Weekend twinbill at Saratoga

Contest week is finally here. Outside of the weather, it’s been a great Saratoga meet so far, with thrilling performances by the likes of Monomoy Girl and Imperial Hint over the first two weekends. Last weekend, Diversify turned in a tour de force, stamping himself as a major contender for the Breeders’ Cup Classic, and Mia Mischief and Separationofpowers threw down in a stretch duel to remember in the Grade 1 Test.

But for contest players, that was all prelude to the first major Saratoga contest(s) to be held on a weekend. Things get started Friday with the Saratoga Challenge, a $1,000 live-bank event. Players must note that entries for Friday close Wednesday night at 5 p.m. That means there are no walk-ups. Interested players should immediately contact Dominic Labetti of NYRA at dlabetti@nyrainc.com.

Friday’s event requires players to make at least five $100 wagers in races at Saratoga only. Available pools include win, place, show, exacta, trifecta, quinella, and daily double. There are no maximum bets, and players can go all-in at any time. Players start with $500 on their bankrolls. The remaining $500 of that $1,000 buy-in will go to the prize pool, which will be distributed 100 percent back to players in the form of cash and prizes. First place is guaranteed at $15,000, and there will be at least one Belmont Stakes Challenge seat and three National Horseplayers Championship seats on the line.

On Saturday, the rules stay very much the same for the Fourstardave Challenge, but the buy-in goes up. It’s $2,000 to play, with $1,000 acting as a live bank and five required bets of $200. The available wagers remain the same as above, and all bets must be made on the live races at Saratoga. The entry deadline is 5 p.m. Thursday, and Labetti is the guy to speak with about signing up. The winner is guaranteed $25,000, and there will be at least a Belmont seat and five NHC seats in the prize pool.

Contest vets qualify

On Sunday, two contest veterans won their entries for both of the Saratoga contests through a DRF Tournaments qualifier – John Fisher and George Chute.

Fisher, who ended up with $58.40, had a very unusual contest. He got off to a flying start with $35.60 win-place combined from Fleet Irish in Saratoga’s fourth. From there, he went cold, whiffing in the next four races and allowing the field to catch up. But then he got his chisel out and started taking off a little money at a time. He cashed in each of the last five races, with no amount larger than $6.20.

Chute finished with $48.50, just 40 cents ahead of an unlucky Pat Gianforte. He cashed in five of the 10 races and made a bold late run. He had the winner of the anchor leg, Miss Sizzle ($20.10), to get him into the qualifying zone. Chute had fed his way into the Sunday qualifier via a Round 1 contest that sent five players forward. He’ll now try to parlay that initial $95 investment into big money at Saratoga this coming weekend.

Also on Sunday, contest world newcomer “Jersey” Joe Ward won his $2,000 entry for the Fourstardave Challenge. Ward went to the front and improved his position, starting off with Fleet Irish and getting four other cashes, including Miss Sizzle.

Tournament action returns to DRFT on Wednesday with free chances to start your journey to the big-money, no-takeout World Championship of Handicapping. Keep an eye on tournaments.drf.com for all this week’s games, including some exciting new additions to the lineup that will be announced soon.