2019 Santa Anita $500 February Handicapping Challenge
OFFICIAL RULES: 2019 $500 FEBRUARY CHALLENGE, PRESENTED BY XPRESSBET.COM
CONTEST DATE:
Saturday, February 23, 2019
CONTEST LOCATIONS:
On-Track: Santa Anita Park, 285 W. Huntington Dr., Arcadia, CA 91007
Online: www.xpressbet.com
BUY-IN:
$500 ($300 Bankroll, $200 Prize Pool), per entry.
MAXIMUM ENTRIES:
Maximum three (3) entries, per person.
1. PLAYER’S BANKROLL:
This is a “real money” handicapping contest with players competing with live money wagers. This contest requires a $500 buy-in, per entry. Of each $500 buy-in, $300 will be used for a player’s bankroll, while the remaining $200 will be allocated to the prize pool. Players may compete on-track at Santa Anita Park or online at xpressbet.com.
On-Track Participation: Players that choose to compete on-track at Santa Anita Park will receive at the beginning of the contest a wagering card that has a balance of $300 for each of their paid entries. This wagering card must be used for all wagers that are placed for contest purposes.
Online Participation: Players that choose to compete online at www.xpressbet.com will have a separate Contest Account for each entry they purchase. Each Contest Account will have a balance of $300 for each of their paid entries. To participate in the contest, follow instructions at www.xpressbet.com. Players must have an Xpressbet account in good standing to play online.
At the conclusion of the contest, any dollar amount remaining on the wagering card or within the Xpressbet contest account remains the property of the player. Xpressbet will transfer funds from the contest account back to the player’s primary Xpressbet account at the conclusion of the contest.
2. TO ENTER:
Participants may choose to compete in this contest by playing online at xpressbet.com, or on-track at Santa Anita Park on Saturday, February 23, 2019. There is a maximum of three (3) entries per person.
Xpressbet.com Entries:
The deadline to enter online is 2:30 p.m. PT on Saturday, February 23, 2019.
Online registration begins Monday, February 18, 2019. To participate in the contest, follow instructions at https://www.xpressbet.com/santa-anita-february-2019-betting-challenge. Players must have an Xpressbet account in good standing to play online. The Buy-In amount ($500) will be deducted from the player’s Xpressbet account at the time of registration. The player must have sufficient funds in their Xpressbet account to cover the Buy-In to complete registration. Registration must be completed for each entry purchased.
On-Track Entries:
The deadline to enter for an on-track entry is 2:30 p.m. PT on Saturday, February 23, 2019.
Individuals that would like to participate on-track at Santa Anita Park may enter by: phone, online, by mail, or at the Main Thoroughbreds Club Center the day of the event (walk-up entry). Accepted payment methods for entries are check, credit card, and/or cash. Personal checks will not be accepted after Monday, February 18, 2019.
Enter By Phone to Play On-Track:
To enter by phone, please contact (626) 574-6384 and inquire about the $500 February Challenge.
Enter Online:
Players may enter online the following ways:
- To participate in the contest on-track at Santa Anita Park, visit: www.santaanita.com/contests.
- To participate in the contest online at xpressbet.com, visit: www.xpressbet.com
Enter by Mail to Play On-Track:
To enter the contest by mail, send a check payable to Los Angeles Turf Club for $500, per entry. Checks should be sent to:
Santa Anita Park
Attn: Nate Newby
285 West Huntington Dr.
Arcadia, CA 91007
No personal checks will be accepted after Monday, February 18, 2019. Only cash or credit card entries will be accepted during the week of the contest.
On-Track Walk-Up Entries:
Walk-up entries will be accepted at the Main Thoroughbreds Club Center the day of the contest. Cash and credit card payments will be accepted. Participants must provide a valid government issued ID to a contest official prior to purchasing an entry. Walk-up entries will not be accepted after 2:30 p.m. PT on Saturday, February 23, 2019.
3. PRE-CONTEST QUALIFIERS:
On-Track Qualifiers:
Players may win a full entry ($500 value) into the 2018 $500 February Challenge through Santa Anita Park’s $40 Handicapping Contests. For qualifying contest dates, rules, and prize information, please visit http://www.santaanita.com/events/40-handicapping-contest-2/#.W_hKCThKiUl.
4. FORMAT:
Contest races will include all live races from Santa Anita Park on Saturday, February 23, 2019.
Permitted wagers will include Win, Place, Show, Exacta, Trifecta, and Daily Double wagers. No Superfecta, Super High 5, Pick 3, Pick 4, Pick 5 or Pick 6 wagers will be permitted in this contest. Santa Anita Park’s ‘Roulette Bet’ will not be permitted in this contest. The Parlay function for Win, Place and Show wagers will not be permitted during this contest for both on-track players at Santa Anita and online players using Xpressbet.
Each entry must wager their entire $300 bankroll on Saturday, February 23, 2019. Players may do so on one race, or a combination of multiple races.
Should a player fail to bet the required minimum of $300 on Saturday, February 23, 2019, they may be disqualified from the contest, making the player ineligible to win prizes. Any situation involving a late scratch where it is deemed the players were not given sufficient time to adjust their betting will be handled on a case-by-case basis by Santa Anita contest officials.
The player with the largest bankroll after the last contest race on Saturday, February 23, 2019 will be declared the winner. It is the player’s responsibility to meet the wagering requirements listed above. Santa Anita Park contest officials will make the decision on disqualification in the event of a rule violation and all decisions are final. The remaining bankroll on the player’s wagering card or their online Xpressbet contest account remains the property of the player. Entry fees will not be refunded in the event of a disqualification.
5. PRIZES:
Prize Pool Based on 150 Entries:
- Three (3) entries into the 2019 Ultimate Betting Challenge at Santa Anita on March 9, 2019 (Options to play on-track or online with Xpressbet in this contest)
- Two (2) entries into the 2020 National Horseplayers Championship (NHC), hotel and airfare to Las Vegas included, courtesy of Santa Anita Park.
- $15,000 Cash Prize pool to the top five (5) finishers
Guaranteed Prizes:
No matter the final total number of entries in this contest, the following prizes are guaranteed to be offered on Saturday, February 23, 2019:
- Three (3) entries into the 2019 Ultimate Betting Challenge at Santa Anita on March 9, 2019 (Options to play on-track or online with Xpressbet in this contest)
- Two (2) entries into the 2020 National Horseplayers Championship (NHC), hotel and airfare to Las Vegas included, courtesy of Santa Anita Park.
Entry Fees:
Per Item 1, of every $500 entry into this contest, $200 will be allocated toward the total prize pool (the remaining $300 will be the player’s bankroll). Entry fees are non-refundable
Entry Prizes:
A minimum of five (5) entry prizes will be awarded as prizes in this contest. The entry prizes will be awarded to the top five (5) finishers, with the first place finisher after the final race at Santa Anita Park on February 23, 2019 having first choice of one (1) of the available prize entries. After the first place finisher has chosen his/her entry prize, the second place finisher will have a choice of one (1) entry from the remaining prize options. This will be repeated until all prize entries have been awarded to the top five (5) finishers.
ULTIMATE BETTING CHALLENGE ENTRIES:
The Ultimate Betting Challenge (UBC) will take place on Saturday, March 9, 2019 (Big ’Cap Day at Santa Anita), and it is a one-day, live money handicapping contest hosted by Santa Anita Park, Gulfstream Park, and Xpressbet. This contest will consist of all live races at Santa Anita Park and Gulfstream Park. Buy-in for the 2019 UBC will be $3,000, per entry ($2,000 to the player’s bankroll, $1,000 to the prize pool). The prize pool for the 2019 UBC will consist of cash and entries into the 2019 Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge, the 2020 Pegasus World Cup Betting Championship, and the 2020 National Horseplayers Championship (exact figures for the prize pool are TBA). Players will be able to compete on-track at either Santa Anita Park or Gulfstream Park, or online at xpressbet.com.
The prize entries from the $500 February Challenge into the 2019 UBC will cover the $3,000 buy-in for the
winner.
NHC ENTRIES:
Each prize entry into the National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) will be valid for 2020. As required by the NTRA, all contest participants must be members of the NHC Tour prior to the start of this contest in order to participate in the NHC (See Item 16). The NHC entry prizes in this contest will not be awarded to any contest participant that is not a current member of the NHC Tour prior to the start of this contest. Los Angeles Turf Club, Inc. (in cooperation with the NTRA) may assign an alternate qualifier for the NHC. It is solely the responsibility of each contest participant to maintain the status of their NHC Tour membership. For information about membership to the NHC, please visit: https://www.ntra.com/membership/
Per the NTRA, a player may qualify to the NHC twice, but only once in any single NHC qualifying event. This means, players may be eligible to win a maximum of one (1) NHC entry, per person in this contest. In the event a participant that has already qualified the maximum number of times (2) for the 2020 National Horseplayers Championship finishes in a position that receives a 2020 NHC entry as a prize, that player will receive one (1) transferable $3,000 paid entry into a future Santa Anita Park contest of his or her choice in 2019 in lieu of the 2020 NHC entry, and the 2020 NHC entry will be awarded to the next highest eligible finishing position.
NHC TOUR POINTS:
Per the NTRA, NHC Tour points will be awarded in this contest.
CASH PRIZE POOL BASED ON 150 ENTRIES
If there are a minimum of 150 entries into this contest, a $15,000 cash prize pool will be awarded to the top five (5) finishers. The $15,000 will be awarded as follows:
1st Place (50% of Cash Prize Pool): $7,500
2nd Place (20% of Cash Prize Pool): $3,000
3rd Place (15% of Cash Prize Pool): $2,500
4th Place (10% of Cash pPrize Pool): $1,500
5th Place (5% of Cash Prize Pool): $750
The final prize distribution for this contest will be announced after entries close on Saturday, February 23, 2019. In the event there are fewer than 150 entrants in this contest, Santa Anita Park reserves the right to offer a lower cash prize pool (100% of entry fees will be paid out as prizes).
6. CHECK-IN FOR CONTEST ENTRIES
On-Track Entries:
Participants that choose to compete in this contest on-track at Santa Anita Park on Saturday, February 23, 2019 must check-in at the Main Thoroughbreds Club Center, located at Santa Anita Park, next to Patron Services, across from the winner’s circle. For assistance finding the Main Thoroughbreds Club Center please call (626) 574-6384.
Xpressbet.com Entries:
On the day of the contest, after completing registration, the player must log into their Xpressbet account. During login, the player will be prompted to select their Main Xpressbet Account or their Contest account. The Contest wagers must be placed through the Contest account. If a player has purchased multiple entries, they will have the option to choose which Contest account they would like to use at log in. Players may open multiple browser windows and log into each Contest account in different windows.
7. PLAYER CARDS FOR ON-TRACK PARTICIPANTS
Each participant that chooses to compete in this contest on-track at Santa Anita Park on Saturday, February 23, 2019 will be issued an official contest card used for all contest wagers. This card contains the “real money” bankroll of $300. If a player loses his/her card, or the card is not working, the player should immediately report to the Main Thoroughbreds Club Center or a contest official to receive a new card. Santa Anita Park/Los Angeles Turf Club, Inc. is not responsible for any races missed due to a malfunctioning or lost card.
Contestant may not add additional cash to their contest card. Adding additional cash to the bankroll on an official contest card will result in automatic disqualification.
Xpressbet.com Entries:
Upon completion of registration, the $500 Buy-In will be deducted from the player’s Xpressbet account. A Contest account will be created and $300 will be deposited into the player’s Contest account. All contest wagers must be placed from the Contest account.
8. PLACING WAGERS ON-TRACK AT SANTA ANITA PARK
All participants that choose to compete on-track at Santa Anita Park must place all contest wagers with their contest wagering card through self-service machines. Wagers will not be accepted through mutuel tellers. Players must place all wagers personally, unless pre-approved by a contest official. No person shall directly nor indirectly act as an intermediary, transmitter, or agent in placing wagers for the player, unless authorized by contest officials. All official track rulings will apply to wagers placed in the contest except as otherwise stipulated. The contest will be based on official’s placement and mutuels at Santa Anita. If a player wagers on a track other than Santa Anita Park for purposes of the contest, the player may be disqualified and any winnings will not count for contest standings.
Xpressbet.com Entries:
On the day of the contest, after completing registration, the player must log in to their Xpressbet account. During log in, the player will be prompted to select their Main Xpressbet Account or their Contest account. The Contest wagers must be placed through the Contest account.
9. ADVANCE WAGERING
Advance wagering will not be permitted unless prior approval has been obtained by a contest official. Wagers for each race must be placed after the race prior has been declared official. This rule is designed to maintain an accurate leaderboard. If a player needs to advance wager for any reason, please contact a contest official by phone at (626) 574-6288. The contest official will decide if an advance wager will affect the integrity of the leaderboard. All decisions are final and penalties for violating this rule will be at the sole discretion of contest officials.
10. CASHING OUT THE BALANCE OF THE ON-TRACK PLAYER WAGERING CARD
Players competing on-track will not be able to cash out their wagering card until after the results of the final live Santa Anita race on Saturday, February 23, 2019 become official. Should a player cash out his/her card before the last live Santa Anita race is official, that player’s entry can be disqualified from any prizes.
Xpressbet.com Entries:
Players competing online will not be able to cash out their account balances until after the results of the final live Santa Anita race on Saturday, February 23, 2019 become official. After the contest is official, the funds from the Contest Account will be transferred back to the player’s primary Xpressbet account.
11. IRS WITHHOLDING
Per the tax rules by the U.S. Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service.
12. NON-RESIDENTS OF CALIFORNIA
This section is intended for informational purposes and should not be relied upon as professional tax guidance. Individuals are encouraged to seek professional tax service for information and guidance.
California Revenue and Taxation Code (R&TC) Section 18662 and the related regulations require withholding of California income or franchise taxes from payments and distributions made to non-residents on California source income. This includes prizes and winnings received by non-residents for contests in California. When the total payments or distributions of California source income to the non-resident is greater than $1,500 for the calendar year, Santa Anita Park is required to withhold and remit to the Franchise Board at the current withholding rate (7%).
Note certain exemptions apply, most notable being a California resident.
Players may be exempt from withholding. Qualified exemptions can be found on California Form 590. Contestants may download a copy of Form 590, along with instructions, via the links below. Completed forms should be mailed to:
SANTA ANITA PARK
Attn: Accounting Department
285 W. Huntington Dr.
Arcadia, CA 91007
Copies of California Form 590 and instructions may be downloaded here:
Instructions for Form 590: https://www.ftb.ca.gov/forms/2018/18_590ins.pdf
Form 590: https://www.ftb.ca.gov/forms/misc/590.pdf
Please note, Santa Anita Park must make all checks for prize winnings payable to the payee identified on the Form 590.
As stated previously, this section is intended for informational purposes and should not be relied upon as professional tax guidance. Individuals are encouraged to seek professional tax service for further information and guidance
13. SCRATCHES
If a horse is scratched after a wager is placed, it is the player’s responsibility to change his/her selection prior to the race subject to all other contest and pari-mutuel wagering rules.
14. CONTEST STANDINGS
Contest standings will be based off of each player’s bankroll on their official contest entry. Standings will rank all bankrolls based off of dollar value from largest to smallest, with first place being the largest bankroll and last place being the smallest bankroll.
Current standings will be posted after every race, or as soon as the information is available. Standings will be posted at xpressbet.com, and on a designated television channel at Santa Anita Park. For on-track contestants, please inquire at the registration desk at Santa Anita for the television channel number.
15. TIES
In a result of a tie between any of the top five (5) finishing positions, the player with the largest dollar amount in total wagers will be declared the winner of the tie and awarded the higher placing in the final official standings. For example, if two players tie for third place and player #1 has wagered a total of $300 ending with a bankroll of $800 and player #2 has wagered a total of $400 finishing with a bankroll of $800 (based on wagering his/her winnings as well as original bankroll), Player #2 will receive the higher placing. If both players wagered the same amount and finished with the same final bankroll, the player with the highest single race profit will be awarded the higher placing in the final official standings. In the event both players wagered the same amount, finished with the same bankroll, and tied with the largest single race profit, the higher placing will be decided by whoever registered for the contest first.
16. NHC TOUR MEMBERSHIP REQUIRED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE NHC
As required by the NTRA rules: All contest participants must be members of the NHC Tour prior to the start the contest in order to participate in the NHC in Las Vegas. Contest participants may register for the NHC Tour at https://www.ntra.com/membership/. NHC Tour members must be at least 21 years of age to participate in the NHC in Las Vegas.
It is solely the responsibility of each contest participant to confirm if they are a current member of the NHC Tour prior to the start of the contest. Santa Anita Park, Xpressbet, and The Stronach Group are not responsible for confirming a contest participant’s membership status with the NHC Tour and will not be held accountable in the event a contest participant is not awarded an NHC entry prize as a result of their NHC Tour membership status, or the lack thereof.
17. INELIGIBILITY / DISCLOSURE
The following are ineligible to participate in this contest: Contest officials, employees of the NHC, and all employees of AmTote.
18. HORSE OWNERSHIP & WAGERING ON A COMPETING HORSE:
Per Rule No. 1970 of the California Horse Racing Board .
A contest player that has any ownership interest of a horse that is entered in a contest race shall not wager on, or include in any wager, any other horse competing in such race to finish first regardless of whether such wager is “exotic” or “conventional.”
The contest player may elect to skip the contest race that the horse they have ownership interest of is entered in, but the contest player must still meet the required bet minimums as explained above in Section 3.
Should a contest player that has any ownership interest in a horse that is entered in a contest race fail to adhere to Rule No. 1970 of the California Horse Racing Board , that player’s entry will be disqualified from the contest.
19. TAXES
Liability for any and all federal, state, and local taxes is solely the responsibility of prize winners.
20. AFFIDAVITS:
Affidavits confirming compliance with all of the rules of this contest will be required of all participants playing on-track. For online participants, registration confirms compliance to the rules, but Affidavits will be required for any winners that participated online before prizes will be distributed. Prize winners acknowledge that if they enter this contest under a fraudulent name and/or Social Security number, they will be immediately disqualified from this and all future contests held by Los Angeles Turf Club, Inc. Positive identification is required of all prize winners. Positive identification is a valid government issued ID with a picture and the same address and birth date used on the entry forms, and/or such other form of identification as deemed adequate by contest officials. Social Security information is also the responsibility of the player. Social Security information must be provided before on-track players are given their bankroll card.
21. JUDGING AND DISPUTES
The management of Santa Anita Park/Los Angeles Turf Club, Inc. reserves the right to interpret all questions and conditions in regard to this event, without claim for damages or recourse of any kind. The management of Santa Anita Park/Los Angeles Turf Club, Inc. with those decisions to be final will decide all questions and definitions not covered explicitly in these rules.
If for any reason there is a cancellation in racing on Saturday, February 23, 2019 the contest will be based on the races completed during the event. If the cancellation takes place prior to the first race, the contest will be cancelled and all entry fees will be refunded. Santa Anita contest officials will make an announcement and all decisions are final. Anyone found to have engaged in or attempted to engage in any act that contest officials believe in their sole and absolute discretion compromises or could compromise the competitive integrity of this contest, including collusion, will be subject to sanctions imposed by Santa Anita Park management. The nature and extent of the sanctions imposed shall be in the sole and absolute discretion of Santa Anita Park management and may include, but shall not be limited to, the following:
- Forfeiture of prize money
- Disqualification from the contest
- Loss of privilege to participate in future Santa Anita handicapping contests
