Fantasy Racing
Welcome to the Weekly Fantasy Racing Challenge. Here we are at Preakness and the attention of the racing world will certainly be focused on Big Brown. Will he have the stuff that Triple Crown winners are made of? This race broke the hearts of so many in 2006 when Barbaro was injured at the start. Can racing survive another incident like that? Will we get the dream match-up of Big Brown and Casino Drive in the Belmont Stakes? There are just so many questions which hang on Saturday's race that we are likely to overlook all the other opportunities out there in the racing world. That's where the Weekly Fantasy Racing Challenge comes in. You know that there is racing all over the place and there are great opportunities at many tracks in the country this weekend. With your knowledge of what's going on from coast to coast, you can have fun, win prizes and also do well at the wagering windows. Others in the sport might overlook the happenings at the tracks involved in this week's WFRC, but you will have the upper hand. So take advantage of that as you get ready for week three of the month of May. We know that some of you are victims of the lack of signals coming to your favorite track or OTB parlor. All we can do is use jockeys and trainers from tracks that we are able to simulcast here at Oaklawn. If we are using a track you aren't able to see, we still hope you can handicap those races and play along with us until the problems get worked out. In the meantime, we hope you have a tremendous Preakness weekend. The entries you make this week are for Saturday-Sunday, May 17-18.
Remember that, since we are operating with a new website, if you have not already done so, you'll need to go through the registration process again. Click here to register. But this does remain the best FREE horse racing contest on the Internet, so you will not be asked for any money to play. In the meantime, don't hesitate to contact us with any questions you may have. For the Simulcast Season you will be selecting four jockeys and four trainers from tracks we are simulcasting. All of the jockeys and trainers will be of equal (one point) value. They will get 5 points for a win, 3 points for a second and 1 point for a third. The Simulcast Season version of the Weekly Fantasy Racing Challege continues with the races of this Saturday-Sunday, May 10-11.
For the month of May we are again offer a full set of framable pictures of the four major winners of the Racing Festival of the South, Zenyatta (Apple Blossom Handicap), Tiago (Oaklawn Handicap), Eight Belles (Fantasy) and Gayego (Arkansas Derby), along with programs from all four races autographed by all the participating jockeys. Each weekly winner will win an Oaklawn cap.
For the second weekend of the Simulcast Season contest we did manage to get one winner, Joseph Koran of Woodstock, Georgia who managed to win by one point over John Kimbrew of Wimberley, Texas, with Nicholas Hentschel of Austin, Texas, just three points further behind.
Joseph's winning team included jockeys Calvin Borel (18 points), Joe Talamo (9 points), Cliff Berry (15 points) and Justin Shepherd (21 points), along with a trainer team of Wayne Catalano (15 points), John Sadler (12 points), John Locke (10 points) and Hamilton Smith (6 points), for a total of 105 points. John used the best-possible jockey squad of Borel, Berry, Shepherd and Alan Garcia (16 points), along with a trainer combo of Catalano, Locke, Smith and Gary Contessa (3 points), for his 104 total. Nicholas had the same trainers as Joseph, (Catalano, Sadler, Locke and Smith), but used jockeys Borel, Berry, Shepherd and Jon Court (4 points), to tally 101 points. The best-possible team for the weekend would have been worth 115 points and included jockeys Borel, Garcia, Berry and Shepherd, along with trainers Catalano, Sadler, Locke and Bruce Levine (8 points). For his great work Joseph will be receiving an Oaklawn cap. Meanwhile Bob Lunny of Wimberley, Texas and Edwin Mitchell of Dacula, Georgie, share the lead in the monthly contest, with John Kimbrew of Wimberley, Texas and Dwight Peterson of Albany, New York, only one point behind. Clearly there will be come lead changes before this month finishes. Hang in there. This looks like one of the most intense and close finishes that we have ever had in the WFRC. Don't forget to do your homework. Remember you're picking jockeys and trainers for Saturday-Sunday, May 17-18.
Good Luck
The Commissioner's Office
If you have any questions regarding this Contest, please contact Oaklawn via email at commissioner@oaklawn.com.
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