The new contest on Public Handicapper is about to begin. Public Handicapper is a free contest site owned by Daily Racing Form that helps horseplayers stay active and learn all year long. There are three contests run annually on PH: the Winter of Our Discontent Holiday Handicap, which is about to start; the PH prep, which covers many of the key Triple Crown prep races; and the PH Challenge, a six-month marathon that runs from Kentucky Oaks Day through the Breeders’ Cup. The winter contest, which runs through Jan. 27, has a top prize of $100. Players can earn a 30-day subscription to DRF PPs for the best monthly record, and if they can pick four winners in any week, they win a 10-card Formulator subscription. Here’s how the contest works: PH designates four weekend races (usually Saturdays) each week. They are typically the best stakes races available. Players have the option of passing on races or making a mythical $2 win bet. Every player starts with zero, and winning mutuels are added to the total. The bankroll can go below zero as well, and $2 is deducted for every losing wager. Another cool feature of the site is that players have the option to read and write analyses of the races, just like actual public handicappers. Many contest players have gained valuable learning experience as a result of their time making and reading about races at PH. Perhaps the best benefit of the winter contest is the way it keeps players involved throughout the long winter. “Something about playing only four races a week works for a lot of people,” said PH founder Scott Carson. “It keeps them in the game without a huge time commitment. When they are ready for more, they join DRF Tournaments.” To date, this is the only handicapping contest whose name comes from a Shakespearean quote. Carson said: “The Winter of Our Discontent is inspired by Richard III, who said, ‘A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!’ The great thing is that the contest does exactly the opposite. There is good racing at Santa Anita and Gulfstream, and that keeps us content.” For more about Public Handicapper, go to www.publichandicapper.com. ◗ This weekend’s featured contest on DRF Tournaments is a Grade 1 qualifier for the World Championship of Handicapping, a $1 million, no-takeout contest that will take place online Feb. 3-4. Saturday’s event costs $580 to play, and one in 10 entries will advance to the WCH. Plenty of players just go ahead and buy their entries for $580, but entries can also be won for lower amounts. Many players look to feed into the Grade 1’s for $95 in first-round contests. One in seven entries go forward. Players looking to get involved at a lower cost can also feed into the first-round events for as little as $11. There is an array of other contest options as well, including winner-takes-all events, credit builders, and matchups. Matchups are a great option for newer players because as the name suggests, all you have to do is beat one other player. They can provide a day’s action for a small cost and are a great learning experience. For more information, including a list of all the games happening this weekend at DRFT, go to tournaments.drf.com. :: Get extended Cyber Monday discounts on PPs, digital subscriptions, and more!