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:

You pick just one horse (plus an alternate selection in that same race) from the day’s card, and if that one selection finishes first, second or third, you advance to the next racing day. The contest ends when there is just one “Survivor” remaining. That person takes the entire prize pool. If there are multiple survivors at the end of the Saratoga meeting (September 7), the pot will get shared equally among all such players.

Some important details:

Each day’s action will take place in “All-Optional Live” format, meaning you can enter your daily selection right up until that race closes here at HorseTourneys (roughly when half of the field has been loaded). So you can study the toteboard before committing to a selection.

While you may consider short fields to be “your friend” in Survivor contests, this may not always be the case. To advance in our Super Survivor contest with a 3rd-place finisher, there must be Show wagering offered on the race. To advance with a 2nd-place finisher, Place wagering must be offered. It is incumbent on you, the player, to be aware of any late-breaking developments (e.g. late scratches) that could unexpectedly eliminate Place or Show wagering.

Scratches are treated just the same as in all of our other tourneys—a scratched selection moves your pick to your chosen alternate selection. If both your main and alternate picks get scratched, you move to the post-time favorite.

Note that whether you play the $50-buy-in game or the $250 one, there is a limit of three entries per account. 

And if you don’t want to risk $250 or even $50, there are feeders available right now that will enable you to earn a place in a July 3 Super Survivor “starting gate” for as little as $12. 

Since you only put up the one entry fee prior to the start of the first day, there is the potential here for a lot of bang for your buck. In the interest of full disclosure, however, there is also the potential for a lot of nervousness. Things can go always go wrong at any moment— at the start, at the finish and even in the stewards’ booth.

Good luck on Friday—and thereafter—to all of you who dare to outwit, outplay and outlast.