TwinSpires.com announces Royal Ascot Challenge Series

TwinSpires.com, the official online betting partner of the Kentucky Derby, is expanding its repertoire of tournaments to an iconic event on the international stage – Royal Ascot.

On each day of the prestigious meeting, June 17-21, 2025, TwinSpires.com’s Royal Ascot Challenge Series will offer horseplayers opportunities to compete for cash prizes as well as potential seats at upcoming tournaments. All Royal Ascot tournaments will be live bankroll that allow Win, Place, Exacta, and Trifecta wager types.

The first four tournaments, scheduled for Tuesday, June 17, through Friday, June 20, will serve as Royal Ascot “feeders” for the grand finale, the Royal Ascot Challenge on Saturday, June 21. Prizes for the Royal Ascot Challenge include cash and a potential seat in the June 28 Stephen Foster Betting Challenge (SFBC) on an action-packed closing weekend at Churchill Downs, the home of the Kentucky Derby.

Darin Zoccali, Director of Loyalty and Retention at TwinSpires, commented on the exciting extension of tournament play into the international arena:

“Each year American horseplayers have become increasingly interested in the Royal Ascot meet, and at TwinSpires we have seen that enthusiasm reflected in both player engagement and wagering handle on Ascot. 

“TwinSpires Tournaments in partnership with Ascot is thrilled to announce the inaugural Royal Ascot Challenge Series. Each day of the meet, we will offer a tournament with cash prizes and the potential to unlock seats into the $500 Royal Ascot Challenge on Saturday, June 21st, as well as the $3,000 Stephen Foster Betting Challenge on Saturday, June 28th. 

“We hope the players are as excited as we are as this has the potential to expand TwinSpires Tournaments even further into the international racing landscape.”

Here are the details for the Royal Ascot Challenge Series:
 

• Tuesday, June 17 - $150 buy-in ($100 bankroll/$50 prize pool) - $35 of prize pool goes towards cash prizes and $15 of prize pool goes towards seats – 33 entries needed to give away a seat to Saturday (otherwise a full cash tournament)
• Wednesday, June 18 - $150 buy-in ($100 bankroll/$50 prize pool) - $35 of prize pool goes towards cash prizes and $15 of prize pool goes towards seats – 33 entries needed to give away a seat to Saturday (otherwise a full cash tournament)
• Thursday, June 19 - $100 buy-in ($75 bankroll/$25 prize pool) - $15 of prize pool goes towards cash prizes and $10 of prize pool goes towards seats – 50 entries needed to give away a seat to Saturday (otherwise a full cash tournament)
• Friday, June 20 - $200 buy-in ($150 bankroll/$50 prize pool) - $35 of prize pool goes towards cash prizes and $15 of prize pool goes towards seats – 33 entries needed to give away a seat to Saturday (otherwise a full cash tournament)
• Saturday, June 21 - $500 buy-in ($350 bankroll/$150 prize pool) - $100 of prize pool goes towards cash prizes and $50 of prize pool goes towards seats – 60 entries needed to give away seat to Stephen Foster Betting Challenge (otherwise a full cash tournament)

Jeremy Jones of TwinSpires highlighted the significance of bringing together bettors of diverse interests. Regular tournament players, and those more focused on racing abroad, can tackle the challenge of Royal Ascot handicapping in the tournament milieu. 

“We are excited to provide tournament players with the ability to compete at one of the best international racing events with the Royal Ascot meet,” Jones said. “We also are excited to introduce handicappers who follow international racing into the tournament scene with TwinSpires and allow them to use their skills to compete for a little extra cash on top of their wagers.”

Registration is now open for the Royal Ascot Challenge Series. To register, and see the official rules, visit Twinspires.com/bet/tournaments. 

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