Fantasy Racing
So much has happened in the past week, it's hard to keep everything straight. The Apple Blossom Invitational was dealt a serious blow when Rachel Alexandra was pulled from the competition following her defeat in New Orleans. Zenyatta went on to perform in splended fashion at Santa Anita and her owners have declared that she will be at Oaklawn for the Apple Blossom on Friday, April 9, no matter who else shows up. Then we saw a memorable running of the Rebel with Lookin At Lucky proving that his reputation is on the level. Although he was fully extended to catch Noble's Promis at the wire it wasn't without incident and yet he prevailed and is likely to return to Oaklawn for the Arkansas Derby. At this point it's hard to fault him as the favorite for the Triple Crown races, but what do you say then about Noble's Promise. He is just a shade back of Lookin At Lucky under any circumstances and it won't take much to reverse the order of finish of that pair after three encounters thus far. As a matter of fact this looks like the beginning of one of the great racing rivalries of the decade. Keep in mind that Dublin wasn't far behind and will get another shot in the Arkansas Derby as well. Add to that the performance from Follow the Leader, Charles Cella's four-year-old Smarty Jones colt, winning his third in a row in impressive style, and you have the makings of a fine stakes horse for the Oaklawn owner who long ago established himself as one of the greatest sportsmen racing has ever known. But he has gone to greater lengths in his efforts to bring together Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta and he deserves whatever plaudits and honors he receives because of his efforts.
Fans at Oaklawn this weekend will get to concentrate on sprinters in Saturday's Prima Donna and Hot Springs Stakes. Lately the sprinters have been recording some very fast times, headed by Chief of Affairs zipping through five-and-a-half furlongs in 1:02.4, only one-fifth of a second off a 26-year-old track record. There should be some spectacular efforts this weekend. But, as usual, it is not just the stakes races which are important to players in the Weekly Fantasy Racing Challenge. Players in this competition have to watch the entire card, since there are always some surprises in the undercard races which impact that weekly results in the WFRC. This weekend your choices will be for Saturday and Sunday, March 20-21. It's your ability to analyze the remainder of the card which will spell the difference. For that we wish you all the luck.
Weather has turned and it appears that spring has finally arrived. The long range forecast doesn't suggests a chance of rain late in the day on Saturday, but none at any other time this weekend. That should help the majority of you.
As you now know our total focus is the live racing at Oaklawn. You are given choices of jockeys and trainers, but for this game they only score points at Oaklawn. In the lists of jockeys and trainers the participants are grouped into those which qualify as "three-pointers", "two-pointers" or "one-pointers". You may choose one each from the "three-pointers" and "two-pointers" and two each from those labelled "one-pointers". Altogether your team consists of four jockeys and four trainers. They earn points for you according to how they perform during the days of the weekly contest. There are weekly prizes of Oaklawn caps and/or Media Guides. There will also be a season champion, the one person who scores the most points for the entire season. That champion will receive $500.
It will be pretty tough to be the champion and miss a week of the Weekly Fantasy Racing Challenge, so we encourage you not to miss a single edition of the WFRC from now through April 10. Our whole philosophy is that we hope to make better players out of you by showing you the importance of who's hot and who's not. We try to present you jockeys and trainers who are in top form and who start plenty of horses, so that you get familiar with them, since they are the ones winning the most races and giving you the most winning tickets.
When you select your "three-point" jockeys or trainers, their totals for the time period of the weekly contest will be multiplied by three. The "two-point" jockeys and trainers will have their point totals multiplied by two. All will get five (5) points for a win, three (3) points for a second and one (1) point for a third place finish. It is the best selection of "three-point" jockeys and trainers, as well as "two-point" jockeys and trainers, which could spell the difference between winning a weekly prize as well as the season-ending cash award. When a three-point jockey or trainer wins a race, they are registering five points for the win and that is multiplied by three. So the wins by the "three-pointers" are actually worth 15 points.
If you have not yet registered, you need to do so. If you have already registered for prior competitions, we should have your information. The winner(s) for each weekend of WFRC will receive an Oaklawn cap.
We had one sole winner this past weekend, Clint Moore of North Little Rock, Arkansas, who won by a single point over Joan Grenseman of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Jerry Hauk of Studio City, California, and Stephen King of Ward, Arkansas. were five points back in a tie for third.
Clint's team included the best-possible trainer combo of D. Wayne Lukas (30 points), Mac Robertson (34 points), Chris Richard (8 points) and Donnie K. Von Hemel (11 points), combined with jockeys Terry Thompson (63 points), Cliff Berry (56 points), Jon Court (8 points) and Luis Quinonez (22 points), for 232 points. Joan used the same trainers, Lukas, Robertson, Richard and Von Hemel, but hooked them up with jockeys Thompson, Berry, Quinonez and Freddie Lenclud (7 points), finishing with 231. Both Jerry and Stephen ended with 226 points. Jerry got his by combining jockeys Corey Nakatani (54 points), Cliff Berry (56 points), Chris Emigh (11 points) and Luis Quinonez (22 points) with trainers Lukas, Robertson, Richard and Von Hemel, while Stephen's team included. the best-possible jockeys team of Thompson, Berry, Emigh, and Quinonez, with trainers Lukas, Robertson, Richard and Lynn Chlebgorad (2 points). The best-possible score for the weekend was 235 point and used trainers Lukas, Robertson, Richard and Von Hemel, along with jockeys Thompson, Berry, Emigh and Quinonez.
For his great job Clint will receive an Oaklawn cap.
Chuck King of Townsend, Massachusetts continues atop the season-long standings, with an 2-point lead over John Halvorse of Union, New Jersey, 1685-1683. There are plenty of players still in striking position, so don't be discouraged. This could be the very week which vaults you into contention for the season-long prize of $500.
Again, if you have not already done so, you'll need to go through the registration process again. Click here to register. 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.
We are happy to have all of you participating with us this season. In the meantime you have chance to pick up some prizes and bragging rights, so don't miss the opportunity.
Remember this week's contest involves Saturday-Sunday, March 20-21.
This is the live season edition of the Weekly Fantasy Racing Challenge and we're excited to have you with us.
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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