through a Round 1 contest, which costs $95 and advances 1 in 5 entries. If you want to spend only $22 up front, you can feed in to the Round 1 contests. In the feeders, once again, 1 in 5 entries goes forward. This favorable ratio of winners to entries allows players to reach their goals with much lower totals, making it easier to pick winners rather than reach for prices.

For a full explanation of all the rules, terms and feeder options, check out the DRF Tournaments website.