Starting on July 1st and continuing until July 7th, players may choose a stable of five horses that will earn points based on their performances in a series of designated Breeders' Cup Classic prep races (the list of races is included below.) Points will be awarded to the top four finishers in each, although the number of points awarded will vary from race to race, as is outlined below. For example, if I choose Arrogate for my stable and he goes on to win the Pacific Classic (gr. I), I will earn 50 points, but if he were to instead win a race like the San Diego Handicap (gr. II), I would only earn 10 points.
Also, each week, players will be able to designate one of their horses as a "prime" horse, and will earn double the number of points for that horse's performance that week. For example, if a player were to designate Arrogate as their prime horse on the week of the Pacific Classic, and Arrogate won the race, that player would earn 100 points, double the standard 50 points. Designating a prime horse each week will not be a requirement, but it will add a bit of additional intrigue to the contest, and give players a chance to gain extra points if they think one of their horses is ready to run a big race. To designate your prime horse each week, simply leave a comment on the official contest page naming your chosen horse.
Players will get a chance to add two additional horses to their stables starting September 24th and ending September 29th. With the dates of some races not yet official, the exact dates of the add-on period may be modified if necessary. The contest will culminate with the Breeders' Cup Classic (gr. I) at Del Mar on November 4th. Whoever accumulates the most points by the end of the contest wins bragging rights as the Unlocking Winners Breeders' Cup Handicapper of the Year! :)
All contest entries, stable additions, and prime horses MUST be posted on this contest page; any contest entries, stable additions, and prime horses posted on other pages or blog posts will not be accepted. In addition, players will only be allowed to join the contest during the initial joining period from July 1st through July 7th; any entries submitted after this time will not be accepted.
Also, I would like to take this moment to highlight the fantastic behind-the-scenes work that Betty S and Aluminaut did on this contest last year. With that in mind, I ask that you thank them both when submitting your entries for this year's contest! :)
The complete list of contest races is as follows:
Indiana Derby (gr. II) on July 15th
San Diego Handicap (gr. II) on July 22nd
West Virginia Derby (gr. II) on August 5th
Lukas Classic Stakes on September 30th
(this group of races will award points on a 10-4-2-1 basis to the top four finishers)
Suburban Handicap (gr. II) on July 8th
Jim Dandy Stakes (gr. II) on July 29th
Haskell Invitational (gr. I) on July 30th
Woodward Stakes (gr. I) on September 2nd
Pennsylvania Derby (gr. I) on September 23rd
(this group of races will award points on a 30-12-6-3 basis to the top four finishers)
Whitney Handicap (gr. I) on August 5th
Pacific Classic (gr. I) on August 19th
Travers Stakes (gr. I) on August 26th
Awesome Again Stakes (gr. I) on September 30th
Jockey Club Gold Cup (gr. I) on October 7th
(this group of races will award points on a 50-20-10-5 basis to the top four finishers)
Breeders' Cup Classic (gr. I) on November 4th
(the Breeders' Cup Classic will award points on a 100-40-20-10 basis to the top four finishers)
The exact list of contest races is subject to slight change, as the stakes schedules for many of the fall meets have not yet been released.
Good luck to all!
Contest Entries
Akita Girl
Arrogate
Classic Empire
Gun Runner
Neolithic
Tapwrit
Mubtaahij
Keen Ice
Aluminaut
Arrogate
Gun Runner
Irish War Cry
Mor Spirit
Shaman Ghost
Cupid
Keen Ice
AmyK
Arrogate
Battle of Midway
Gun Runner
Irish War Cry
Shaman Ghost
arliss
Arrogate
Cloud Computing
Gun Runner
Shaman Ghost
Timeline
Good Samaritan
Curlin Rules
Betty S
Arrogate
Classic Empire
Mor Spirit
Shaman Ghost
Timeline
Cupi
West Coast
BigBob
Arrogate
Classic Empire
Gun Runner
McCraken
Shaman Ghost
Cupid
Pavel
Charlotte
Always Dreaming
Arrogate
Collected
Cupid
Gun Runner
Mubtaahij
Keen Ice
chasingmytale
Arrogate
Battalion Runner
Collected
Faja
Gun Runner
Mubtaahij
Keen Ice
Chumsmo
Arrogate
Battle of Midway
Gunnevera
Gun Runner
Shaman Ghost
Cupid
Collected
Craig Johnson
Always Dreaming
Gun Runner
Mor Spirit
Shaman Ghost
West Coast
Cupid
Pavel
Curlin08
Arrogate
Gun Runner
Shaman Ghost
Cloud Computing
West Coast
Mubtaahij
Keen Ice
dust commander5
Arrogate
Collected
Gun Runner
Hoppertunity
Shaman Ghost
Midnight Storm
Keen Ice
fitzpony
Arrogate
Classic Empire
Gun Runner
Shaman Ghost
Tapwrit
Mubtaahij
Keen Ice
Footlick
Battle of Midway
Follow Me Crev
Gun Runner
Hoppertunity
Irish War Cry
Mubtaahij
Good Samaritan
gary26
Classic Empire
Cloud Computing
Follow Me Crev
Irap
Mor Spirit
Donworth
Pavel
Gary365
Arrogate
Classic Empire
Cupid
Gun Runner
Shaman Ghost
West Coast
Collected
JJ the TV watcher
Arrogate
Classic Empire
Gun Runner
Irap
Shaman Ghost
Cupid
Pavel
Kathy Weightman
Arrogate
Cloud Computing
Gun Runner
Shaman Ghost
Tapwrit
Cupid
Pavel
Keelerman
American Anthem
Arrogate
Gun Runner
Shaman Ghost
West Coast
Mubtaahij
Collected
Leigh
Battle of Midway
Classic Empire
Gunnevera
Gun Runner
Sunny Ridge
Magnoliagirl
Arrogate
Cloud Computing
Cupid
Gun Runner
Shaman Ghost
Cupid
Good Samaritan
Mary Y
Battle of Midway
Collected
Gun Runner
Shaman Ghost
Stellar Wind
Hoppertunity
Breaking Lucky
MeyerhoffsMonster
Always Dreaming
Arrogate
Gun Runner
Shaman Ghost
Timeline
Collected
Cupid
mz
Classic Empire
Gormley
Gun Runner
Shaman Ghost
Timeline
Cupid
Mubtaahij
Outside Post
Always Dreaming
Arrogate
Gun Runner
Shaman Ghost
Timeline
Breaking Lucky
Good Samaritan
Pedigree Ann
Arrogate
Coal Front
Gun Runner
Shaman Ghost
Timeline
Gunnevera
Cupid
Quinnbt
Arrogate
Classic Empire
Cloud Computing
Gun Runner
Shaman Ghost
Breaking Lucky
Good Samaritan
Rik Est
Arrogate
Classic Empire
Gun Runner
Mubtaahij
Shaman Ghost
West Coast
Good Samaritan
Riskaverse
Arrogate
Cloud Computing
Gun Runner
Mubtaahij
Shaman Ghost
West Coast
Good Samaritan
Secratariat
Always Dreaming
Arrogate
Gun Runner
Hoppertunity
Shaman Ghost
Cupid
West Coast
smitty37
Always Dreaming
Arrogate
Classic Empire
Gun Runner
Shaman Ghost
West Coast
Collected
Standby Painter
Arrogate
Battle of Midway
Gun Runner
Shaman Ghost
West Coast
Breaking Lucky
Good Samaritan
The Don
Arrogate
Cloud Computing
Gun Runner
Mor Spirit
Timeline
Cupid
Good Samaritan
The Freak
Arrogate
Lookin at Lee
Sailor Valentine
Songbird
Stellar Wind
Tiznowliam
American Anthem
Battalion Runner
Cupid
Mor Spirit
Tu Brutus
West Coast
Keen Ice
TnT
Always Dreaming
Battle of Midway
Mubtaahij
No Mo Dough
Shaman Ghost
Tomskid
Arrogate
Battle of Midway
Gun Runner
Tapwrit
West Coast
Collected
Gunnevera
trackjack
Arrogate
Cloud Computing
Gun Runner
Shaman Ghost
West Coast
Collected
Cupid
Van Horn
Always Dreaming
Arrogate
Gun Runner
Send It In
Shaman Ghost
Mubtaahij
Keen Ice
