Tournament season never really slows down, and the next few weekends have plenty for the contest crowd. Here’s a quick look at where to play — this Saturday and right on through the heart of the summer.
This Saturday, June 27
Laurel Park — De Francis Day Challenge. Laurel rolls out one of its signature cards of the year with De Francis Dash Day, paired with a live-bankroll handicapping challenge. It’s a $500 buy-in ($250 to your bankroll, $250 to the prize pool), and the prizes are serious: a full Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge (BCBC) seat, two National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) seats, and cash. Play on-site (registration 11 AM–1 PM Saturday) or online via Xpressbet, TVG/4NJBETS or HPI — online players must pre-register by 3:00 PM ET Friday, June 26.
TwinSpires — $3,500 Stephen Foster Betting Challenge. Over at Churchill Downs, TwinSpires hosts its featured Saturday tournament on Stephen Foster day: a $3,500 buy-in with a $2,500 live bankroll, a guaranteed $15,000 cash pool, and a stack of seats — two BCBC, three KDBC and two NHC, with more KDBC seats added as the field grows. Entries close 4:00 PM ET Saturday, and it’s worth TwinSpires Tour points. If that’s rich for your blood, the same lobby carries lower-cost feeders (including a $200 Belmont at the Big A feeder) to get you in the game.
And don’t forget our own: the ITM HorsePlayers Tour. We run a Friday feeder on HorsePlayers.com that funnels into Saturday’s BCBC qualifier — and this one benefits Breeders’ Cup charities. The structure rewards you twice over: the top four in every weekly feeder punch a ticket to our season-ending Playoffs, we award a BCBC qualifier seat for every ten entries, and the Playoff champion gets a $10,000 BCBC seat added by ITM at no extra cost. You can win both from a single entry.
Enter the ITM HorsePlayers Tour feeder →
Mark the Calendar: The Big Summer Dates
A few marquee contests are worth circling now so you can plan your bankroll around them:
July 18 — $1,000 Haskell Handicapping Challenge (Monmouth Park). Played online on Haskell day, the biggest day of the New Jersey racing year. A natural for anyone keying on the Grade 1 Haskell, itself a “Win and You’re In” for the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
August 8 — $500 Whitney Day Monmouth/Saratoga Contest. On-site or online, spanning two of the best summer cards going on Whitney day.
August 29 — $800 Travers Day Monmouth/Saratoga Contest. The Midsummer Derby headlines a loaded Saratoga card — a player’s holiday, and a contest to match.
Contests are at the core of what we do here at ITM — the camaraderie, the strategy, the shot at a life-changing score. Whether you’re chasing an NHC or BCBC seat or just want a sweat with friends, there’s a tournament with your name on it. For our weekly slate and full details, keep an eye on the ITM contest newsletter, and we’ll see you on the leaderboard.
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