Free chance at qualifying for BCBC

There’s a new way to win in to the Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge and it’s absolutely free. Today, The Breeders’ Cup announced that entries are open now for a free, online handicapping tournament will be held on the DRF Tournaments site on Sunday, Aug. 28.

The grand prize winner will receive an automatic $10,000 entry into the 2016 Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge (BCBC), racing’s most important live-bankroll handicapping event.

“The Free Roll Tournament gives fans a chance to experience the fun and excitement of online tournaments at no cost and provides the ultimate reward of playing in the Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge for an estimated $1,000,000 in cash prizes,” said Tim Schram, BCBC Tournament Director.

Recently the Breeders’ Cup approached DRF Tournaments, the exclusive home for BCBC online qualifying through BCQualify events, about the idea of hosting a free contest to increase attention and raise awareness about the contest.

“It’s a great opportunity to work together and expose a new audience to the BCBC and our DRF Tournaments platform,” said DRF Tournaments vice president Ken Kirchner.

Sunday’s “Free Roll Tournament” will be the first-ever free online qualifying event for the BCBC. The tournament is limited to one entry per person and capped at 5,000 total entries. More information and tournament rules can be found at www.BreedersCup.com/FreeRoll.

Now in its eighth year, the Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge crowns the winner with the highest accumulated bankroll at the end of the two-day Breeders’ Cup World Championships, which will be held this year at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., Nov. 4-5. The 2016 BCBC will have an estimated prize pool of more than $1 million based on a minimum of 400 entries. Permitted wagers at the BCBC are win, place, show, exacta, and trifecta.

The Free Roll Tournament winner will also receive a $500 travel voucher to compete live at BCBC host tournament site, Santa Anita Park. The Free Roll winner can also choose to play at official BCBC tournament satellite locations – Aqueduct, Gulfstream Park, or Churchill Downs.

In addition to the grand prize, the next 20 top finishers in the Breeders’ Cup Free Roll Tournament will each receive 50 DRF site credits. Those credits can be used in qualifying events for future BCQ contests, as well as qualifying events for the National Handicapping Championship and other contests at DRF partner tracks including Gulfstream and Santa Anita. Players must be 18 or over to compete and must sign up for a DRF Tournaments account.

The contest will utilize the popular all-in format, where all picks must be in before the scheduled post time of the contest’s first race. The races, which are expected to be divided between Saratoga and Del Mar, will be announced Thursday night.