RACE TO THE DERBY – 2021
Welcome to our annual “Race to the Derby” Fantasy Horse Racing Contest!
Hopefully, this year things will be back to normal after the crazy year that was 2020.
Once again, the contest is all about building a fantasy stable of 3-year-old horses and following them through the pursuit of making the Kentucky Derby.
The first race in the contest is Friday, January 22 with the running of the Smarty Jones at Oaklawn Park and runs through the Kentucky Derby on Saturday May 1 – hopefully!
THE DEADLINE TO ENTER IS FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12!
Once again, this year it will be just $20 to enter the contest. I would like to have all the payments by March 1. Payment options are:
Mail a check or cash to Dennis Miller, 7610 Knollbrook Dr., Pleasanton, Ca. 94588
Venmo to @Dennis-Miller-25
In addition, we have a gift of $180 to sweeten the pot before the contest even starts!
Due to the increased cash fund, the top four places will pay with the breakdown being 50 percent to first, 25 percent to second, 15 percent to third and 10 percent for fourth!
The key is to get out and get your friends to enter so we build a bigger prize pool! I will be pushing this out on my social media, as well as my ACES web site. Just think – if we get 100 people to enter (hey I can dream!) that would be a pool of $2,000 with first place taking $1,200!
Our scoring system will follow the structure for the Road to the Kentucky Derby prep series again this year.
To start pick any 10, 3-year-old horses for your beginning stable.
Points are earned by how the horses finish in the string of races throughout the Derby prep season. The first four finishers in each prep race earn points for their owners. The points are the same used to determine the field for the Kentucky Derby.
The prep races used will be the ones in the United States, along with the UAE Derby.
You can make six drops/additions along the way, but you will only get those six so use them wisely. At the end of the Kentucky Derby the final standings will be determined!
The entry form is sent under the cover of another attachment!
As has always been the case I will be sending out weekly updates, as well as news and notes for the upcoming races.
In case of a tie, following the Kentucky Derby the total number of points accumulated in the Derby will be used as the first tie-break. In case of a tie after that, the contestants will draw numbers out of a hat for the right to pick a horse for the Preakness (one horse per entrant), with the winner determined by the order of finish in the Preakness.
The prizes for the contest are as follows:
1st Place: 50 percent of prize pool
2nd Place: 25 percent of prize pool
3rd Place: 15 percent of prize pool
4th Place: 10 percent of the prize pool
Following are the five stages of the contest with the points available with each race:
STAGE I (The Starting Gate – points 10-4-2-1)
Date Race Track
Jan. 22 Smarty Jones Oaklawn Park
Jan. 30 Robert B. Lewis Santa Anita
Jan. 30 Holy Bull Gulfstream
Feb. 6 Withers Aqueduct
Feb. 6 Sam Davis Tampa Bay Downs
Feb. 13 El Camino Real Golden Gate Fields
Feb. 15 Southwest Oaklawn Park
STAGE II (The Backstretch – points 50-20-10-5)
Feb. 13 Risen Star Fair Grounds
Feb. 27 Fountain of Youth Gulfstream
March 6 Gotham Aqueduct
March 6 Tampa Bay Derby Tampa Bay Downs
March 6 San Felipa Santa Anita
March 13 Rebel Oaklawn Park
March 30 Sunland Derby Sunland
STAGE III (The Lane – points 100-40-20-10)
March 20 Louisiana Derby Fair Grounds
March 27 Florida Derby Gulfstream
March 27 UAE Derby Meydan
April 1 Blue Grass Keeneland
April 3 Santa Anita Derby Santa Anita
April 3 Wood Memorial Aqueduct
April 10 Arkansas Derby Oaklawn Park
STAGE IV (The Photo Finish – points 20-8-4-2)
March 20 Jeff Ruby Turfway Park
April 10 Lexington Keeneland
STAGE V (The Derby – points 200-150-100-50)
May 1 Kentucky Derby Churchill Downs
2021 RACE TO THE DERBY ENTRY FORM
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