From the Churchill Downs Media Team / Darren Rogers & Kevin Kerstein:

TWINSPIRES.COM ANNOUNCES INAUGURAL ROYAL ASCOT CHALLENGE SERIES

 Tournaments For Every Day Of Blockbuster International Meet

 

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Thursday, June 12, 2025) – TwinSpires.com, the official online betting partner of theKentucky Derby, is expanding its repertoire of tournaments to an iconic event on the international stage – Royal Ascot.

On each day of the prestigious meeting, June 17-21, TwinSpires.com’s Royal Ascot Challenge Series will offer horseplayers opportunities to compete for cash prizes as well as potential seats at upcoming tournaments. All Royal Ascot tournaments will be live bankroll that allow Win, Place, Exacta, and Trifecta wager types.

The first four tournaments, scheduled for Tuesday, June 17, through Friday, June 20, will serve as Royal Ascot “feeders” for the grand finale, the Royal Ascot Challenge on Saturday, June 21. Prizes for the Royal Ascot Challenge include cash and a potential seat in the June 28 Stephen Foster Betting Challenge (SFBC) on an action-packed closing weekend at Churchill Downs, the home of the Kentucky Derby.

Darin Zoccali, Director of Loyalty and Retention at TwinSpires, commented on the exciting extension of tournament play into the international arena:

“Each year American horseplayers have become increasingly interested in the Royal Ascot meet, and at TwinSpires we have seen that enthusiasm reflected in both player engagement and wagering handle on Ascot.

“TwinSpires Tournaments in partnership with Ascot is thrilled to announce the inaugural Royal Ascot Challenge Series. Each day of the meet, we will offer a tournament with cash prizes and the potential to unlock seats into the $500 Royal Ascot Challenge on Saturday, June 21, as well as the $3,000 Stephen Foster Betting Challenge on Saturday, June 28.

“We hope the players are as excited as we are as this has the potential to expand TwinSpires Tournaments even further into the international racing landscape.”

Here are the details for the Royal Ascot Challenge Series:

  • Tuesday, June 17 – $150 buy-in ($100 bankroll/$50 prize pool) – $35 of prize pool goes towards cash prizes and $15 of prize pool goes towards seats – 33 entries needed to give away a seat to Saturday (otherwise a full cash tournament)
  • Wednesday, June 18 – $150 buy-in ($100 bankroll/$50 prize pool) – $35 of prize pool goes towards cash prizes and $15 of prize pool goes towards seats – 33 entries needed to give away a seat to Saturday (otherwise a full cash tournament)
  • Thursday, June 19 – $100 buy-in ($75 bankroll/$25 prize pool) – $15 of prize pool goes towards cash prizes and $10 of prize pool goes towards seats – 50 entries needed to give away a seat to Saturday (otherwise a full cash tournament)
  • Friday, June 20 – $200 buy-in ($150 bankroll/$50 prize pool) – $35 of prize pool goes towards cash prizes and $15 of prize pool goes towards seats – 33 entries needed to give away a seat to Saturday (otherwise a full cash tournament)
  • Saturday, June 21 – $500 buy-in ($350 bankroll/$150 prize pool) – $100 of prize pool goes towards cash prizes and $50 of prize pool goes towards seats – 60 entries needed to give away seat to Stephen Foster Betting Challenge (otherwise a full cash tournament)

Jeremy Jones of TwinSpires highlighted the significance of bringing together bettors of diverse interests. Regular tournament players, and those more focused on racing abroad, can tackle the challenge of Royal Ascot handicapping in the tournament milieu.

“We are excited to provide tournament players with the ability to compete at one of the best international racing events with the Royal Ascot meet,” Jones said. “We also are excited to introduce handicappers who follow international racing into the tournament scene with TwinSpires and allow them to use their skills to compete for a little extra cash on top of their wagers.”

 

Registration is now open for the Royal Ascot Challenge Series. To register, and see the official rules, visit Twinspires.com/bet/tournaments.

Royal Ascot Challenge Series

Date Tournament Seat Implications Min. # of Races Wager Types
Tuesday,
June 17		 $150 Royal Ascot Cash Feeder One (1) Royal Ascot Challenge Seat (if 33 entries) 4 Win, Place, Exacta, Trifecta
Wednesday,
June 18		 $150 Royal Ascot Cash Feeder One (1) Royal Ascot Challenge Seat (if 33 entries) 4 Win, Place, Exacta, Trifecta
Thursday, June 19 $100 Royal Ascot Cash Feeder One (1) Royal Ascot Challenge Seat (if 50 entries) 4 Win, Place, Exacta, Trifecta
Friday,
June 20		 $200 Royal Ascot Cash Feeder One (1) Royal Ascot Challenge Seat (if 33 entries) 4 Win, Place, Exacta, Trifecta
Saturday,
June 21		 $500 Royal Ascot Challenge One (1) Stephen Foster BC Seat
(if 60 entries)		 4 Win, Place, Exacta, Trifecta

 

About TwinSpires Tournaments

The long awaited, much requested, and enthusiastically developed new Tournaments engine at TwinSpires offers an enticing experience for the horse racing handicapping tournament player.

The TwinSpires development team combined original concepts with feedback from passionate horseplayers, and loyal tournament participants across the industry, for a unique tournament experience.

“We are incredibly excited to bring Tournaments back to the home of horse racing at TwinSpires,” TwinSpires Director of Loyalty and Retention Darin Zoccali said. “For nearly one year, our product, analytics, and marketing teams have put in a great deal of work to make this a reality, and we couldn’t be happier to offer this product to our loyal TwinSpires customers.”

Tournament play includes the Kentucky Derby Betting Challenge (KDBC), Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge (BCBC), National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) opportunities, and now the Royal Ascot Challenge Series. The first NHC opportunity for TwinSpires Tournaments players was held August 3, 2024 as a handicapping challenge that featured Ellis Park and a prize which included two guaranteed seats while eligible for NHC Tour points.

“We will offer cash tournaments, NHC and BCBC Qualifier events, and much more,” Zoccali added. “At TwinSpires, we have led the industry in giving back to our players through our promotional offers, and we look forward to becoming the place horse racing tournament players come to play.”

Real money handicapping tournaments feature dynamic leaderboards and visible ticket structures of others’ wagers, enabling players to learn and grow. The supportive response from our players fuels TwinSpires’ commitment to be the premier horse racing wagering provider in the United States.

See the Full Tournaments Schedule at TwinSpires.com

Special wagering promotions are available on TwinSpires.com/bet/tournaments, the official wagering provider of Churchill Downs Inc.