Dino Sampo led all players to secure the $1000 weekly first prize in Week 7 of the 21st season of the Xpressbet Beat the Host handicapping contest. Just 2 regular season weeks remain as Zoe Cadman, racing analyst at Santa Anita, will be this Saturday’s host throwing down the challenge.

Sampo’s Week 7 score narrowly edged runner-up Andy Muhlada at $204.50, which earned a $750 prize. Allen Friedman posted a $198.50 total that netted him $250 in prize money. Overall, 19 players managed to Beat the Host (Gulfstream paddock reporter Samantha Perry). That means 553 spots have been punched to the Beat the Host Championship Round on March 7.

The $65,000 Beat the Host competition encompasses 10 races each contest Saturday, split between the final 5 Gulfstream Park races and first 5 from Santa Anita. Contestants place $5 win bets on the Xpressbet platform for each of the 10 Beat the Host races, earning their parimutuel winnings as well as prize pools.

All contestants who beat the cumulative bankroll total of the host each Saturday qualify for the Beat the Host Championship on March 7. Weekly prize pools of $2,000 are also in play for the top-3 finishers, while a $6,500 Sweep the Host bonus split is in store for those sharp enough to top the host totals all 9 weeks of the contest. Only 3 of 819 registrants remain eligible for the Sweep the Host bonus with 2 weeks remaining.

A check-in for the season-long leaderboard in contest earnings shapes up this way: Christopher Cupples’ opened up his lead $567.25 after a big week. John Souza made a huge move to second with $489.25. He’s followed by Phillip Perkins ($477.75), Stephen Brodhay ($475.00) and Steven Busching ($459.25).

The BTH Championship pits all weekly winning players against one another in pursuit of seats in the lucrative Pegasus World Cup Betting Challenge, Xpressbet Santa Anita Derby Challenge and Xpressbet Florida Derby Challenge tournaments.

Last season, 496 of 711 Beat the Host players were able to top the host total at least once during the season. Glenn Gulden paced all players in the cumulative season totals last year, while George Blanchard took down the top prize in the Beat the Host Championship round finale.

Tournament & Host Schedule:

Saturday, January 3, 2026 - Pete Aiello
Saturday, January 10, 2026 - Millie Ball
Saturday, January 17, 2026 - Michelle Yu
Saturday, January 24, 2026 - Scott Shapiro
Saturday, January 31, 2026 - Brian Nadeau
Saturday, February 7, 2026 - Tom Quigley
Saturday, February 14, 2026 - Samantha Perry
Saturday, February 21, 2026 - Zoe Cadman
Saturday, February 28, 2026 - Ron Nicoletti
Saturday, March 7, 2026 – Beat the Host Championship Round