Jaffe Snags Second FITS Final Table Seat

Four weeks of Fun in the Sun competition is in the books and 17 players have qualified for 20 seats at the $10,000-added Final Table Sept. 4. Three account holders have earned two seats each—Steven Jones, fifth in Week 1 and first in Week 2; Ellis Starr, top earner in Week 1 and third-place finisher Saturday; and Donald Jaffe, third in Week 3 and a narrow winner this past week. Two Final Table seats are the maximum permitted for a single account holder.

Jaffe’s Saturday total payoff figure of $297 was just $2 clear of runner-up Nicholas Nagy’s number and $21 ahead of third-place finisher Ellis Starr at $276. Those players earn $2,415, $1,006.25 and $603.75, respectively, in prize money, plus a Final Table Seat each. Also earning reservations for the main event are fourth and fifth-place finishers Rick Razim at $262 and Richard Swain at $254.50.

Jaffe’s victory elevates his personal Fun in the Sun seasonal prize earnings total to $3,052.88, second behind leading earner Starr at $3,0501.75. Michael O’Grady, Week 3 winner, is next with $2,551.50.

There’s great news for those already qualified for the Final Table and for those planning to join that party. Including a generous $10,000 in Xpressbet seed money, the main event pot already has grown to over $16,000 and has a projected value of over $20,000! That’s some decent cash on the line September 4 and in order to have a shot at it you’ll need to finish among the top 5 Fun in the Sun players over the next 3 Saturdays. Which, apparently, isn’t very difficult. Three players already have done it twice!

Weekly earnings totals usually are a factor of what happens on the racetrack and Del Mar results gave players little to work with as the first five races Where the Turf Meets the Surf returned just one winner at better than $5 for a $2 wager. Saratoga presented early opportunities surrounding punctual favorite Knicks Go in the Whitney at $4.10. He was the only single-digit payoff winner in the five-race sequence. Topping the week’s payoff parade was Saratoga Derby Invitational winner State of Rest at $44.20.

Overall, this week’s top earnings totals were light compared with previous results. Donald Jaffe’s winning mark of $297 was well below the average weekly top score of $346.50. Ellis Starr’s third place and prize-winning total of $276 also was below the average third-place earnings mark of $286.75. Likewise, Richard Swain’s fifth-place total of $254.50 was short of the $273.50 average for that placing.  

Through 4 weeks, top 3 weekly finishers have earned a total of $17,762.52 in prize money and the top 5 ranked players overall in the first 4 weeks have earned an additional $6,023.50 in mutuel payoffs based on $10 contest Win wagers on one horse in each of 10 contest races. Fun in the Sun also requires a $25 registration fee.

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Fun in the Sun competition resumes this Saturday with the last five races from Saratoga and the first five heats from Del Mar. It’s time for you to come and get a cash prize, a seat at the Final Table and a shot at an estimated $20,000 in prizes Sept. 4.

See you Saturday!

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