Autumn Championship comes to Santa Anita

Live-bankroll contest action returns to the Great Race Place on Saturday with the Santa Anita Autumn Championship. The two-day contest requires a buy-in of $4,500, with $1,500 of that funding the prize pool and the other $3,000 acting as a bankroll.

With an expected field of 90 or more, players will be competing for well over $100,000 in prizes in the form of cash, National Handicapping Championship seats, and Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge seats. The winner will be eligible for a $1 million bonus should he or she go on to win the Breeders’ Cup contest in four weeks' time.

“We are looking forward to a great contest this weekend,” said Nate Newby, Santa Anita's vice president of marketing. “It’s the last chance to qualify for the $1 million bonus so I expect a solid turnout with some of the best players in the country. It’s perfect timing for a contest player to get hot and make a life-changing run.”

The only track included in the contest is Santa Anita. Players must bet a minimum of $300 per race on at least three races per day and handle at least their entire $3,000 over the course of the contest. There is no maximum bet size: Players can go all in at any time.

Permitted wagers are win, place, show, exacta, daily double, and trifecta. Santa Anita had eliminated trifectas in the previous contests in 2016, but they are back by popular demand. Doubles, included in Santa Anita contests for the first time in 2016, remain a part of the wagering menu. This is a potential boon to multi-race players who typically don’t have a horizontal option in handicapping contests.

DRF Tournaments ran qualifiers for the Santa Anita tournament and awarded 11 full entries and six partial entries. Players had the opportunity to win in to the qualifiers through low buy-in feeders and credit builders.

This weekend, players will have several interesting opportunities on DRF Tournaments. On Saturday, for a $300 entry fee, up to three players will win in to the BCBC directly. The contest, which is expected to sell out, will award one BCBC package, which includes full buy-in and $500 in travel, for every 41 entries.

On Sunday, for $162, horseplayers will compete for up to three packages for the National Handicapping Championship. Winning packages include an entry to the NHC, with its expected $2.5 million purse, $1,000 in travel, plus a four-night stay at Treasure Island, the NHC host hotel.

Also on Sunday, $225 gets you an entry to the Gulfstream Conquer the Crown qualifier. One winning package, which includes $3,000 buy-in plus $500 in travel, will be awarded for every 18 entries. The Conquer the Crown contest takes place Dec. 3, the opening of Gulfstream’s Championship Meet, in conjunction with the Claiming Crown races.

Additionally, DRFT will be running feeders, credit builders, and matchup contests throughout the weekend. Check out tournaments.drf.com for more information.