We have an exciting new game addition to announce today: Flexible Prizes! (Or what should we call them? What do you think?)

We all know, two of the biggest problems with contests are:

• Games cancelling
• Games filling up

The new Flexible Prize game type is designed to solve both. These games will continue to get bigger and bigger with each entry, once the low minimum is met!

Here’s how it works:
​
This game: TOP 3 SPLIT $600 to $1,500

• ​​If only 20 players enter, the prize is $600, and TOP 3 get $200 each!
• When the 21st player enters, the prize is $630, and top 3 get $210 each!
• If 25 players enter, the prize is $900, and TOP 3 get $300 each!
• If 50 players enter, the prize is $1,500, and TOP 3 get $500 each!

Once 20 players enter and the $600 minimum is met, you will see the prize go up with each entry!
​

This game: $100 to $300 GAME​

• Once 10 players have entered, the game is a go at $100.
• Each entry after the 10th makes the prize pool go up!

You can look at the prize distribution any time and see it change as the prize goes up! 

If you have any feedback on the new games, click on the Orange Circle at the bottom right and let us know what you think!

Players,

Due to overwhelming demand for our Saturday Games, we are unfortunately unable to offer Head-Head, 3-5 Player Games, Points Games or any additional games to those already scheduled today.

Our regular full schedule of games will return on Sunday, November 2nd.

Thanks,

DerbyWars Team

This guest post is by Lenny Moon of Equinometry. Lenny Moon is the founder of Equinometry.com where he shares his thoughts on handicapping and betting horses and handicapping contests.  You can also occasionally find him in the grandstand of Laurel Park and more often in a handicapping contest on Derby Wars.  He can also be found on Twitter @Equinometry.

On any given day there are dozens of handicapping contests running at Derby Wars.  There are small fields and large fields, low entry fee and high entry fee, win/place and survivor.  The abundance and variety is great because there is something for just about everyone but it’s very easy to get carried away.

When I take the time to handicap a race card I want to get the most bang for my buck.  That means being in action as much as possible.  Don’t get me wrong that doesn’t mean betting every race or every wager available it means finding the best opportunities and maximizing the return on those opportunities.

The same philosophy applies to handicapping contests at Derby Wars.  If I really like my selections I want to capitalize on those opinions by maximizing my return on investment.

For a while this meant entering every handicapping contest that included the sequence of races I handicapped.  When my selections came in this strategy was fantastic but when they ran out it was devastating.

One day I would go six for six, the next zero for six.  It didn’t take long for me to realize this strategy was flawed.

Flaws in Overextending Yourself

First of all there is not one optimal strategy that applies universally to all the different types of handicapping contests.  Picking eight longshots might work in a 200 player point’s contest where most players are liberal in their selections but it is a terrible long term strategy in Head to Head contests.

Secondly there is a limit on the number of entries one can actively manage effectively.  An example outside horse racing can be found at a bingo hall (yes they still exist).  For the uninitiated one or two cards are the max but for a veteran twenty cards is a breeze.  Handicapping contest players are no different.  Some can handle only one or two entries at a time while others can handle ten or more.

Lastly entering too many handicapping contests can lead to wild fluctuations in your bankroll.  A good day can double or triple it but a bad day can reduce it by half or worse yet wipe it out.

Finding the Right Balance

Determining which handicapping contests to enter depends on your selections and confidence level that day.  If the contest races look chaotic and you find yourself landing on a bunch of longshots it’s probably best to avoid Head to Head or 3 to 5 player games.  If the races look straightforward and the likely winners logical those contests are probably your best chance of cashing.  In either case your confidence level must be the primary factor in deciding which contests to enter.  Be aggressive when you are confident and passive when you are not.

Deciding how many handicapping contests to enter again should be driven by your confidence level but also depends upon your comfort level.  I can handle five entries comfortably and up to ten is manageable.  It becomes more difficult when entering two or more of the same contests, such as three $11 Head to Head’s.  I’m most comfortable entering only one of each contest.  Instead of entering three $11 Head to Head’s I’ll enter one $11 and one $22, which will result in the same total winnings.  Your comfort level will likely be different and it’s important to establish it as soon as possible.

Bankroll management is the downfall of many horseplayers because there are so many wagering opportunities and that same pitfall can befall handicapping contest players.  As mentioned above there are dozens of opportunities on an average day at Derby Wars and it can be tempting to jump in with both feet.  Instead it’s probably best to take a step back and evaluate the opportunities at hand.  This will take a lot of self-discipline and it may take some time to learn the necessary restraint but the result will be a much healthier bankroll and less clicks of the deposit button.

Take Action Today

There is no better time to start improving your handicapping contest performance than today.  Take a look back at your successes and failures over the past couple of weeks and:

• Find the formats that work best for your handicapping style
• Determine the best strategy for each of those formats
• Find your comfort zone of how many entries you can manage at one time
• Assess your confidence level and be aggressive when you are most confident
• Manage your bankroll wisely

Good luck and if you have any advice you would like to share be sure to do so in the comment section below.

Lenny Moon is the founder of Equinometry.com where he shares his thoughts on handicapping and betting horses and handicapping contests.  You can also occasionally find him in the grandstand of Laurel Park and more often in a handicapping contest on Derby Wars.  He can also be found on Twitter @Equinometry.

Seats are filling up fast in the Breeders’ Cup handicapping contests taking place on DerbyWars, racing’s premier contest site.

The tournaments are led by Saturday’s $25,000 Breeders’ Cup ‘High Stakes’ Contest, which boasts a $10,000 first-place prize and pays down to seventh place. The game has attracted some of racing’s fiercest handicapping contest players to compete for the top honors. In all, sixty players will contest the game and only a few spots remain at the time of publication. The cost to enter is $475.

Also highlighting the Saturday tournament menu is the $10,000 Breeders’ Cup Lockdown. With a prize structure mimicking DerbyWars’ weekly Saturday feature, the contest guarantees a $5,000 first-place prize comprised of $4,525 cash and a $475 Token to be used in an upcoming ‘High Stakes’ tournament. The ‘Lockdown’ aspect of the game mean that players must submit all tournament selections before the start of the first contest race, and then will be disallowed to change or alter those selections once the tournament has begun. Lockdown is the perfect format for players who may be at a Breeders’ Cup Party, playing in other handicapping contests, or – for the most unlucky – have to work during the races. The contest is limited top 67 players, with 63 already having entered the game – so very few seats remain! The cost to enter is $175.

The DerbyWars contest schedule on Friday and Saturday is packed with tournament action at all levels! Here are some more featured tournaments:

FRIDAY

$5,000 Breeders’ Cup Friday High Stakes Game

Cost to enter: $475

$5,000 Breeders’ Cup Friday Game

Cost to Enter: $115

$1,000 Breeders’ Cup Friday Game ($25 Entry!)

Cost to Enter: $25

SATURDAY

$10,000 Breeders’ Cup Game, 12 Players

Cost to Enter: $925

$5,000 Breeders’ Cup Saturday Game

Cost to Enter: $77

$2,000 Breeders’ Cup Saturday Lockdown

Cost to Enter: $47

New players are always welcome in the DerbyWars contest community!

First time depositors receive a cash bonus after their initial deposit.

“It was the most exciting tournament I’ve ever won!”

That was how contest veteran Eric Moomey described the thrill of victory after prevailing in a hotly contested edition of this past weekend’s $10,000 featured tournament.

The tension in the tournament chat was palpable as the contest wound down. Tournament stalwarts, including Moomey, found themselves well within striking range of Nikita Rochelle’s tenuous lead; poised to strike were close competitors Scott Pulcini, second in the previous day’s High Stakes, and defending $10,000 Tournament champion David Palmer.

“It all came down to the 9^th at Keeneland [the Raven Run Stakes],” noted Moomey.

That race was positioned as the ninth of twelve contest races in the high dollar affair, but it was an obvious game changer from the onset. The original field of 16 was cut to 14 when two scratches occurred, but the complexion of the race was altered significantly when one of those two also eligibles was allowed to enter the field.

When the selection chart fired for the race and players picks were exposed to foes, Moomey and Pulcini were on board with #16 Madame Cactus, while Rochelle had selected fellow outsider Eden Prairie; the top three were each selecting live longshots.

The excitement hit a fever pitch in the stretch as Eden Prairie would slingshot to the lead in the lane while Madame Cactus kicked into high gear despite being fanned extremely wide on the far turn. It was only in the final yards that Madame Cactus was able to reel in Eden Prairie to secure victory in the Raven Run, slightly reshuffling the top three but further distancing that trio from the rest of the pack.

“It was so exciting because all three [leaders] had the one-two in there,” Moomey explained in slight amazement.

That would be the race that put Moomey into the lead, but he still needed to hold on for three more races. A win by 3-2 favorite Saratoga Snacks a couple races later would give him the padding he needed to hold off a small last minute rush from Rochelle to win the weekend’s featured contest.

Rochelle, always an upbeat personality even in defeat, playfully lamented his tough case of second-itis.

“I was really unlucky! All those second place finished!” Rochelle recalled. “The Raven Run was especially difficult. Madame Cactus was my alternate, I just thought she would be too wide.”

Both Moomey and Rochelle will go onto compete in next weekend’s $25,000 Breeders’ Cup Saturday Tournament, one of the richest tournaments ever to be held on the DerbyWars contest platform.

“It’s tough with all the good competition,” laughed Rochelle. “But why not play the big game for the money! I’m looking for another $475 Token!”

$475 Tokens are something Moomey is also collecting, having already twice qualified for the $25,000 contest since his win in the $10K last week. He’ll go into the $25,000 with three entries and an enviable hot streak.

Moomey is no stranger to winning when the stakes are highest, having preceded his $10,000 tournament win with a victory in Friday’s $5,000 High Stakes Tournament, besting out rival Scott Pulcini, who had opened up an almost insurmountable early lead after four races only to fall just a few dollars shy of Moomey in the end.

“It would have been easy to give up in that contest,” admitted Moomey. “I dug in, strategized, crossed my fingers and was able to pass him.”

Just a few races into last Saturday’s featured $10,000 Tournament, the mood of the room had turned cold. Longshots had taken four of the first five races and the chance to take home the game’s top prize seemed to be slipping away with haste. Colorful language decorated the game’s chat log and players began to flood into the day’s many other contests in search of greener pastures.

Oblivious to the goings on was Ariel Diaz. With plans to spend the day with his family, Diaz entered all of his contest selections before 1pm – hours ahead of the start of game play – and headed out for the day, hoping for the best.

“I never checked in. Family comes first,” Diaz wisely noted. “I got home around 9:30pm and started checking the results race by race.”

It didn’t take long for Diaz to realize he almost certainly had come away with the lucrative top prize.

“After a few races I realized I had done well,” recalled Diaz. “I didn’t win any in the last seven races but the early races were enough to win.”

They were more than enough.

Diaz had accumulated a bankroll of $122.20 after five contest races, a sum typically sufficient to win any tournament of a twelve-race duration. And he had done so with just three horses – one at each of the three racetracks that made up the tournament.

Diaz was quick to credit his favorite handicapper software for his good fortunes. He is a loyal user of Handicapping Technology & Research software, commonly referred to as HTR.

“The software identifies two or three horses with longshot potential,” explained Diaz. “So the horses I used were flagged by the software as potentials. It was my job to handicap the software.”

Diaz has been using HTR for quite some time now in his handicapping endeavors and credits it with his recent success.

“HTR gives me an edge because I am looking at something that other people aren’t looking at,” Diaz noted. “I have really been getting better the last eight or nine months as I understand the software better and learn how to use it better.”

A passionate fan of horse racing since the age of 14, Diaz has been playing in handicapping contests for the past three or four years now, and has been using handicapping software to aid his wagering since 2007.

“I play in contests up to five days a week,” said Diaz, a native of Puerto Rico. “And I play almost exclusively on DerbyWars. I don’t have the time to travel to big tournaments. My family comes first.”

For his winning effort, Diaz was awarded $4,525 cash and a $475 Token good for entry into an upcoming $5,000 High Stakes Tournament. Diaz has chosen to compete in the Santa Anita Opening Day edition of the high roller game, and could be a live contender with that contest featuring full fields and top-tier racing action.

NHC Seats Awarded to Thomas Labordo and Mike Ferrozzo

Today, Brent Sumja is perched proudly atop the NHC Tour Leaderboard.

A first-place finish in the Labor Day DerbyWars NHC Qualifier helped propel him into that spot – a spot he intends to hold onto with the same tenacity that put him there in the first place. Sumja is gearing up for a grueling tournament schedule over the next several months in order to stave off any challenges to his lead.

“The grind is mentally challenging,” admitted Sumja in a phone interview shortly after his Labor Day victory. “I took the month of August off; I went to Paris, celebrated my mom’s birthday. Now I have six weeks of [tournament related] travel.”

Sumja has good reason to keep up the grind. He is one of several NHC Tour members chasing the very top prizes associated with NHC Tour placing. The top finisher on the NHC Tour Leaderboard at the end of the year is rewarded with a $75,000 cash prize. But perhaps even just as compelling, the NHC Tour leader is eligible for a $2 million bonus if he or she were to go on to win the National Handicapping Championship in Las Vegas next January.

“My friend Judy Wagner [a former NHC winner] told me ‘You don’t choose the Tour, the Tour chooses you!’, recalled Sumja. “After doing well early, several friends told me I should really go for the Tour.”

Wagner isn’t the only one in Sumja’s corner. Sumja cited several key influencers who recently introduced him to the contest world and guided his rapid rise into one of its top players.

“The people you meet [at handicapping contests] are unbelievably kind. They are genuinely rooting for you, not against you,” exclaimed Sumja. “Tom Quigley really laid the groundwork for me. Joe Koury has taught me to react based on what other players do. Mark McGuire, he is so sharp at figuring everything out, especially with video watching. Cara Yarusso actually was the first tournament player I met and she introduced me to Mark and Joe. She helps keep my calm, helps me find key things to look for. Oh yea and ‘Sicko’ I have to mention Sicko. Just Sicko. He’ll know.”

Sumja said he really learned from his experience at the NHC last year and intends to go into this upcoming contest with better strategy – a strategy he intends to keep close to the vest until the NHC comes.

Already a dual qualifier for the sport’s richest handicapping contest coming up in January at the Treasure Island Resort in Las Vegas, Sumja is now strictly playing for NHC Tour points. This meant that the two NHC Seats up for grabs in the DerbyWars NHC Qualifier actually went to the contest’s second and third place finishers, Thomas Labordo and Mike Ferrozzo, respectively.

Labordo was the leader of the pack throughout most of the contest, benefitting from Strong Mandate’s upset win in the Hopeful (GI) at Saratoga and then solidifying his leading position when Marcyjane’s win padded his bankroll in Del Mar’s 3^rd race, the sixth race of the twelve race contest.

“I really liked Strong Mandate’s mud figures,” noted Labordo. “I lost the lead in that next race but retook with Marcyjane.”

Labordo didn’t yield his leading position until the final race of the tournament, the Yellow Ribbon (GI) at Del Mar. But although the race did cause Sumja to pass him, things could have gone much worse.

“I really had to sweat it out that last race! Oh gosh, it went on for so long!” recalled Labordo, referencing the lengthy stewards inquiry which went on for nearly ten minutes following the race’s finish, in which the stewards had to determine whether the winner interfered with the third place finisher. Had the winner, Egg Drop, been taken down and longshot Appealing moved up to first place, the complexion of the leaderboard would have been completely changed and Labordo would not have been awarded one of the two highly coveted NHC seats.

Last year was Labordo’s first time competing in the NHC himself, but not the first time he has experienced the event. Thomas’ father, Darwin Labordo, was third in the NHC two years ago. Thomas jovially holds that if his dad had taken his advice towards the end of that contest, an Eclipse Award as the nation’s best handicapper could have been in reach. This year they will both have another chance to chase that dream, having both qualified on DerbyWars; Darwin Labordo qualified in an earlier DerbyWars NHC Qualifier in August.

Mike Ferrozzo, much like Sumja, came into the contest primarily in pursuit of NHC Tour Points.

“The deal was, I was trying mostly to get points in order to qualify, so I tried to pick horses which were competitive,” Ferrozzo rakishly recalled. “But after hitting six of seven, I tried to win the thing!”

This upcoming NHC will be Ferrozzo’s fifth consecutive crack at the handicapping championship. A ten year veteran of handicapping contests, Ferrozzo has been playing on DerbyWars since the site began roughly two years ago, and took down a $10,000 Kentucky Derby Tournament on racing’s premier contest site. He has been a Thoroughbred racing fan since 1985 when Cantebury opened, when he won $250 betting on Quarter Horse racing.

DerbyWars wishes the best of luck to Sumja, Labordo and Ferrozzo in January’s National Handicapping Championship!

Every horseplayer goes through ups and downs, hot streaks and cold streaks. One DerbyWars player who is enjoying the more favorable of the two is Patrick Gianforte (pgn401).

Gianforte’s procession of plush payouts began last Saturday, August 24, in that day’s featured $10,000 Travers Day Tournament. He didn’t just win that tournament, but dominated from start to finish en route to a $54.60 margin of victory over second play finisher taytay.

“Sometimes you get hot, you get lucky,” exclaimed Gianforte. “Things just fall into place.”

Many tournament winners that day credited their win to Capo Bastone, a longshot winner who credited the maximum of $50 to player’s mythical bankrolls if they backed him. While Gianforte did select Capo Bastone, he won by such a massive margin that he would have still be on top had he not selected that sophomore colt. He went on to illustrate how he did land on him.

“It was between three horses, including Capo Bastone,” explained Gianforte. “I didn’t like Forty Tales at all; I figured his last effort would take a lot out of him. I was looking for a value horse with a chance, and Capo Bastone had a valid excuse last time.”

Travers winner Will Take Charge was another of Gianforte’s longshot winners, and also one of the five horses he cashed in on from seven races at the Spa.

“Will Take Charge probably wasn’t ready for the Triple Crown run,” analyzed Gianforte. “But now he is really coming into his own. There was a lot of speed in the Travers so it came down to him and Orb.”

Gianforte’s powerful display of prognosticative prowess was too much for the 66 opposing entries into the contest.

“I am good friends with [third place finisher] Paul Shurman,” noted Gianforte. “At one point he just said ‘I give up!’”

For the win, Gianforte received $4,525 cash and entry into the next day’s $5,000 Pacific Classic High Stakes Tournament, where he would go onto finish second behind the always dangerous Paul Scott (ptscott), who Gianforte also counts as a friend. In fact, had Scott not selected the same horse as Gianforte in the finale of that contest, the outcome could have been reverse. But as it was, that second place effort netted Gianforte an additional $1,000 payout to cap a good weekend on DerbyWars.

But Gianforte wasn’t done yet.

In an effort to defend his title in the $10,000 featured weekend tournament, Gianforte leapt out to an enviable early lead in the $10,000 Woodward Day Tournament with a pair of longshot winners at Saratoga. Though he would eventually get passed by Pete Manzo (menace), Gianforte would finish in a tie for third place – good for another grand to add to his brimming collection of four figure payoffs.

Simultaneously, Gianforte was playing in the $5,000 Woodward Day High Stakes Tournament, which featured exclusively Saratoga races. A week after taytay finished second to Gianforte, the tables were turned as that foe got the best of his rival in this tournament. But Gianforte’s runner-up finish was enough to get him – you guessed it – another $1,000 kitty.

Despite all the success at Saratoga, Gianforte would make a slight admission.

“I’m really more of a west coast guy,” he chuckled.

Gianforte has been into horse racing since 6^th grade when he was introduced to the sport by friends at a country club where he worked.

“I parlayed some small bets into $1,900,” reminisced Gianforte. “My mom told me then that that was the worst thing that could ever happen!”

Gianforte is an avid contest player and has already qualifier for next year’s NHC in Las Vegas, although he is seeking a second seat into that tournament. He has played in the championship event for the last seven or eight years, and had an improved showing last year.

When not handicapping, Gianforte can often be found playing golf, or spending time with his family which includes his wife of 35 years, three grown children, and many beloved grandchildren.

DerbyWars players might hope Gianforte chooses to spend some more time on the links. Because going up against pgn401 in the big DerbyWars tournaments has recently been a very daunting task.

A pair of astute horseplayers punched their tickets to Las Vegas for next year’s National Handicapping Championship after finishing 1-2 in DerbyWars’ first 2013 NHC Qualifier to award two seats to the world’s richest handicapping tournament.

Mark Hackworth (wonpoint618) of California came out the winner of Saturday’s NHC Qualifier, amassing a mythical bankroll of $79.40. He selected five winners from twelve contest races, including Travers Stakes winner Will Take Charge, which alone comprised $29.80 of the winning sum.

“My tournament strategy is that I do not have a tournament strategy,” Hackworth cagily noted, perhaps as to not tip his hand in advance of the NHC.

But Hackworth’s win almost didn’t happen.

“I had my work basically cancel on both the contest feeder and the NHC Qualifying spot, which normally does not happen,” Hackworth noted. “So I entered the contests at the last minute and figured it was meant to be, and it was meant to be.”

Hackworth changed his mind at the last minute before the Travers Stakes, switching to eventual winner Will Take Charge. It was after that score that Hackworth felt he had a solid chance of qualifying for a seat to the NHC. His confidence continued to grow as he went on to hit three of the final six races to cement his victory.

Runner-up Ryan Roberts (arroberts) also elaborated on his prognosticative process.

“The track was speed favoring all day, the turf and the dirt,” observed Roberts in response to how he arrived at his Saratoga picks. “Mentor Cane is super quick; he had schooled since his last race when he was a bit of a nutcase and Shirreffs is a good trainer. And Moreno came in with big speed figures; he figured like a logical play at a huge price. Of course it would have been better if he’d won!”

Even with his Saratoga bankroll contributions, Roberts still needed a strong late showing to secure the much coveted NHC Seat.

“Before the last race I was sitting in fifth about $9 back,” recalled Roberts. “I was trying to get second place, not to win the contest. Wild Dude was a logical horse that could sneak me in. I thought he would go off favored. In his only two starts he’d finished behind (Santa Anita Derby winner) Goldencents and (Southwest Stakes winner) Super Ninety Nine. I was just hoping nobody else took him!”

With Wild Dude’s win and none of Roberts’ close competitors blocking him with the same pick, his plan to sneak into the second position worked out swimmingly. And with that success will come his first chance to participate in the NHC.

“This is my first time qualifying to the NHC; I’m pretty excited!” exclaimed Roberts. “Everyone has told me to enjoy it and have fun.”

When asked about his contest strategy going into the NHC, Roberts said he would seek price horses but will use ‘logical’ horses in the absence of any live longshots.

It won’t be the first trip to the NHC for Hackworth, who ruefully recalled a most heartbreaking tournament experience in the 2009 NHC.

“The first day I was in the top 20 and did not know it until walking into elevator to my room,” Hackworth said. “On the second day, I was playing well and knew it, but I do not like to look at leaderboard for the most part.  So I went the whole day never looking at a score on final day until last race.  Anyhow, found out I was 20th or 21st.  I remember the 10 horse ran on Poly in Europe and was swayed to the #4 if memory serves me.  I knew the later horse would not get me in top 5 but I figured he would Win or Place and I would come home with a “Dime” or two. The #10 won and I learned a lesson for myself.  If I make it that far again, I may just play the less conservative play like the #10 in that last race of NHC 2009.”

Hackworth was introduced into racing by his parents over forty years ago and has been playing in handicapping contests for over five years; he joined DerbyWars about a year ago.

Roberts grew up right outside of Saratoga and for a time in his younger days worked for NYRA. He claims to have always been in the love with the sport since as early as age nine, recalling early race favorites Bet Twice and Houston. He has dabbled in handicapping contest play before, but really got into it this year with renewed determination.

Hackworth went on to dream about a win in the NHC.

“I enjoy early Porsches circa 1950’s and 60’s. I have owned many,” Hackworth noted. “A substantial monetary win would get an early ’61 356 Porsche restored sooner rather than later!”

All 21 Players Receive NHC Tour Points

For their efforts, all 21 players in Saturday’s DerbyWars NHC Qualifier received NHC Tour Points. In order to participate in Saturday’s event, players had to have securing a spot in the tournament through successfully competing in a prequalifying event in the weeks leading up to the tournament. Having won a prequalifying event, players are considered to have secured a sufficiently high finishing position to earn tour points on a schedule consistent with tournaments exceeding 300 participants.

Next DerbyWars NHC Qualifier: Labor Day, Monday, September 2

Prequalifying rounds to the next DerbyWars NHC Qualifier continue daily on DerbyWars, racing’s premier contest site. The next DerbyWars NHC Qualifier will be held on Labor Day, Monday, September 2. The contest will be identical to the most recent event held on Saturday, in that it will reward the top two finishers with prize packages set to include NHC seats, hotel accommodations and a travel stipend. As with this past weekend, all players who advance to the NHC Qualifier will receive NHC Tour points.

On Saturday, all eyes will be on Saratoga for the Travers Stakes in which the season’s best sophomores will match up for what promises to be a championship event. DerbyWars, racing’s premier contest site, will host a featured $10,000 Travers Day Contest to celebrate the event.

The tournament will start with Saratoga’s eighth race at 3:30pm EDT. The races set for inclusion in the contest are Saratoga races 8 through 14, and Del Mar races 1 through 5. The entry fee for the contest is $175 and the field is limited to the first 67 players to purchase entry on a first-come, first-served basis.

Players are tasked with placing mythical $2 Win-Place wagers on one horse of their choice in each contest race. Selections which win or place in contest races will add to players’ mythical bankrolls based on the pari-mutuel payouts of the races; win prices are capped at $32 and place prices are capped at $18. The player with the largest mythical bankroll at the conclusion of the contest is the winner.

The field for the ‘Midsummer Derby’ is highlighted by Kentucky Derby winner Orb, Belmont Stakes winner Palace Malice, and Haskell Invitational winner Verrazano. Others set for the Saratoga starting gate include Kentucky Derby runner-up Golden Soul, Rebel Stakes winner Will Take Charge, Dwyer Stakes winner Moreno, Virginia Derby winner War Dancer, and Curlin Stakes 1-2 finishers Transparent and Romansh, respectively.

Other stakes action happening at Saratoga on Saturday includes:

• The $500,000 Test Stakes (GI) featuring Prioress Stakes (GI) winner Lighthouse Bay, Spinaway Stakes (GI) winner So Many Ways and Coaching Club American Oaks (GI) runner-up My Happy Face.
• The $250,000 Ketel One Ballston Spa Stakes (GII) featuring Diana Stakes (GI) winner Laughing, Jenny Wiley Stakes (GI) winner Centre Court, Mint Julep Handicap (GIII) winner Miz Ida, and the highly accomplished Hungry Island.
• The $500,000 Foxwoods King’s Bishop Stakes (GI) featuring Forty Tales, winner of the Amsterdam (GII), Woody Stephens (GII) and Derby Trial (GIII), as well as Arkansas Derby (GI) winner Overanalyze, Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (GI) third-place finisher Capo Bastone, and Bay Shore (GIII) winner Declan’s Warrior.

New Players Welcome!

DerbyWars is horse racing’s premier digital contest platform, offering the best contest choices and simplest, friendliest contest environment!

Players can register for DerbyWars at www.DerbyWars.com. First time depositors can receive a cash bonus. For more details on DerbyWars NHC Qualifiers or any DerbyWars related inquiries, please email the DerbyWars support staff at support@derbywars.com.

Get $20 FREE on DerbyWars today!