As the song says…’Summer’s here and the time is right for dancing in the street.’ Not exactly. While it’s true that the time is right, I’ll yield street dancing to LA LA LAND stars Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling. They seem to enjoy it.

This summer (aka Saratoga and Del Mar) I prefer to expend energy in the noble endeavor of discovering Thoroughbred race winners. If you smell what I’m cooking then satisfy your ravenous appetite with Xpressbet’s new $100,000 weekly handicapping competition suitably named Fun in the Sun.

I know. I know. This summer you were looking forward to playing Dime-a-Day again. And the folks at Xpressbet were looking forward to hosting it, too. But sometimes things change and you have to roll with them like you planned it that way all along.

Besides, if you give Fun in the Sun half a chance I’m sure you’ll learn to love it. Just like that fourth grade teacher you hated in September and then wanted to marry in June. What? Didn’t happen to you? Never mind. Give Fun in the Sun a shot and see if it floats your boat. Like that time you went camping and…oh…forget it.

Here’s the deal with Fun in the Sun: If you are an Xpressbet account holder stop reading this and log in to your account and register free for the competition. If you are not already an Xpressbet account holder stop reading this, go to Xpressbet.com and open an account. Then register free for Fun in the Sun.

You back already? Wasn’t so difficult, was it?

Each week 10 Saturday races--usually 5 from the Spa and 5 from Del Mar—will be posted to the web as competition races. Using Xpressbet’s contest wager pad you’ll make a live $10 win wager on one horse in each of those races. The player that earns the most money wins first prize. Player with the second most money finishes second. And the player with the third most finishes third. Think you can complete that string down to fifth on your own?

Here’s the really good part: Each week first prize is $5,000! That’s right, 5k, 5Gs, 5 large! However you want to say it. Runner-up gets $2k, with a dime and one-half to third, a G to fourth and $500 to fifth.

‘Wait!’ as they say on TV, ‘There’s more!’

Those are just the weekly prizes. Get a load of these seasonal prizes for players with the most cumulative earnings over the course of the entire Saratoga and Del Mar meetings:

First $12k
Second $8k
Third $5k
Fourth $3k
Fifth $2k!

You know you’re going to play the races from Saratoga and Del Mar this summer, so why not take a shot at Xpressbet’s $100,000 Fun in the Sun competition? If you whiff on all 10 competition wagers you’ll lose a grand total of a hundred bucks. And you must agree that if you take the collar, eat the doughnut, go ofer 10 you deserve to lose something.

On the other hand, since competition wagers are live you keep what you win! Back a few decent-priced winners and even if you don’t win a prize you actually can make a few bucks! In order to break even in 10 races on a $100 stake at $10 per wager you’ll need to cash three winners at an average mutuel payoff of roughly $6.60, nail a pair of $10 beauties, or pick just one hero that pays $20!

I know, easier said than done. But it’s not climbing Everest, either. Point is that with Xpressbet’s $100,000 Fun in the Sun competition winners aren’t wasted. Pick a few along the way and you can play for free.

Okay, so you’re not a tournament player. I get it. For the most part I’m not either. However, when I see a deal this good, I hate to pass it up, although, in this particular case I have to. I’m not allowed to play. Adults won’t let me. Too bad, so sad. I’d really like to take a crack at this tournament. Why? Because the prize structure is insane. Xpressbet is putting on the show. All of it. No takeout, rake or skim. 100% of fees returned to players…well, not actually ‘returned’ because players never pay them in the first place…but you get the idea. The whole thing is on Xpressbet’s ‘dime’ (I’m sorry, did the use of that word just painfully remind you of Dime-a-Day? You’ve got to let that go. Move on.)

Register free once and play Fun in the Sun each Saturday throughout Saratoga and Del Mar meetings. Or, play just once in a while, if you like. Weekly prizes are the same. And, remember, cumulative earnings count, too. Use the Xpressbet Online or Mobile Contest Wager Pad to make your competition wagers and don’t cancel or change a competition wager unless your selected horse is scratched from the race. Mutuel payoffs are capped at 20-1 ($210) for competition scoring purposes only--you still collect the full amount.

There you have it. A fun and hopefully profitable way to do what you are going to do anyway: play the races from Saratoga and Del Mar. Legal suits want me to advise everyone to visit Xpressbet.com for complete rules and additional gobbledygook. I get it. Lawyers need to make a buck, too.

Xpressbet’s $100,000 Fun in the Sun competition is off and running this Saturday. Make sure you are lined up in the starting gate. You can’t win it if you’re not in it and it’s way better than dancing in the street.

Race On!