Horse Racing Tournament Talk: Weekend recap, upcoming, & big winners

It's time for our horse racing tournament talk. We will gather every week to discuss last weekend's tournaments, assess upcoming tournament potential and congratulate our weekend winners. Join us as we bring you everything you need to know about tournaments. 

Horse Racing Tournament Weekend Recap

The highlights from last week in TwinSpires Tournaments were the Preakness Preview Day Handicapping Challenge hosted by Laurel Park and the KDBC Qualifier at Keeneland on Saturday.

TwinSpires had 65 players playing in the Preakness Preview Day Handicapping Challenge and had the 4th and 5th place finishers with Matt Miller and Jackson Muniz. 

This weekend's big tournament winners

There were 85 entries in the Keeneland Qualifier, meaning eight KDBC seats were up for grabs! The top eleven players all converted their $500 starting bankroll to at least $2,000.

Michael Pacella took the win late with hitting both a big double and trifecta in the final race of the day to finish with a bankroll of $4,078.79! Pacella also finished third with his second entry and won two seats to the KDBC!

The other six KDBC seats went to Rockwood Edwards, Robert Dolan, Christy Moore, Daniel Edwards, Joseph Carnevale, and Todd Lane. Blake Desselle took home a nice consolation prize of $2,500 for finishing ninth. 

Upcoming Tournaments

This weekend highlights the start of Derby Week at Churchill Downs with a $1,000 KDBC Qualifier on Saturday! On Sunday, we are offering an $86 Bet and Set tournament at Churchill Downs that guarantees a KDBC seat to the winner!

General Tournament FAQ

How do horse racing tournaments even work?

Horse racing tournaments operate differently than standard parimutuel betting. Instead of wagering against the track's house pool, players compete against one another to earn the highest bankroll or point total within a specific set of races.

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT TOURNAMENTS

What are the different types of horse racing tournaments?

Feeders: Low buy-in, with a primary goal to win entry to a larger, more expensive, tournament.

NHC Qualifiers: Competitive, with the primary goal to earn a spot at National Horseplayers Championship.

Cash Games: The entry style is direct with the goal to win a percentage of the total entry-fee prize pool. 

How do you bet on horse racing tournaments?

Betting on horse racing tournaments is quick and easy through TwinSpires with plenty of ways to bet. 

• Click on any of our tournament lists that showcases upcoming tournaments.
• Check out our tournaments tab in the top menu navigation
• Or simply click here to discover everything you need to know about tournaments! 

What are the rules of horse racing tournaments?

These are general rules for Tournaments. CLICK HERE TO VIEW TWINSPIRES TOURNAMENT RULES!

• Most tournaments fall into two categories:
  • Mythical Bankroll: Utilizes a mythical budget that does not use real money.
  • Live Bankroll: Uses real money and your bankroll to place real bets. 
• Regardless of format, which are Mythical Bankroll versus Live Bankroll, these general rules still apply.
• Mandatory vs. Optional Races
  • Mandatory means you must place a bet on specific races. 
  • Optional means you have the freedom to choose which races to play from a provided list to reach a required total. 
• Wager Types: Most contests limit you to specific bet types. 
• Deadlines 
  • For Pick and Pray contests, selections must be locked in before the first race of the day.
  • Live formats can usually adjust your pick up until post time of each individual race.