Big prices put Avila over the top in Wynn qualifier

The Patriots weren't the only big winners over the weekend. Six players qualified for major tournament berths this weekend via DRF Tournaments.

On Saturday, two players received entries for the Wynn Challenge, which will be held Aug. 4-5 at the Wynn in Las Vegas. Many players love the Wynn contest because it focuses exclusively on Del Mar and Saratoga.

Jason Avila strafed the field on Saturday, putting up $140.90, most of which came in the first five races. He hit a cap horse in the second contest event with D'craziness ($64 for contest purposes) in Tampa's eighth and topped up with Summersault ($47.60) in Gulfstream's 10th. From there, he was able to go into defensive mode and he coasted in.

Anthony Grey ($109.70) also had D'craziness and things got a little interesting from there: He quickly added a few points with El Areeb in the Withers but then somehow neglected to enter picks in the next three races. He got back on top of things late and managed four collections in the last five races, including critical place points on Gangster ($4.40) in the anchor leg.

That ended up being just enough to hold off an unlucky Richard Roomey, who had the last winner Fabozzi ($23.80) but still fell $1.50 short of qualification. Roomey and fourth-place finisher Chris Fallica each receive $350 credits.

On Super Sunday, four players won their way into the Horse Player World Series, presented by Boyd Gaming, with its expected $1 million purse. The HPWS takes place March 30-April 1 at the Orleans Las Vegas.

Robert Crowe was the overall winner with $89 derived from five collections in the 12-race all-in format contest. His biggest price came in Tampa's seventh with Wicked Fun, who paid $42.40.

Joel Wincowski ran second with $83.40, which he accrued via seven collections. His biggest individual price came with Capital City ($22.40), but he secured his spot by hitting in three of the last five races.

Jerome Smith ($78.60) just chipped away throughout the contest, also connecting seven times. He got small points in the first three races and finished strong with place points in the penultimate race and by catching Summer Reading ($15.60) in the anchor leg for a third-place finish.

The fourth and final qualifier was Dan Zaretsky ($77.20). He cashed just three times, but Wicked Fun led him to victory.

Tournament action returns to DRFT on Wednesday, with a host of feeders, credit builders, and match-ups that will allow you to win in to the country's best tournaments for as little as $10, including next weekend's qualifier for the Del Mar Handicapping Challenge. For more information, check out tournaments.drf.com.