Saturday marks the last chance to qualify in the 2026 Xpressbet Fun in the Sun handicapping tournament with all weekly winners set to square off Labor Day Monday in the Final Table format. Five more Saratoga and Del Mar handicappers will qualify after Saturday’s eighth and final week of competition to bring the Final Table total cast to 40. The progressive jackpot for the Final Table sits at $15,640 with $10,000 added from Xpressbet.
Richard Miller topped all Week 7 players last week with a $335.30 bankroll that nabbed him the $1,039.50 weekly first prize. Jeffrey Danner finished send with $329.60 bankrolled and earned $433.13 in prize money. Stephen Wolfson tallied $287.40 in bankroll for third and earned an additional $259.87. Others to earn Final Table seats last week were fourth-place finisher Gregory Caliwag ($272.80 bankroll) and fifth-place finisher Bryan Ingram ($271.40 bankroll). For Ingram and Caliwag, both earned a rare dual-seat in the Final Table, just the fourth and fifth players this season to double down. A complete list of current Final Table qualifiers is included at the bottom of the copy.
Week 8 this Saturday once again features the final 5 races at Saratoga and first 5 races at Del Mar. Those contest heats include the Grade 1 Spinaway Stakes from the Spa. Monday’s Final Table continues the Saratoga last 5, Del Mar first 5 format.
Fun in the Sun contestants play for weekly prize money and a chance to join each week’s top-5 players in the tournament’s Final Table on Labor Day. The 9-week Fun in the Sun handicapping contest runs 8 Saturdays from July 18-September 5 and concludes with the Final Table on Labor Day Monday, September 7.
Entry is just $25 each qualifying round week and players utilize a $100 live bankroll on the final 5 races from Saratoga and first 5 races from Del Mar ($10 parimutuel win bets in each of the contest races). The top-5 players in accumulated earnings each week qualify for a seat in the final table, where just 40 entries will square off for the grand prize (players can qualify up to 2 entries in the Final Table). Weekly prize pool money will be on the line for the top-3 finishers each Saturday (70% of entry fees paid out weekly, 30% carries over to the Final Table pool).
The Final Table format began in 2020 and past champions include Robert Rosen (2020), Wayne Tam (2021), Kevin Saunders (2022), Joe Tambasco (2023), Gordon Maruya (2024) and Andy Muhlada (2025).
2026 Tournament Dates
Saturday, July 18, 25
Saturday, August 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
Saturday and Monday, September 5 and 7 (Final Table)
Buy-In
$125 Buy-In per week, split between $100 Bankroll + $25 Entry Fee
How to Play
Tournament consists of the last five (5) races each Saturday at Saratoga and the first five (5) races each Saturday at Del Mar. Players must make a $10 Win bet on one (1) horse in each race via the Contest Wagerpad.
Weekly Prize Pool
70% of Entry Fees are paid out each week as the Weekly Prize Pool
Weekly Prizes
Top Five (5) finishers each week automatically qualify for the Final Table
1st Place Finisher – 60% of Weekly Prize Pool + Final Table Seat
2nd Place Finisher – 25% of Weekly Prize Pool + Final Table Seat
3rd Place Finisher – 15% of Weekly Prize Pool + Final Table Seat
4th Place Finisher – Final Table Seat
5th Place Finisher – Final Table Seat
Final Table Prizes
30% of Entry Fees carried over to the Final Table
$10,000-added prize pool courtesy of Xpressbet
1st Place Finisher: 55% of Final Table Prize Pool
2nd Place Finisher: 25% of Final Table Prize Pool
3rd Place Finisher: 10% of Final Table Prize Pool
4th Place Finisher: 5% of Final Table Prize Pool
5th Place Finisher: 5% of Final Table Prize Pool
For more and to register, visit the Tournaments page.
Fun in the Sun 2026 Final Table Qualifiers (35 of 40)
** = dual qualifiers; ranked by bankroll with week and placing included
** Ingram Bryan ($374.10) | Week 6 | 1 + ($271.40) | Week 7 | 5
Knepper, Cheryl ($358.50) | Week 5 | 1
Scott, George ($356.10) | Week 6 | 2
Bassett, Joseph ($347.80) | Week 5 | 2
Starr, Ellis ($345.0) | Week 3 | 1
Campanella. Frank ($336.80) | Week 6 | 3
Miller, Richard ($335.30) | Week 7 | 1
Velguth, John ($333.50) | Week 1 | 1
** Severson, Terrence ($330.50) | Week 1 | 2 + ($236.20) | Week 4 | 4
Danner, Jeffrey ($329.60) | Week 7 | 2
Gold, Aaron ($322.90) | Week 6 | 4
Woodward, Nathan ($319.30) | Week 1 | 3
Skotz, Christopher ($308.00) | Week 6 | 5
Carroll, Thomas ($297.80) | Week 2 | 1
Wolfson, Stephen ($287.40) | Week 7 | 3
Levine, Stuart ($273.00) | Week 5 | 3
** Caliwag, Greg ($272.80) | Week 7 | 4 + ($209.40) | Week 4 | 5
Nagy, Nicholas ($271.20) | Week 1 | 4
Sampo, Dino ($268.00) | Week 5 | 4
Pacione, Franco ($264.20) | Week 4 | 1
DeCaspers, Anthony ($261.00) | Week 5 | 5
McKay, Joseph ($243.70) | Week 4 | 2
** Nichols, Dave ($240.00) | Week 1 | 5 + ($234) | Week 3 | 2
Scott, George ($239.00) | Week 4 | 3
Hill, Barry ($237.30) | Week 2 | 2
Dodds, Wardell ($236.90) | Week 2 | 3
Essig David ($216.90) | Week 2 | 4
Murdock, Dave ($184.00) | Week 3 | 3
Muhlada, Andy ($176.90) | Week 2 | 5 (2026 FITS Defending Champion)
Knepper, Greg ($175.60) | Week 3 | 4
Salerno, Theresa ($169.50) | Week 3 | 5
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