Live racing on Saturdays in August, all five of them, shifts to evenings and a 6:30 p.m. first post. That means the simulcast centers on third and second levels are free and clear for a full afternoon of gambling on the best racing in the country: Saratoga. The hustle and bustle of a live racing crowd won’t be noticeable until at least 5:30. And there is no admission charge until 5:00.
To make an August Saturday afternoon at the races even more enticing Canterbury is hosting a free handicapping contest each of the five days with more than $5,000 in cash and prizes to be given away.
Saratoga Saturdays…. Check out the details HERE.
The contest format is simple. Each week the contest track is Saratoga. Select one horse in each race and submit the entry card before first post (noon each Saturday except the 23rd when racing begins at 10:30 a.m.). Each selection receives points commensurate with a mythical $20 WPS wager. Finish with a top six score and win a prize.
Cash to the top three weekly and a $50 satellite entry to fourth through sixth. The satellite entry can be used for either the Aug. 30 Ultimate Satellite or the Sept. 6 Dog Days Satellite.
Overall prizes for the best cumulative scores include a $700 Dog Days of Summer Handicapping Tournament entry and a $550 Ultimate NHC Qualifier Entry. These are contests that anyone with a penchant for playing the horses should be involved in. The Dog Days, now in its 18th year, offers a $10,000 Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge entry which includes a trip to the BC. Serious. If you aren’t playing for that you should reexamine why you bet the horses.
Good luck and play to win. The Oracle, two-time Canterbury Handicapper of the Year and currently atop the 2014 leader board, offered some contest playing insight earlier this summer in a Chalk Pub Talk. Review it HERE.
Good luck. Free to enter but you could turn it into close to a million bucks if things break right for you.
jm
