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Be The Lead Pony

Rules and Regulations
(updated 1/03: Eligibility section clarified)

Post Parade's Lead Pony Handicapping Challenge

Be the first winner of this innovative contest: it’s NCAA March Madness meets NFL playoffs meets the National Handicapping Contest. And infinitely more fun because you have a chance to prove you can out handicap some of the best in the game!

Contest Organization

An equal number of Fan and Press will be drawn into brackets and compete against each other on specific days in the format listed below.

All players are invited to be a guest on the Post Parade during their specific weekend of competition to share their selections and reasoning.

Once division winners are determined, one Fan and one Press will compete head-to-head to determine a final winner.

Contest Format

There will be four (4) rounds and a Final: five (5) rounds total. All contestants will receive an email on January 20, 2011, making them aware of the bracket schedule and their specific weekend for first round competition. On each of the next ten (10) Thursdays (2/27, 2/3, 2/10, 2/17, 2/24, 3/3, 3/10, 3/17, 3/24, and 3/31), contestants will receive an updated bracket and a reminder of who is next to compete.

Players will choose three (3) horses per day each on Saturday and Sunday: six (6) horses total per round. Players are allowed any combination of tracks from the available list in the Racingwithbruno Simulcast Package (in alphabetical order): Aqueduct, Fair Grounds, Gulfstream Park, Keeneland, Oaklawn Park, Santa Anita, and Tampa Bay Downs.

Only one (1) horse may be selected per race, with an optional alternate selection in case of late scratch. In the event of a late scratch with no alternate named, the player receives the post time favorite. Players must clearly and properly mark top selection’s and alternate’s Track, Program Number, and Name. Misspellings are allowed as long as they resemble the actual name. As with real wagering, coupled entries serve as one betting interest for the purpose of this contest.

One day entry example:
1/1/11: Tampa Bay, race 1, 4-Jiggle
1/1/11: Tampa Bay, race 7, 9-Volare Cantare
1/1/11: Aqueduct, race 3, 1-Meese Rocks

Should there be a tie in earnings/points between contestants at the end of a round (weekend), the following will be applied to determine a winner:
1) the entry with the most number of Show horses selected will win the tie,
2) if a tie still remains, then the entry with the highest mutuel Show payout will win the tie,
3) if a tie still remains, then the winning entry will be determined by a random draw among eligible entries

Points

Players must select a Mythical $2 Win, $2 Place wager. If a player’s horse wins, the player receives Win and Place mutuels scored as points. For example, $6.00 to win & $4.00 to place, the contestant will earn 10.00 points for race. If the horse finishes second, the player collects only on the $4.00 Place wager or 4 contest points. All wagers and payouts from races are mythical and will be used as a score only. The player at the end of the two day contest with more points wins, and advances in the tournament.

Payoff to point example:
If the horse wins, paying $6.00 (Win), $4.00 (Place) = 6 + 4 = 10 points
If the horse finishes second: $4.00 (Place) = 4 points
If the horse finishes third: 0 points

Payoff to Point example using “One day entry example” horses from above:
1/11 TAM 1: 4-Jiggle … $2.40 (Show) … 0 points
1/11 TAM 7: 9-Volare Cantare … $6.00 (Win), $3.60 (Place) … 9.6 points
1/11 AQU 3: 1-Meese Rocks … $2.50 (Place) … 2.5 points 1 day total: 12.1 points

Payoffs will be capped as follows:
Win: $22 (10-1) or 22 points
Place: $12 (10-1) or 12 points

Prizes

To Be Announced

Eligibility

No purchase necessary. Only one entry per household. No member of the Post Parade staff may win the final prize.

Fan Division: players must have a valid email address and be signed up for the Racingwithbruno newsletter available free at http://www.racingwithbruno.com; players may be employed within racing industry but must not be qualified Press.

Press Division: players must be employed by trade publication, television or radio station, or website who primarily covers the racing industry; licensed thoroughbred owners and trainers are qualified press.

Dates and Times

Entry period: January 8 to January 18, 2011
Division contests starts: January 22 – 23
Division finals: April 2 – 3
Final: April 9 – 10

Players must submit their selections by 12 pm ET / 9 am PT to racingwithbruno@aol.com on each day of their specific weekend. Players may submit the complete entry of six (6) horses on the first day, or choose three (3) horses per day.