With the bulk of the Saturday and Sunday featured events run in Live format, multiple winners were in shorter supply this week. We still had a couple of them, however, and as we all know by now, surprisingly good performances can pop up just about anywhere. 

A great example is what Raymond Riley accomplished on Friday.

We challenge you to come up with a word that the handicapping contest world likes more than “challenge”. It seems to be kind of a go-to word when christening a tournament…or contest…and not without some reason, given that putting up a four-figure entry fee is sometimes a challenge in itself. 

There’s a 1960 episode of The Twilight Zone called “A Most Unusual Camera” in which three thieves come into possession of a camera that takes and immediately prints out pictures that are five minutes into the future. So where do they go with it? Where else? To the track!

Contest Players have their first opportunity on Sunday to qualify for Memorial Day’s Lone Star Million Betting Challenge—which caps off three consecutive days of NHC qualifiers down in the Dallas Metroplex. (Things should have warmed up down there by then, we hope.) That qualifier is just one of 25 marquee games on tap this weekend. 

Two weekends ago, a preponderance of Pick & Prays prompted a plethora of multiple winners. Still, no one had a day then like Michael “The Coach” Goodrich had this past Saturday.

Presidents Day means four days of featured-tourney weekend action rather than the usual three. Sprinkled into the mix are two new offerings on Saturday and one on Sunday. 

We kick things off, though, on Friday—and, relatively speaking, it’s a pretty loaded schedule.

For the second consecutive year, The BIG One — racing’s “High Expectation Tournament” — will be hosted online here at HorseTourneys rather than onsite at its traditional home, Laurel Park.

A reflection of the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, the decision to keep the event online for another year means that The BIG One will again have one of the most player-friendly prize structures of any contest in the country.

The vast majority of featured tourneys were Pick & Prays this week at HorseTourneys. That often means that we see a few multiple winners who play the same set of 10 or 12 horses in more than one event. Last week we saw more than a few.

There’s a big showdown on Sunday between Kansas City and Tampa Bay. You’ll note, though, that NFL organizers wisely decided to start the game late enough (6:30 pm ET) so that it wouldn’t get crowded out in the hearts and minds of bettors by the true spectacle of the day—the HorseTourneys featured schedule.

Winning an NHC seat always feels special. Chances are, you will remember the key horse that won it for you for years to come. This is especially true for your first NHC seat. Imagine how it would feel to win an NHC spot in your very first qualifying attempt.

Jim Herron knows this feeling.