There are few names I’ve typed more in recent weeks than “Jason Lancaster”. He’s been on a roll of late. Many successful players around here do a good job of hunting longshots to rocket up a leaderboard. Lancaster seems to take the opposite approach.
After coming up with one place collection during the first two races of Wednesday’s $5,000 Guaranteed cash tourney, Lancaster went on to sweep the rest of the card—eight winners in a row! The biggest of those was Long Legged Queen ($15.32, $7.12) in the 7th at Belmont, and Lancaster prevailed to take home the first-place check of $3,266 in a game ultimately worth $7,258.
Fast forward to the final day of the featured-tourney week, Sunday. Lancaster didn’t finish first in the day’s $1,000, 1-per-11 Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge Super Qualifier, but he did well enough to accomplish his goal of gaining a $10,000 seat. And his strategy was much the same as the one he employed on Wednesday.
There were enough entrants signed on for three entries to be awarded. The top two finishers—Ted “Forbidden” Apple (3 wins, 3 places) and Joseph Zuer (3W, 0P)—each hit Howgreatisnate ($34.40, $16.60) in the 9th at Laurel. Howgreatisnate was one of two $30.00+ horses out there on Sunday. Lancaster had neither of them. In fact, his most lucrative win price was $6.80. So how did he manage to finish third? How else? By accumulating a bushel basket of such horses—seven winners and two runners up, to be precise. There’s always more than one way to skin a cat around here.
Rewinding back to Wednesday, Hector Ramirez took the more conventional approach of prospering via the day’s biggest-priced winner.
That horse was Me Governor ($25.32, $9.96) in race 6 at Keeneland, and the victory gave Ramirez (2 wins, 3 places) the opportunity to make a victory speech at the conclusion of Wednesday’s qualifier to the Pick & Pray Classic—a $200,000 guaranteed event taking place here on December 5-6. The Pick & Pray Classic serves as the fifth and final leg of the 2026 HT Champions Series.
Thursday’s Pick & Pray Classic qualifier went to the inaugural Pick & Pray Classic champion Mark Stillmock, who reigned over the contest during its 2024 inception.
Stillmock (3 wins, 1 place) had the horse that was common to the scorecards of all who earned Thursday grand prizes—Kiplin ($44.56, $15.16) in race 6 at Keeneland.
Kiplin was the best part of a 2-win, 2-place day for Bobby Shoemaker.
The other “best part” of Shoemaker’s day was collecting $3,639 for capturing Thursday’s $6,000 Gtd. Pick & Pray, which closed with a final pot of $8,087.
On Thursday, we awarded the first three of 17 Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge seats that were won during the final full week of qualifying for the world’s most prestigious live-bankroll betting contest.
One went to Matt Weikel, who counted Kiplin among the 2 wins and 3 places he amassed during the $179 qualifier at HorsePlayers.
The other BCBC qualifier on Thursday was a $500 Low Ratio Pick & Pray.
Gary Blair (3 wins, 2 places) and recent Spa & Surf Showdown champion Mike Yurczyk (4W, 0P) got the $10,000 seats in this one. They both backed Kiplin.
Three more BCBC seats flew out the door on Friday.
Ken Jordan (3 wins, 2 places) and 2025 New York New York Challenge champion Anthony “ATM” Mattera (5W, 0P) were the two to earn $10,000 scholarships in Friday’s Low Ratio get- together at HorsePlayers. Jordan did his best work with Noble Minded ($38.80, $14.40) in the 4th at Santa Anita. Mattera’s most lucrative return came from Cynical Humor ($16.96, $7.92) in race 10 at Keeneland.
Noble Minded was one of six winners selected by Robert Iacono.
Iacono topped the leaderboard in Friday’s $179 BCBC qualifier at HorsePlayers.
There were three ticket punchers in the other Friday feature at HorsePlayers—a $70 NHC qualifier.
The redoubtable G.T. Nixon finished second, but he was already double qualified and, thus, playing strictly for NHC Tour points. That left the Vegas packages to the 1st-, 3rd- and 4th-place finishers Rick “Voodoo” Dahl (5 wins, 1 place), Tom “Hit ‘em where they” Arndt (4W, 1P) and Tarik Kouchtaf (5W, 0P). They all smoked out Noble Minded.
Noble Minded was also on the scoresheet of Bryan Ingram back here at HorseTourneys.
Ingram (3 firsts, 2 seconds) bagged the up-top money of $9,532 in Friday’s HT Tour battle, our $15,000 Gtd. Pick & Pray, which had a final prize pool of $21,182.
Marc Racenstein secured the $1,500 berth in Friday’s Pick & Pray Classic play-in.
Cynical Humor gave Racenstein his biggest boost among 5 winners and 2 runners up.
Michael Caposio drove the $1,500 entry off the lot in Saturday’s Pick & Pray Classic qualifier.
Don’t Tell Deren ($24.80, $11.00) in the 8th at Laurel was the most lucrative selection for Caposio, who recorded 4 winners—all of which came during the first six contest heats.
Tom Lenberg (5 wins, 0 places) and this year’s Flo-Cal Faceoff champion Tory Cameron (4W, 2P) each connected with Don’t Tell Deren.
Lenberg and Cameron will now be in the field for this weekend’s Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge after running one-two in Saturday’s $500 Low Ratio qualifier at HorsePlayers.
They may have invested a little more, but Daniel Taylor (6 wins, 1 place) and Rocky Hardy (3W, 1P) also emerged with $10,000 seats on Saturday. They were the top two in the day’s $1,000 BCBC Super Qualifier at HorsePlayers.
Don’t Tell Deren was also the big horse for this successful duo.
The biggest victorious longshot on Saturday was not Don’t Tell Deren, however. It was cap horse King’s River ($100.60, $53.40) in the 10th at Laurel. King’s River was one of four winners unearthed by Kyle Markowski.
Markowski got the $10,000 spot in Saturday’s $179 BCBC qualifier at HorsePlayers.
King’s River was the highlight of a 3-win, 1-place afternoon for John J. Thompson.
Thompson banked the $12,620 grand prize in our richest tourney of the week, Saturday’s $25,000 Gtd. Pick & Pray (an HT Tour test). No word on whether Thompson keeps a white towel over his shoulder while competing.
Sunday’s cash-game hero was Vince LaRocco (4 wins, 3 places).
As noted “at the top of the broadcast,” there were two $30.00 horses on Sunday, and LaRocco found his way to both of them—Howgreatisnate ($34.40, $16.60) in the 9th at Laurel and Juliet on Approach ($33.46, $15.00) in the final contest race, the 9th at Belmont. LaRocco cashed for $12,107 in Sunday’s HT Tour contest, our $20,000 Gtd. Pick & Pray, which closed with a final purse of $26,906. Howgreatisvince?
Craig “Home Sweet” Hom (4 wins, 2 places) and Raj Satyan (4W, 0P) also saw the merits in Howgreatisnate.
Hom and Satyan reeled in the two available $1,500 seats in Sunday’s qualifier for the Pick & Pray Classic.
Chad Swift thought Howgreatisnate was pretty great.
“The great one” was one of four winners doped out by Swift, who garnered the Vegas package in Sunday’s $155 NHC qualifier at HorsePlayers. This tourney was restricted to those who had yet to land a 2027 seat.
Sunday’s $500 NHC Low Ratio qualifier was open to all.
The top two finishers were Jeff Joffrion and Mike Lazarus—who were both already double qualified. That left the Vegas spot to 3rd-place finisher Dave Gray (3 firsts, 3 seconds). Late winner Juliet on Approach was the star of Gray’s stable.
In Sunday’s Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge Low Ratio play-in, there were three winners.
Congratulations to Mark Wilgard (3 wins, 1 place), “Pistol” Pete Acocella (also 3W, 1P) and Chris Mroz (3W, 2P). Like Vince LaRocca, Wilgard managed to collect on both Howgreatisnate and Juliet On Approach. Acocella scored with the former. Mroz hit the latter.
Two important notes regarding the important week ahead:
If you’re still hoping to win your way into the BCBC, note that our final qualifier for it will be held on Wednesday. It will be a 12-race, Live-format event carrying a $750 entry fee. One per 15 will win.
It will close at 2:55 pm ET, and the contest races will be the 6th through 9th at Parx, races 5 through 8 at Belmont and the 5th through 8th at Horseshoe Indianapolis.
Whether you play in the BCBC or not, you will also want to check out our three Pick & Prays during the Breeders’ Cup. There’s a Friday full-card game for a $395 entry fee, a Saturday full-card game for $600 and a two-day, 14-race, Breeders’ Cup race-only tourney for $600. The pots have grown nicely thus far.
At the behest of Breeders’ Cup, we are only allowed to offer these tourneys as Pick & Prays that carry no purse guarantees. However, for those of you who prefer the Pick & Pray format…or who are busy this weekend and can’t be glued to the races throughout…or who just love the $2 win/place competition here, you can see your name on an exciting and worthwhile leaderboard without having to invest five figures.
If you play in the BCBC or one of our events, or all of the above, we wish you good luck. And even if you don’t play, we hope you have a wonderful Breeders’ Cup weekend.
