There is big money on the line at DRF Tournaments this weekend in the form of entries to major upcoming handicapping contests. Saturday in particular looks to be a banner day on DRFT, with chances to win into the Pegasus World Cup Betting Championship, the Del Mar Fall Challenge and the Keeneland Challenge. The biggest game will send at least one player to the Pegasus contest, a $12,000 live-bank event on Jan. 25-26 at Gulfstream Park. All the prize money for the Pegasus contest is added by the house, making it a phenomenal opportunity for players. There is no entry fee – that entire $12,000 will act as a live bankroll for the two days. For Saturday’s qualifier, players put up $960, with one in 15 entries winning their $12,000 buy-ins plus $500 in travel money. The Del Mar qualifier costs $580 to play and one in 10 entries will receive prize packages worth $5,000 – that’s an entry to Del Mar, plus $500 in travel. The Del Mar contest is Nov. 10-11 at Del Mar. Keeneland’s contest is the next major event on the docket. It takes place Sunday, Oct. 14 and is a $3,000 live-bank contest. Players looking to qualify on Saturday must put up $410, with one in 10 entries receiving their Keeneland seat plus $500. It should be noted that Keeneland will also be offering a $400 live-bank game Saturday, Oct 13, so there are plenty of reasons for contest players to target that weekend in Lexington. The action continues Sunday with qualifiers for the Orleans Fall Classic – a three-day, mythical-money contest at the Orleans Las Vegas on Oct. 11-13. That qualifier costs just $120, and one in 10 will win their $500 buy-ins plus an additional $500 in travel. Last, but not least, Sunday will see a Grade 1 qualifier for DRF’s World Championship of Handicapping, a $5,000 online contest with no takeout in the finals set for sometime in 2019. The qualifier costs $580, with one in 10 advancing to the finals. ◗ Speaking of contests, the last time there was a quintet this hot Miles Davis was fronting it. Santa Anita, which opens this weekend, has announced five contests that will take place during the fall meet. The first is Saturday, the Opening Weekend Challenge, and it costs $500 to play. Next weekend there will be two $3,000 contests, one each day. There will be another $500 game Saturday, Oct. 20, and they’ll round things out with the Closing Day Betting Challenge, another $3,000 contest, on Sunday, Nov. 4. Keep in mind that players also have the opportunity to play the Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge from the comfort of Santa Anita. For more information go to www.santaanita.com/handicapping-contests or contact Nate Newby of Santa Anita. They just keep getting younger Hudson Davis, a 20-year-old college student, is an interesting DRF Tournaments story. Davis is new to contests, which isn’t at all surprising when you consider that he’s pretty much new to everything. But the University of Utah underclassman has taken to tournaments in a big way, playing online anywhere under-21 players are allowed. “What I like most about contests is that they provide a way of combining skill with strategy along with the willingness to make a price play,” he said. “Contests are always a great self-evaluator on how well you are handicapping as they make you pick one single horse to represent your opinion for the whole race.” Like many players, he sees contests as a great learning tool that will help make him a better player. “I think the contests themselves are important to my play because they give me a chance to break through to the top level of handicapping.” That’s just what he’s in the process of doing. He started off in a $24 feeder for the Del Mar Challenge. He finished in the top five there, thus winning his $95 seat for the round-one feeder. A top finish in that event meant he won his $580 seat for the Del Mar qualifier on Saturday. “My strategy going into the recent feeders was just finding the value,” he said. “I’m not afraid to take a $4 horse if I think nobody else has a shot to win. These last contests, however, I was carried by a series of 7-2 shots all the way to winners at 10-1 and 15-1.” Many players his age would feel intimidated going up against the biggest names in the tournament world, but that’s not how he sees it. “I think ‘intimidated’ is the wrong way to put it, but I do get a little star struck,” he admitted. “A smile or two has definitely formed across my face from playing against or beating others that I follow on Twitter or see on the big screen.” You may also think that a younger player might tend to be more computer oriented, but that’s not the case. “My handicapping process is usually as simple as pen and paper,” he explained. “I use the Daily Racing Form to generate my interpretations of a horse’s past performances, adjust numbers accordingly, and assign them a figure of my own. “Last weekend was a little bit surreal,” he continued. “To start with a $24 buy-in and now have the potential to win a spot in one of the bigger tournaments of the fall is an opportunity I’m definitely looking forward to.” No matter what happens this weekend, Davis is a player to watch, and his current journey might not be over yet.