Sometimes you’re good, sometimes you’re lucky and sometimes you’re both. On Sunday, Jimmy Cosenza was definitely good.

Questions occasionally arise regarding family members, spouses, or friends participating in the same tournament. Because HorseTourneys takes contest integrity seriously, we believe it is important to explain how these situations are evaluated.

We understand why players are concerned about related participants competing in the same contest. Integrity is important, and no player wants to feel that someone else has an unfair advantage.

First, it is important to distinguish between multiple participation and coordinated play.

In a typical mythical tournament, participants are selecting horses across 10–12 races. Even using conservative assumptions, the number of possible outcome combinations can run into the hundreds of millions or billions.

For example, consider a mythical tournament with 10 races. If each race contains only eight betting interests, there are more than one billion possible winner combinations.

Two separate entries can cover two of those possible paths. Ten entries can cover ten. Additional coverage also requires additional paid entries.

As a result, the participation of a small number of related individuals does not, by itself, create the kind of meaningful competitive leverage that is sometimes assumed. This distinction is important.

A spouse, family member, or friend legitimately participating with his or her own entry is not inherently receiving an unfair advantage simply because of the relationship between the players. As with all participants, however, each player must independently control his or her account and independently make contest selections.

HorseTourneys therefore distinguishes between relationships among participants and actual coordination of contest play.

We monitor contest activity for indications of coordinated selections, common control of entries, circumvention of entry limits, and other conduct that could compromise contest integrity. These matters are addressed under our Official Rules.

Similarity among selections, or participation by related individuals, does not by itself establish collusion. Horse racing tournaments naturally produce overlap among players who may identify the same logical contenders or employ similar handicapping strategies.

Our goal is simple: maintain a fair and competitive environment while focusing enforcement on conduct that actually compromises—or attempts to compromise—the independent nature and integrity of tournament play.

McKay Smith is the President of HorseTourneys

Tom Lenberg hit a grand slam on Sunday, but he wasn’t playing for the Rockies or the Athletics in Las Vegas Ballpark, where the two teams slugged it out to a 23-9 final score in the heat and elevation of the Nevada desert. Rather, Lenberg’s Sunday grand slam came in a much more difficult environment to achieve such a feat—right here at HorseTourneys.

Eldon Stivers woke up on Saturday morning in a panic. 

After Friday’s Day 1 of the $319,113 New York New York Challenge, Stivers was in 13th place—$61.92 behind leader Tory Cameron. Stivers—a 62-year-old retired mechanic who resides in Nash, Tex., close to Texarkana—was excited. 

A fine first day followed up by a significantly better Day 2 proved the pathway to victory for Eldon Stivers in the second annual New York New York Challenge on June 5-6 at HorseTourneys. The Nash, Tex., resident earned $119,545 for the victory.

The second annual New York New York Challenge is now just four days away. On Sunday, Jayson “Radio City” Rockett ensured that he’ll be part of the $200,000 Guaranteed event that requires players to make full-card, Pick & Pray selections for the Friday and Saturday of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival (to be held one final time this year at Saratoga).

Cash was king for Kenneth Arnerich over Memorial Day Weekend—or on Saturday, to be precise.

There are so many great tournaments on the annual calendar. In less than a month, one of the most popular will be held—the Monmouth Pick Your Prize Challenge. Of course, the granddaddy of them all is the NHC. And we at HorseTourneys are particularly proud of the upcoming, all-Pick & Pray New York New York Challenge here over Belmont Stakes weekend.

Stephen Thompson didn’t finish first in any featured tourneys last week. However, the Lebanon, Pa., funeral home owner and supervisor still managed to bring home seats to three important contests—and he did so on three different days.

It was another good weekend around here for NHC Hall of Famers. Two of them—Brett Wiener and 2016 NHC Tour champ Cheryl McIntyre—did a whole lot of winning here on Friday and Saturday.