World Championship of Handicapping kicks off in two weeks

There are just over two weeks until the inaugural World Championship of Handicapping, Daily Racing Form’s online tournament that’s happening exclusively at tournaments.drf.com. There is no takeout in the WCH – the entire prize pool will be returned to the contestants. Each entry costs $5,000.

The tournament will allow 200 entries total and the purse will be $5,000 times the final number entries. Should the tournament achieve full participation of 200, that means there will be $1 million on offer. So far, just over 60 players have qualified. Seats, which are limited to three per person, are on sale now through the DRF store: https://shop.drf.com/wch-entry.

Here is a review of how the rules will work for the WCH:

On Saturday, Feb. 3, participants will play 15 mandatory races in the live-format, mythical $2 win-place. Based on performance, 50 percent will advance to day two (Feb. 4), when bankrolls will carry forward. In event of ties, both entries advance. If there’s an odd number of entries, the “extra” will advance (i.e., if there are 149 entries, 75 will move to day two).

On Sunday, Feb. 4, there will be two segments. In segment one, all remaining participants will play eight races in which 50 percent of the field will advance to the finals (same rules for ties and odd entries apply). Bankrolls will again be carried over to the final seven-race segment, where a champion will be crowned.

The races will be chosen by DRF and announced approximately 48 hours in advance (Thursday afternoon for Saturday and Friday for Sunday). The tracks used will depend on the projected weather and quality of the races, but it seems logical to expect some combination of Aqueduct, Gulfstream, Oaklawn, and Santa Anita in the mix, again depending on weather and quality.

Players still have several opportunities to win their way into the WCH. This Saturday there will be a Grade 1 qualifier, where players put up $580 and one in 10 will win $5,000 buy-ins. There are also feeders for those looking to get in at a lower price point.

Be on the lookout at tournaments.drf.com for more information about qualifying opportunities for the WCH.