The final margin of victory wasn’t much—just 24 cents—but that scant difference delivered a monstrous payday of $196,057 to Mike Yurczyk in the 8th annual Spa & Surf Showdown here at HorseTourneys.

HorseTourneys has intentionally chosen a payout philosophy that emphasizes meaningful top prizes in our major tournaments.

We recognize that reasonable people can disagree on payout structures, and that some players prefer flatter distributions that award a larger percentage of the field. We respect that viewpoint. However, our experience over many years has been that players are attracted to tournaments that offer truly significant winning opportunities and headline-level payouts.

Our goal is not simply to distribute prize money as broadly as possible. Rather, it is to create tournaments that generate excitement, attract participation, and provide the opportunity for transformative scores. Maintaining major prizes of $100,000 or more helps differentiate our tournaments, drives interest in the platform, and ultimately supports larger prize pools for all participants.

It is also worth noting that while payout structures are often debated, HorseTourneys’ major event payouts are not unusually top-heavy when compared to many successful tournament formats in poker, daily fantasy sports, and other competitive gaming contests. In larger fields, multiple finishing positions are paid, and first-place awards generally fall within the range commonly seen in other tournament-based industries. Our approach reflects a balance between rewarding top performance and preserving the type of headline prizes that attract participation and help grow overall prize pools.

While payout philosophies will always vary, the current structure is intentional and reflects our long-term view of what best serves the overall health and growth of the tournament ecosystem. 

We appreciate the feedback we receive from players and understand that not every payout philosophy will appeal equally to every participant. Our objective is to strike a balance that supports both competitive tournament play and the continued growth of the platform.

McKay Smith
President
HorseTourneys.com

On Friday and Saturday, David Nelson turned a couple of strong handicapping days into a couple of exciting contest months to come.

Official statement from McKay Smith, President, HorseTourneys.com:

“News accounts today reported that the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) has made charges against Marshall Gramm, contending that he obtained non-public horse-health information from the HISA portal from early May to mid-June of this year and that he engaged in a variety of thoroughbred industry activities during that same period, including participating in handicapping contests.”

“For the record, Mr. Gramm has not engaged in any paid activity at HorseTourneys/HorsePlayers since March 30, 2025. In 2026, he did participate in two free NHC qualifying tournaments, which were available to all members of the 2026 NHC Tour. The two such contests took place on May 7 and July 26. He finished unplaced in both of those events.”

The handicapping marksmanship of “Pistol” Pete Acocella was on full display last weekend. He hit the target two times on Saturday and twice more on Sunday.

William “23” Sadoo hit 47-1 shot Take a Stance ($96.20, $36.22) in Sunday’s first contest race, the 6th at Saratoga, and that led to a lot of winning for the Pennsylvanian-turned-Californian.

Handicapping is difficult enough that any good day is worth celebrating. William McMillan didn’t have just one day to feel happy about, though. He was on a near-weeklong heater.

It began on Thursday.

Almost all of the Saturday and Sunday Featured Tourneys last weekend were conducted in Live format. However, when Temecula, Calif., car dealer Michael Caposio plays Live games here, he typically treats them like Pick & Prays. On Sunday, that method worked extremely well for him.

I have no reason to believe that Evan Trommer is a selfish person. However, he certainly hijacked the Fourth of July—at least around here at HorseTourneys.

With the Saratoga meet set to begin on Friday, July 3, we will once again be offering a Super Survivor tourney like we have done previously for Keeneland and Gulfstream—except that, this time around, there will be two such games available to play. One with the customary one-time entry fee of $50, and one with a buy-in of $250. So choose your pleasure. Or choose them both.

For those of you unfamiliar with our Super Survivor tourneys, here’s how they work: