Horse Racing Tournament Talk: Weekend recap, upcoming horse racing tourney's, & big winners [Feb 28 - March 1]

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.
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Horse Racing Tournament Weekend Recap
The highlight from last week in TwinSpires Tournaments was the last chance to qualify for this year’s NHC through TwinSpires with the Saturday KDBC/NHC Qualifier at Oaklawn Park.
This weekend's horse racing tournaments' big winners
There were 64 entries in that qualifier, meaning four KDBC seats and two NHC seats were up for grabs! Justin Mustari hit an all-in Win bet early in the card and held strong to take the win and NHC seat.
Andrew Zabowski made a late charge moving up six spots in the leaderboard in the final race to take second place and a KDBC seat. Barry Barrios finished third and took the other NHC seat, while the remaining KDBC seats went to Matt Trommer, Michael Pitonzo, and Clay Sanders. Steve Terelak took home a nice consolation prize of $1,000 for finishing in seventh.
🏆 BIG WINNER 🏆
— TwinSpires Racing 🏇 (@TwinSpires) February 24, 2026
Friday @fairgroundsnola, David Stiles converted his $30 starting bankroll into $646.10 in the TwinSpires cash tournament!
He also won a cash prize of $286!
Get involved with TwinSpires Tournaments and you too can #RaceToVictory ⤵️ https://t.co/18h05UM5z5 pic.twitter.com/ivS69qsPrE
Upcoming Tournaments
This weekend highlights the $800 Rebel KDBC Qualifier on Sunday at Oaklawn Park and there will be not one but two Bonus feeders into that event this weekend at Oaklawn Park!
Live-Money Contest Talk: The Leaderboard Show with HHH Racing Podcast, Episode 13
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.
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