Last week we bemoaned the lack of Kentucky Derby preps. This Saturday we have a good one—the Fountain of Youth from Gulfstream featuring the 2018 debut of last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Good Magic. The Gulfstream card on Saturday is loaded with stakes. To pump up the day further, we are offering an up-to-$75,000 Pick & Pray with $50,000 Guaranteed. More on that in a bit.
According to the Horse Player World Series page on the website of The Orleans Hotel and Casino (www.orleanscasino.com), eligible contest tracks for the March 8-10 Horse Player World Series have been announced.
As with trainers in Grade I races, this weekend’s featured tourneys saw many of the same names pop up on the leaderboard over and over again—and not just always on the same day.
If you’re really into the Kentucky Derby prep races, this isn’t your weekend. It seems as though they were all held last weekend…or next weekend. On one level, it’s disappointing. From the standpoint of contest play, however, it’s pretty meaningless. By now, we hope you’re done watching replays to determine how many karats the Oaklawn gold rail was on Monday…or to answer the time-honored question, “Are Bravazo and Snapper Sinclair stars or are Noble Indy and Instilled Regard bums?” Instead, you can just throw yourself into this weekend’s tourneys, having the comforting knowledge that the Fountain of Youth (and our up-to-$75,000 contest) will be back the following weekend.
Contest players really do a great job of jumping right back into the saddle after a big event like the NHC. We hosted 20 featured tourneys over the now-immediately-after-the-NHC President’s Day weekend and virtually all of them drew large—and pretty salty—fields. Many of those “week-after” tourneys even took on something of an NHC “feel.”
With another NHC in the books—and one that left HorseTourneys regular Chris Littlemore $800,000 richer—we turn our sights forward this weekend to the upcoming Horse Player World Series…and even the 2019 NHC.
Whether you’re in Vegas or Visalia…Treasure Island or Long Island…we’re ready for you at HorseTourneys this weekend with a slew (11 to be exact) of featured tourneys, including three key qualifiers making their 2018 debuts on Sunday.
HorseTourneys will be well represented at this weekend’s NHC. McKay Smith and Harry Furlong will be there. So will Bob Nastanovich who, we are delighted to report, will be providing updates and interviews starting Friday via the HorseTourneys Twitter feed (@HorseTourneys).
Will there ever be a two-time NHC Champ? It hasn’t happened yet, but the chances of one became a little more likely after Saturday’s NHC Super Qualifier at HorsePlayers.
We can’t blame our many friends in the New England and greater Philadelphia areas if they are a bit distracted this weekend. All the more reason, however, to go over this weekend’s HorseTourneys highlights—including our very first feeders to two of the year’s most popular onsite tournaments.
HorseTourneys.com Blog 