Tip the cap to Week 2 winner Ron Watson, who earned the weekly $1000 first prize in the 21st season of the Xpressbet Beat the Host handicapping contest. Week 3 of 9 returns this Saturday and features Santa Anita racing analyst Michelle Yu as the host to beat. Last week, Millie Ball’s $31.25 host bankroll total was good enough to knock out about two-thirds of the head-to-head players.
On the individual front, Watson’s $122.50 bankroll paced the contest in Week 2. Beth Hensen was a close-up second at $119.25 and earned a $750 prize. Christopher Cupples finished third with $115.25 and earned a $250 prize. Overall, 167 players managed to Beat the Host (Ball) after 169 did so during opening week (against Gulfstream’s Pete Aiello). That means 336 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 85 of 644 registrants remain eligible for the Sweep the Host bonus after just 2 weeks this season.
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
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