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NHC Begins Friday in Las Vegas

August 26, 2021 by Editor Leave a Comment

LAS VEGAS (Wednesday, August 25, 2021) – The calendar tells us the 2020 renewal of the National Horseplayers Championship was “only” 18 months ago, even if it feels like several lifetimes since roughly 600 gamblers gathered at Bally’s for the world’s richest and most prestigious handicapping contest. Nearly 200 days after being postponed due to COVID-19, #NHC2021 is set for this weekend, Friday to Sunday, as a midsummer betting extravaganza at Bally’s Las Vegas.

The nature of pandemic life in 2020 forced the cancelation of many on-track contests, but led to unprecedented interest in online wagering on Thoroughbred racing and online handicapping contests. As a result, this weekend’s 22nd NTRA National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) presented by Racetrack Television Network, Caesars Entertainment and Bally’s Las Vegas will carry cash prizes of some $2.01 million, including a grand prize of $700,000, and overall prize money and travel awards of nearly $3 million. Some 449 individuals and 550 entries (101 of the players earned the maximum of two entries) will also compete for an Eclipse Award and the title of “Horseplayer of the Year.” (A total of 75 berths to the 2021 NHC, and approximately $350,000 in prize money, will be transferred to the 2022 NHC primarily due to issues related to COVID-19).

The NHC field will be reduced to the top 10 percent of players after the first two days. The highest 10 cumulative scores after the Semi-final round on Sunday morning will fill out the DraftKings Final Table. Bankrolls amassed during Day 1, Day 2 and the Semi-final round will roll over to the Final Table, with the 10 finalists settling the NHC score in seven “mandatory” assigned races.

This year’s track menu for mandatory and optional races is comprised of Del Mar, Ellis Park, Golden Gate Fields, Gulfstream Park, Monmouth Park, Saratoga Race Course, and Woodbine Racetrack. All but Gulfstream and Golden Gate are part of the NHC for the first time.

“The 2021 NHC has been a long time coming but will be worth the wait,” said NTRA Chief Operating Officer and NHC Tournament Director, Keith Chamblin. “I want everyone involved—horseplayers, sponsors, and contest partners—to know how much we appreciate their patience and cooperation as we navigated having to reschedule the event. Having world-class summer racing from Del Mar and Saratoga, including the star-studded Runhappy Travers Day card, as well as the addition of new tracks Monmouth Park, Ellis Park and Woodbine, is going to make this an exciting and memorable NHC.”
Players who do not make the Semi-final cut will still compete on Day 3, in a separate $50,000 Consolation tournament.

A full scoreboard will be updated regularly at ntra.com/nhc, where fans and players can also find each day’s contest race menu and news updates.

At the Races with Steve Byk will broadcast live on SiriusXM satellite radio (Sirius 219; XM 201) from Bally’s and online at www.stevebyk.com daily, from 9-12 a.m. ET/6-9 a .m. PT on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Monday, with NHC coverage at www.SteveByk.com/listen-live-SiriusXM slated for 2-8 p.m. ET/11 a.m.-5 p.m. PT) Friday-Sunday. Additional news and exclusive content will be shared on Twitter via the official NTRA account, @NTRA.

Defending NHC champion Thomas Goldsmith heads this year’s field, which is comprised of an estimated 449 individuals (pending the outcome of Thursday’s Last Chance/Next Chance Contest). There are 100 rookies, representing some 22 percent of the field. There are 101 dual qualifiers going into Thursday’s Last Chance/Next Chance Contest at the Bally’s Events Center.

As the 2020 NHC winner, Goldsmith received an automatic berth into this year’s tournament to defend the title he won 563 days ago when he prevailed in his first time playing in the NHC. Goldsmith amassed a winning bankroll of $404.10 over the three-day tournament from 53 mythical $2 Win and Place bets. He will seek to become the first-ever two-time winner of the NHC, as will eight other past winners that have qualified. The other qualifying champions are Scott Coles (2019), Ray Arsenault (2017), Jose Arias (2014), Michael Beychok (2012), Stanley Bavlish (2007), Steve Wolfson, Jr. (2003), Judy Wagner (2001) and Steven Walker (2000).
Several players will compete for major bonuses tied to earlier accomplishments. As the winner of the 2020 NHC Tour, legendary 20-time qualifier Sally Goodall won $100,000 and an NHC berth. She also is eligible for a $5 million bonus if she goes on to win at the 2021 NHC finals.

Marshall Gramm, the winner of the Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge (BCBC), is eligible for a $3 million BCBC/NHC Bonus if he takes down the NHC title.

In its 22nd year, the NHC is the most important tournament of the year for horseplayers and is the culmination of a year-long series of NTRA-sanctioned local tournaments. NHC players qualified via contests hosted by 31 racetracks, casino race books, handicapping contest websites, Advance Deposit Wagering (ADW) outlets, simulcast distribution networks, horse owner associations, and other Thoroughbred racing organizations.

The #NHC2021 qualifier hosts were: Aqueduct, At the Races with Steve Byk, Bally’s Las Vegas, Belmont Park, Breeders’ Cup, Canterbury Park, Capital OTB, Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, Fonner Park, Gulfstream Park, Hawthorne Race Course, Hialeah Park, Horseplayers.com, HorseTourneys.com, Keeneland, Kentucky Downs, Lone Star Park, Monmouth Park, NTRA, NYRA Bets, Ruidoso Downs, S. Florida HBPA, Sam Houston Race Park, Santa Anita Park, Saratoga, Sport of Kings, STATS Race Lens, Tampa Bay Downs, The BIG One, TVG and Xpressbet.com.

The tournament format for the NHC is meant to be the best possible test of overall handicapping ability. Players attempt to earn the highest possible bankroll based on mythical $2 Win-and-Place wagers. Assigned “mandatory” races – eight per day on Day 1 and Day 2 and seven at the Final Table – will be announced at least 36 hours prior to each contest day (Wednesday evening for Friday, Thursday evening for Saturday, Friday evening for Sunday) on Twitter (@NTRA) and NTRA.com.

The remaining 10 races on Day 1 and Day 2 and all 10 plays in the Semifinal round will be optional wagers on races at one of the seven designated tournament tracks.

On Saturday, the NTRA also will host an invitation-only online tournament, the 7th Annual NTRA NHC Charity Challenge presented by Four Roses Bourbon. A field of approximately 60 will compete for the $5,000 charitable prize with $2,500 set to be donated in the winner’s name to the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund and the other $2,500 going to the winner’s charity of choice.

The National Horseplayers Championship is presented by Racetrack Television Network, Caesars Entertainment and Bally’s Las Vegas and sponsored by 1/ST BET, Breeders’ Cup, Capitol OTB, Century Bets, Daily Racing Form, DraftKings, EquinEdge, FanDuel Group, Four Roses Bourbon, Hawthorne Racecourse, Hialeah Park, HorsePlayers.com, HorseTourneys.com, Keeneland, Monmouth Park, NYRA Bets, Roberts Communications, Santa Anita Park, STATS® Race Lens, The Stronach Group, TVG and Xpressbet.

Filed Under: Horse Racing contests & tournaments Tagged With: 2021 NHC, contest, las vegas

Lessons from the First Big Online Tournament of the Year

January 21, 2021 by Editor Leave a Comment

By Rich Nilsen

The first big online handicapping tournament of the year was held over the weekend of Jan. 9-10 at horsetourneys.com, and I was fortunate enough to win into this $1,500 buy-in event via an initial $28 feeder. It was also the same weekend at the local Tampa Bay Downs handicapping contest, so plenty of work was required to prepare for both events.

The Flo-Cal Faceoff, the Players Championship (April 2-3) and the Spa & Surf Showdown (August 14-15) comprise the new 2021 Tourney Triple series at HorseTourneys which features additional bonuses and prizes if you do well over the three contests. The Flo-Cal closed on the morning of January 9th with a staggering purse of $570,373 based on 429 entries and a top prize set at $205,019. The contest was comprised of full-card mandatory races at Gulfstream Park and Santa Anita on both Saturday and Sunday, so this was going to be a long weekend.

On day one I got off to a very good start in the Flo-Cal Faceoff by hitting five winners from the first nine races at Gulfstream Park. The problem was that I missed the big longshot that came in early in the day ($37.00 to win, $17 to place) and that missed $54 in bankroll was going to be difficult to overcome.

Unfortunately, I did not fare nearly as well at Santa Anita, so most of my Saturday bankroll came from South Florida. I ended the day with over $97, an admirable score that was within ‘shouting’ distance, but that only put me in the top 25% of the field. The lucrative prize structure was paying down to the top 28 players at the conclusion of the weekend.

Day Two of Flo-Cal

I decided I was going to swing for the fences on Sunday. ‘Grinding it out’ seemed like a difficult strategy to make up the $60-90 deficit. Hindsight is 20/20 and that proved to be a mistake on a day where shorter price horses were consistently winning throughout the afternoon. The first longshot of the day wouldn’t come in until nearly 4pm when Weisser scored in Gulfstream Park’s 8th race, paying $27.80, $11.80. I did not have him, and the situation was looking bleak.

However, I am not one to give up, knowing that in the span of just one-two races, a tournament player can make up huge strides on the leaderboard. In the very next race at Gulfstream Park (race 9), I eyed a runner that was trying the turf for the first time. The Munnings filly had won two of her three starts when sprinting and she had good tactical, early speed. She looked like the type of filly that could win going 5 furlongs on the grass. She was a juicy 17-1 and I knew if I could get this horse home, I was back in the top 50 of the standings. I would then have a chance for some nice prize money if I could finish the day strong.

Choose Joy, my bomber, tracked closely in third and was loaded turning for home. She surged in the final strides at the leader, but the front runner who had been off since June fought back and held on by a diminishing nose. I got a $15.00 place payoff but missed out on an additional $36 for the win. Numerous players had the 14-1 winner, and, instead of sitting on the first page of the leaderboard, I was now sitting in around 170th and the light at the end of the tunnel was very dim.

It wasn’t too long before the final race of the long weekend was upon us. Sitting in about 140th and being only $20 out of the top 100, I had to decide if I was going to shoot for the top 100 to earn some points in this Triple Tourney event, or if hitting a bomb could move me into the top 28 of the cash prize winners.

In the field of 11 there were only three cappers and a 17-1 shot on the board. The math told me I was blocked. There was simply no way that I was going to pass over 100 players no matter what horse won. It made more sense to find a horse I really liked at good odds. [In the end my calculations were correct and even if I had hit the final contest race winner, I would have only ended up about 40th… but I digress.]

Not that I was considering the favorites, but the shorter priced horses in the field did not strike fear into anyone. #11 Miss Dracarys had only raced one time. She was let off at odds of 23-1 in her debut, indicating that she wasn’t exactly ‘well meant’ by her connections. Despite that, she won, but now she was being asked to transfer that form on the other side of the country – not an easy task for a young horse.

So, I was on the lookout for a runner that had a strong chance of winning and represented some value. I needed at least 6-1 odds to secure a top 100 finish, but of course, the higher the odds the better.

#10 Empire House was starting for the dangerous Jonathan Wong outfit, but this runner had never attempted the turf. She was getting first time Lasix and had a pedigree to handle the surface switch. She made sense at odds of 9-1, but #4 Magical Thought was even more appealing. Starting for trainer Peter Miller, arguably the best turf sprint trainer in California, this horse was dropping out of a graded stakes race and was cutting back from one mile to a preferred sprint distance. She was also 9-1 and just the odds I needed to pass a lot of players on the leaderboard.

The Pivotal Question

When I first handicapped the race, it didn’t take my long to pass right over the #1 horse. Having seen Mountaineers shippers lose at an extraordinarily high rate over the years, I didn’t care for the cheap maiden graduate to move to Santa Anita and win. Although she had won by a large margin (over a bad field) she had “lugged out” in the lane, another negative note. Two races back this horse had lost at Belterra Park. Win at Santa Anita…are you kidding me? Next.

Now, my Dad, who taught me how to handicap, would not have been so rash. He would have looked at this odd shipper and asked himself the question, “What is this horse doing in this race?” And that is the question that would have led to the correct answer. He was here to win.

The Mountaineer shipper had moved into one of the top barns in Southern California, that of John Sadler. He had given the filly a long string of workouts, fairly consistent and dating back to at least early October. She showed two bullet works in early October and a sharp 47.3 drill, sixth best of 52 at the distance on October 17.

Sadler was putting up one of the top jockeys in Southern California, Umberto Rispoli. Rispoli is one of the best on the grass and also one of the best out of the gate. This horse had flashed very quick early speed in her two races, and that is one of the main assets you typically want in a 6 furlong turf horse.

Why in the world would a top California barn obtain a lowly maiden winner from West Virginia? By the stallion Cinco Charlie and out of a modest winner, the filly didn’t have much of a pedigree. However, they clearly saw something in this runner and felt that she could fit a certain profile out West. The connections were right, and they were handsomely rewarded.

The Final Race Result

With dusk falling over the stunning San Gabriel Mountains, Five Pics Please cruised to the front right out of the gate and ran the field off their feet. At odds of 29-1 she easily held on for the shocking score in the $63,000 race. She stopped the timer in a swift 1:08.91.

By not closely analyzing Five Pics Please and failing to ask the obvious question that my father would have asked, I missed out on a big longshot winner. The Flo-Cal Faceoff champ turned out to be Alan Levitt, a 12-time qualifier to the National Horseplayers Championship. Back in 2012 he compiled a $195.20 bankroll en route to a 7th place overall finish in Las Vegas. With one race to go Levitt was sitting in 19th place in the Flo-Cal Faceoff, and he wisely pulled the trigger on the Mountaineer bomber. He catapulted past the 18 players in front of him and took down the lucrative six-figure cash prize.

Did you miss these Handicapping Tips of the Day?

Horse Racing Tip of the Day – the Fewer this the better…

Horse Racing Tip of the Day – Evaluating Layoff Horses

Horse Racing Tip of the Day – Red Flags on this Big Favorite

Filed Under: Handicapping 101, Handicapping Tip of the Day, Horse Racing contests & tournaments, Horse Racing Education Tagged With: contest, contest results, Dad, Flo-cal faceoff, Gulfstream Park, Gulfstream Park and Santa Anita, Handicapping Tip of the Day, HorseTourneys.com, race results, santa anita, The Final Race Result, tournament, triple tourney

Gramm Wins BCBC over Kinchen. Donnelly Third.

November 12, 2020 by Editor Leave a Comment

Economics Professor and Race Horse Owner from Memphis, TN, Marshall Gramm, crushed the exacta in the Breeders’ Cup Classic to capture racing’s most lucrative live-money tournament this past weekend. TV personality Jonathan Kinchen was second, while arguably the best contest handicapper in 2020, Dylan Donnelly was third. This trio each turned their $7,500 bankrolls into over $100,000 by the conclusion of the weekend.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 12, 2020) – Making the biggest wagering score of his life, Marshall Gramm, an economics professor at Rhodes College and a racehorse owner from Memphis, Tenn., nailed a cold exacta with Authentic and Improbable for $170,250 in the Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) to propel him to victory last Saturday in the 2020 Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge.

The 12th annual Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge, Thoroughbred racing’s biggest live-money tournament, held Nov. 6-7, featured 430 top horseplayers wagering on the two-day card of the 37th Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington.

Photo courtesy of Carlos Guerrero

Gramm, 47, finished with a total score of 170,250 points. Combined with his first-place prize of $322,500, Gramm had total winnings of $492,750. That put him ahead of second-place finisher Jonathon Kinchen, NYRA/Fox Sports television handicapper and analyst. Kinchen compiled 161,025.20 points, and combined with his second-place prize of $215,000, he had total winnings of $376,025.20. Dylan Donnelly, from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., finished third with 136,200 points and $118,250 in prize money, for total winnings of $254,450.

In this year’s BCBC, each player was required to fund a $2,500 buy-in and a $7,500 betting bankroll ($10,000 total). All buy-in monies were applied to the prize pool, making the total prize pool $1,075,000. Players made real wagers (win, place, show, exacta, trifecta and daily double) with their $7,500 bankroll on 22 races over the two days and kept all monies earned from their wagering.

A big sports fan who grew up in Washington, D.C, Gramm loved “numbers and statistics,” and learned the handicapping game by reading books from noted racing journalist and author Andrew Beyer.

Gramm has played in the BCBC five of the last six years, registering his best finish in 2018, taking fifth place. He has been teaching economics at Rhodes College since 2000 and currently chairs the department. Gramm has taught a course at Rhodes called Economics of Racetrack Wagering Markets, which he describes as a class on “decision making, price discovery and probability.” Along with Clay Sanders, he is also co-managing partner of Ten Strike Racing, a stable that has won 338 races, including stakes winners Dot Matrix, Long on Value and Warrior’s Charge.

The biggest moment in recent Memphis horse racing history happened at this year’s Breeders’ Cup – local coverage of Gramm’s victory and the TN connection

Gramm experienced a range of emotions when he learned that he had won the tournament. “When I hit (the exacta), I was thrilled, my biggest score ever. You know you’ve had a great day, but it was nerve-racking, and a relief, and I will always be able to say that I am a BCBC Champion.”

In this year’s BCBC, Gramm was in contention throughout. On Friday, he cashed a $600 daily-double wager on Vequist in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1), followed by Aunt Pearl (IRE) capturing the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1). Those bets earned him $17,350 and he closed out the first day of competition in seventh place.

On Saturday, Gramm went “all in” on Monomoy Girl winning the Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1), wagering his $18,165 bankroll and more than doubling his money. After hitting on a minimum show bet in the Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1), Gramm went into the Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic in 11th place with $36,930. In the climactic race of the World Championships, he made six individual exacta wagers using Authentic, Improbable and Tom’s d’Etat. Gramm wagered $7,500 on the Authentic-Improbable combination and won the tournament.

“Marshall is a dear friend and I am very happy for him. The BCBC is the Masters of handicapping contests. It’s not all about the money, it’s about the title. I wanted to win, but there are about three people in the world I am ok running second to, and Marshall is one of them.” ~ Runner-up Kinchen stated.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions at Keeneland, most of the BCBC tournament play was conducted online at TVG.com, the official Breeders’ Cup wagering partner, Xpressbet.com and NYRA Bets. The BCBC was also conducted at designated satellite locations at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J., Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., Del Mar racetrack in Del Mar, Calif., and at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif.

Online qualifying for the 2021 Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge begins this Sunday, Nov. 15 on Horseplayers.com. A guaranteed 2021 BCBC berth will be awarded to the winner of the contest, which has a $500 entry fee and a low 1 per 23 ratio. Players can up for Sunday’s contest here.

What are the dates for the 2021 National Horseplayers Championship in Las Vegas?

ABOUT BREEDERS’ CUP

The Breeders’ Cup administers the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, Thoroughbred horse racing’s year-end Championships, as well as the Breeders’ Cup Challenge qualifying series, which provides automatic starting positions into the Championships races. The Breeders’ Cup is also a founding member of the Thoroughbred Safety Coalition, an organization composed of industry leaders committed to advancing safety measures in Thoroughbred racing and improving the well-being of equine and human athletes.

The 2020 Breeders’ Cup World Championships, consisting of 14 Championship races, was held on Nov. 6-7 at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky, and featured a total of $31 million in purses and awards. The event was televised live by the NBC Sports Group.

Source: Breeders’ Cup (edited press release)

Filed Under: Horse Racing contests & tournaments, Horse Racing News Tagged With: 2020 BCBC, Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge, contest, Dylan Donnelly, Horseplayers.com, Jonathan Kinchen, Marshall Gramm, tournament, wagers

NHC Live Money Contest at Los Alamitos – Sept 14

September 6, 2019 by Editor Leave a Comment

NTRA NHC logo The Los Alamitos Racing Association will offer cash prizes and as many as three seats to the 2020 National Handicapping Championship in Las Vegas with a live money contest Saturday, Sept. 14 during the upcoming Los Angeles County Fair meet.

Cost to enter the tournament is $500. Of that amount, $100 will be placed in the contest prize pool with the remaining $400 going towards a live-money wagering card.

Contestants must enter prior to 1 p.m. – post time for the first race – Sept. 14.

Tournament races will include the entire Los Alamitos card with win, place, show, exacta, trifecta and daily double wagering permitted.

Each entry must wager at least $400 during the contest to be eligible for prizes and each entry must bet at least $50 on four races.

The player with the highest bankroll at the end of the day will be declared the winner and the player with the second highest bankroll the runner-up, The winner will receive 50% of the prize pool. The remaining payoffs: 20% (Second) 15% (Third), 7.5% (Fourth) and 7.5% (Most Money Wagered).

A total of three spots will be available to next year’s NHC provided there are at least 75 entrants. If fewer than 75, two berths will be on the line. The prize includes a $200 travel voucher and hotel accommodations.

The contest is the first of two during the LACF meet. The second is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 21.

For questions, please contact larace@losalamitos.com or call 714-820-2690.

The Los Angeles County Fair meet will begin Friday, Sept. 6 and continue through Sunday, Sept. 22.

Filed Under: Horse Racing contests & tournaments Tagged With: 2020 National Handicapping Championship, contest, event, NHC Event at Los Alamitos, NHC Live Money Contest, tournament

Stich Wins Again. 28yo Handicapper Takes Down Record Field at Monmouth Park

June 4, 2019 by Editor Leave a Comment

AGOS Founder Also Qualifies at Pick Your Prize Challenge Tournament

Patrick Stich of Chicago, IL turned his $1,000 starting bankroll into $6,150 to win Monmouth Park’s fourth annual $2,000 Pick Your Prize Handicapping Challenge on Saturday, June 1.

Stich bested a record field of 222 entries made up of players from 30 states and Canada.

Rich Nilsen qualifies for the 16th time

For finishing first, Stich received an automatic $14,000 and two picks from the Pick Your Prize board. In total, the board was composed of 22 NHC seats – the most of any online or on-track contest in history – as well as six full Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge seats and $86,000 in cash prizes. With his two picks, Stich selected the top cash prize of $12,000 and well as the prize of BCBC+$3,500. Including his bankroll, Stich walked away with $35,650 plus a seat in the $10,000 BCBC.

Early in the day, Stich started strong by hitting a $200 fourth race exacta at Gulfstream for $1,640. A $50 fifth race exacta at Gulfstream earned Stich another $2,475. A $600 win bet in the 11th race at Gulfstream had Stich with $5,050 going into the Monmouth Park finale – the final contest race. A winning $200 cold exacta returned $1,300 and landed Stich the title.

Saturday’s second-place finisher was Tim Yohler of Fishers, IN who finished with a bankroll of $5,843.60.

All Pick Your Prize players were required to bet at least $100 on a total of 10 races from Monmouth Park, Belmont and Gulfstream. At least five of those races needed to be Monmouth Park races. Bets could only be win, place, show, exacta or any combination thereof.

All players kept their final bankrolls. The Top 5 finishers received a guaranteed cash prize. The Top 7 finishers all received two picks from the prize board in order of finish. Finishers 8 through 27 received one pick.

Following is the full list of results from Saturday’s $2,000 Pick Your Prize Handicapping Challenge:

Finish	Name	Bankroll	Prize
1st	Patrick Stich	$6,150	$29,500+BCBC
2nd	Tim Yohler	$5,843.60	$14,000+BCBC+NHC
3rd	Ross Szlasa	$5,253	$13,000+BCBC
4th	Frank Fosbre	$5,201.60	$10,000+BCBC
5th	Mark Streiff	$4,848.50	$5,000+BCBC+NHC
6th	Rich Pawlowski	$4,545.40	$2,000+NHC+BCBC
7th	Andrew Gredesky	$4,208	$5,500+NHC
8th	Gary Wright	$4,031	NHC
9th	Nick Noce	$3,788	NHC
10th	Scott Carson	$3,678	$4,000
11th	Frank Gryboski	$3,620	$3,000
12th	Stephen McNatton	$3,412.50	NHC
13th	Tim Hughes	$3,410.50	NHC
14th	David Wolff	$3,377.95	NHC
15th	John Vail	$3,207.50	NHC
16th	Joe Regan	$3,053	NHC
17th	Roger Cettina	$3,000.80	NHC
18th	Sally Goodall	$2,993.20	NHC
19th	David Wolff	$2,940	$3,000 (in lieu of a 2nd NHC seat)
20th	Scott Carson	$2,876	NHC
21st	John Fisher	$2,735	NHC
22nd	Mike Mulvihill	$2,724	NHC
23rd	Rich Nilsen	$2,667.25	NHC
24th	Don Chung	$2,604	NHC
25th	Jose Raphael	$2,466	NHC
26th	Jeff Bussan	$2,429.55	NHC

Nick Fazzolari Wins New Sunday Contest

For the first time, Monmouth Park also hosted a $300 NHC Qualifier on Sunday, June 2. The winner of that contest was Nick Fazzolari of Colts Neck, NJ who used a late all-in in the finale at Belmont to catapult to the lead and best the field of 179 entries. Fazzolari will be headed to the NHC along with second-place finisher Rich Pesce and third-place finisher Mark Odorisio.

Monmouth Park’s next handicapping contest is a $300 Monmouth/Woodbine event ($150 entry fee, $150 bankroll) on Saturday, June 29, which will award three NHC seats . Woodbine’s historic Queen’s Plate will be carded on June 29.

Click here to view original web page at www.monmouthpark.com

Filed Under: Horse Racing contests & tournaments, Horse Racing News Tagged With: contest, Monmouth, nhc, Pick Your Prize Challenge, Rich Nilsen, tournament 2019

What Wager won this year’s Keeneland’s Grade One Gamble?

April 17, 2019 by Editor Leave a Comment

Faron McCubbin Wins Another Big Tournament

Overcoming inclement weather and late changes to the contest landscape, Faron McCubbins of Mount Washington, KY hammered the 9^th race at Keeneland with an $800 exacta on 8-10 that paid $28,560, resulting in an incredible final bankroll of $31,560 that bested 180 other contestants in the Grade One Gamble. For his efforts Faron takes home $35,000 in prize money, a fully paid Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge berth at Santa Anita worth $10,000, and an entry into the 2020 National Horseplayers Championship at Bally’s Las Vegas.

The day began with steady rain that caused all races to be taken off the turf; multiple scratches resulted in decimated fields. Contest management added 3 races from Gulfstream and 2 races from Aqueduct to the contest menu, and the changes resulted in a very competitive contest that was decided at the wire.

Long- time leader Dan Slattery of Bethesda, MD, who cashed for $19,000 on Gulfstream’s 4^th race, was passed late by the huge play of McCubbins, but took home his bankroll of $18,449.80 plus $18,000, a fully paid BCBC spot and an NHC entry.

Click here to view original web page at www.keeneland.com

Filed Under: Horse Racing contests & tournaments, Horse Racing News Tagged With: bcbc, contest, Faron McCubbin, keeneland, Keeneland’s Grade One Gamble, nhc

Over $2.8M on the Line for Horseplayers at the NHC

February 7, 2019 by Editor Leave a Comment

LAS VEGAS, Nevada (February 6, 2019) – An estimated field of 670 entries will compete for nearly $2.9 million in cash and awards – and horse racing’s official title of “Horseplayer of the Year” – at this weekend’s 20th NTRA National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) Presented by Racetrack Television Network, STATS Race Lens™ and Treasure Island Las Vegas. Both the field size and the purse are the second-largest in NHC history. The three-day tournament, Friday to Sunday at Treasure Island, will offer a first-place prize of $800,000.

The NHC field will be reduced to the top 10 percent of players after the first two days. The highest 10 cumulative scores after the Semifinal round will fill out the Final Table. Bankrolls amassed during Day 1, Day 2 and the Semifinal round will roll over to the Final Table, with the 10 finalists settling the NHC score in seven “mandatory” assigned races.

Players who do not make the Semifinal cut will still compete on Day 3, in a separate Consolation tournament.

A full scoreboard will be updated regularly at https://www.ntra.com/nhc, where fans and players can also find each day’s contest race menu and news updates.

“We are delighted to play host to many of the nation’s top horseplayers at the historic 20^th NHC,” said NTRA Chief Operating Officer and NHC Tournament Director, Keith Chamblin. “The NHC is a true celebration of the horseplayer—the individuals who fuel every aspect of the sport and business of Thoroughbred racing. We also thank the many organizations who hosted NHC qualifiers throughout 2018 s well as our sponsoring partners—Racetrack Television Network, STATS Race Lens™ and Treasure Island Las Vegas—for their ongoing support.”

At the Races with Steve Byk will broadcast live on SiriusXM satellite radio (Sirius 219; XM 201) from Treasure Island and online at www.stevebyk.com daily, Thursday to Monday, with NHC coverage slated for 2-7:30p ET (11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. PT). Additional news and exclusive content will be shared on Twitter via the official NTRA account, @NTRA.

Defending NHC champion Chris Littlemore – who last month was honored with an Eclipse Award as “Horseplayer of the Year”– heads this year’s field, which is comprised of 669 entries (pending the outcome of Thursday’s Last Chance Contest at the Treasure Island). There are 118 rookies, representing 23 percent of the field. There are 138 dual qualifiers going into Thursday’s Last Chance Contest at the Treasure Island.

As the 2018 NHC winner, Littlemore of Whitby, Ontario, Canada, near Toronto, received an automatic berth into this year’s tournament to defend the title he won last February when he bested other entries. Littlemore amassed a winning score of $348.30 over the three-day tournament from 53 mythical $2 Win and Place bets – 18 each on Friday and Saturday, 10 in Sunday morning’s Semifinal round and seven in the dramatic Final Table contest exclusive to the overall top 10. He will seek to become the first-ever two-time winner of the NHC, as will six other past winners that have qualified. The other qualifying champions are: Ray Arsenault (2017), Paul Matties, Jr. (2016), Jim Benes (2013),Michael Beychok (2012), Richard Goodall (2008), and Stanley Bavlish (2007).

Several players will compete for major bonuses tied to earlier accomplishments:

As the winner of the 2018 NHC Tour, David Gutfreund won $100,000 and an NHC berth. He also is eligible for a record $6 million in bonuses if he goes on to win at the 2019 NHC finals.

Chuck Grubbs, the winner of the Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge (BCBC), is eligible for a $3 million BCBC/NHC Bonus. First prize at the NHC is $800,000, meaning that successful completion of the BCBC-NHC double would be worth $3.8 million.

In its 20th year, the NTRA National Horseplayers Championship is the most important tournament of the year for horseplayers and is the culmination of a year-long series of NTRA-sanctioned local tournaments.

NHC players qualified via contests hosted by 34 racetracks, casino race books, handicapping contest websites, Advance Deposit Wagering (ADW) outlets, simulcast distribution networks, horse owner associations and other Thoroughbred racing organizations. The NHC 19 qualifier hosts were:

Aqueduct, Arlington Park, BataviaBets.com, Belmont Park, Breeders’ Cup, Canterbury Park, Capital OTB, Century Bets, Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, Fair Grounds, Florida HBPA, Gulfstream Park, Hawthorne Race Course, Hollywood Casino at Penn National, Horseplayers.com, HorseTourneys.com, Indiana Grand, Keeneland, Laurel Park, Lone Star Park, Los Alamitos Race Course, Meadowlands, Mohegan Sun, Monmouth Park, National Thoroughbred Racing Association, New Zealand Metropolitan Trotting Club, Santa Anita Park, Saratoga Race Course, Tampa Bay Downs, The BIG One, Treasure Island, TVG, Woodbine Entertainment Group and Xpressbet.com.

The remaining 10 races on Day 1 and Day 2 and all 10 plays in the Semifinal round will be optional wagers on races at one of eight designated NHC tournament tracks: Aqueduct, Fair Grounds, Golden Gate Fields, Gulfstream Park, Laurel Park, Oaklawn Park, Santa Anita Park and Tampa Bay Downs.

Treasure Island will play host to the NHC for the eighth straight year.

On Saturday, the NTRA also will host an invitation-only online tournament, the 5th Annual Tito’s $5,000 NHC Charity Challenge. A field of approximately 40 media and racing personalities will compete to have $5,000 donated in their name to the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund.

About the NHC

In its 20th year, the NHC is the most important tournament of the year for horseplayers and is the culmination of a year-long series of NTRA-sanctioned local tournaments conducted by racetracks, casino race books, off-track betting facilities and horse racing and handicapping websites, each of which sends its top qualifiers to the national finals. There are no bye-ins to the NHC. Each year, the NHC winner joins other human and equine champions as an honoree at the Eclipse Awards. For more information on the NHC, visitNTRA.com/nhc.

About the NTRA

The NTRA, based in Lexington, Ky., is a broad-based coalition of more than 100 horse racing interests and thousands of individual stakeholders consisting of horseplayers, racetrack operators, owners, breeders, trainers and affiliated horse racing associations, charged with increasing the popularity, welfare and integrity of Thoroughbred racing through consensus-based leadership, legislative advocacy, safety and integrity initiatives, fan engagement and corporate partner development. The NTRA owns and manages the NTRA Safety and Integrity Alliance; NTRA.com; the Eclipse Awards; the National Horseplayers Championship; NTRA Advantage, a corporate partner sales and sponsorship program; and Horse PAC®, a federal political action committee. NTRA press releases appear on NTRA.com, Twitter (@ntra) and Facebook (facebook.com/1NTRA).

Filed Under: Horse Racing News Tagged With: 2019 NHC, contest, Horseplayers at the NHC, las vegas, nhc, ntra contest, tournament

Getting to Know the BCBC Boys – Tournament Players

January 18, 2019 by Editor Leave a Comment

Nice profile / handicapping piece from a few years ago by Ren Hakim Carothers

We’ve long marketed our sport as that of kings. While this packaging does reflect the money that goes into breeding, training, and running these majestic athletes, heightening the stakes and romanticizing the idea of triumph, it can also convey exclusivity. It’s no wonder why horses with blue collar backstories competing at elite levels have captured the imagination of those outside our industry on more than one occasion. David, meet Goliath.

It’s time that mainstream audiences realized you need not be an owner of a horse, a trainer, or jockey to delight in the spoils of victory. Racing is not merely a spectator sport. It’s interactive. You simply need a ticket -a bet slip- to go along for the ride, and the fact that it’s not just the horses competing for seven figures this weekend puts an exclamation mark on that point.

BCBC Tournament Players

Again, the BCBC Bonus Boys are fascinating. Take Stephen Thompson, who is known as the “Undertaker” on the betting circuit, as an example. He is from Lebanon, Pennsylvania, where he’s the owner and licensed director of Thompson Funeral Home, Inc, which was started by his great-grandfather in 1890. He fell in love with racing at the tender age of ten, going to the races with his family, and has won entry into the BCBC seven of the last eight years. Stephen says you get so pumped up in these tournaments, but he has to stay “flatlined” to stay focused, and that, should he win, the first check he’s writing is for $100,000 to benefit retired racehorses. “Without them, we have nothing!”

There are two entrants looking to pull off a BC/BCBC double. David Lanzman was hooked on racing after he and a couple of friends snuck under the fence at Hollywood Park as teenagers, having a security guard place what would be winning bets for them. He realized you could make life-changing scores playing the ponies when, with his $400 rent due and …

Click here to view original web page at www.breederscup.com

Filed Under: Breeders Cup, Horse Racing contests & tournaments, Horse Racing Education, Horse Racing Promotion | Marketing Tagged With: bcbc, BCBC Boys, BCBC Tournament Players, breeders cup, Carothers, contest, David Lanzman, Gaby, Hellmers, marketing, Ren Carothers, Ren Hakim Carothers, Stephen Thompson, Tournament Players, tournaments

There’s No Question Who the Best Real-Money Tournament Player Is

October 15, 2018 by Editor Leave a Comment

Tommy Massis relaxing back home at Woodbine

It’s This Guy

I was one of the guys who got crushed by The Hammer, the best real-money tournament player in the country. Tommy Massis of Toronto is not only the King of Keeneland Contests but also the one to fear most in any real-money tournament. On Sunday (10/14/18) in Lexington Kentucky, he placed a $1,000 win bet on 19-1 shot Bella Noire in Keeneland’s 4^th race to claim another real-money victory at Keeneland. Tommy’s winning total of $20,800 bested 2^nd place finisher Blake Jessee by nearly $8,000.

Tommy loves Keeneland, with good reason. He won the Breeders’ Cup Betting Championship (BCBC) at Keeneland in 2015, and this is his second win in a big Keeneland live money contest. For his most recent victory, in addition to his final bankroll, he takes home $30,000, a fully paid $10,000 berth in the BCBC at Churchill Downs, and a fully paid entry plus expenses into the 2019 National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) in Las Vegas.

According to the Keeneland press release, Tommy played the tournament from the Green Room at Keeneland, and when Bella Noire stormed down the stretch he jumped up and declared, “You have a new leader!”

The $3,000 buy-in tournament drew 167 entries and awarded BCBC and NHC spots to the top five finishers, NHC spots to places 6 through 8, and prize money to 15^th place.

Three years ago I got the pleasure of interviewing The Hammer, so check out the link below to view Tommy’s insight into his first real-money tournament score at Keeneland:

Interview with Tommy Massis

Months after this interview, The Hammer turned around and won the 2015 Breeders’ Cup Betting Championship (BCBC) by absolutely crushing the exacta in the Breeders’ Cup Turf. A couple weeks later he won the Del Mar real-money tournament, taking down another grand prize and leaving his competition in the dust.

It was truly the year of The Hammer, and this past weekend proved that he is still pounding his competition, and making some men (like myself) look like boys. Great job Tommy!

Did You Miss This Gem?

How to Win a Handicapping Tournament

Filed Under: Breeders Cup, Horse Racing contests & tournaments, Horse Racing News, Industry Profiles Tagged With: bcbc, Best Real-Money Tournament Player, Breeders' Cup Betting Championship, contest, hammer, keeneland, live bankroll, nhc, real-money tournament, Tommy Massis

How to Win a Handicapping Tournament

October 3, 2018 by Editor 1 Comment

By Rich Nilsen

For the last 10 years or more, the handicapping tournaments in the horse racing world have been all the rage. The popularity has increased with each passing year, and the overall tournament landscape has changed significantly. Whereas in the past nearly all contests featured a $2 win/place format using mythical money, the larger real-money tournaments have now taken over. The good news is that there is still something for everyone. There are small entry-level contests where the buy-in may be as a low as $9, and there are huge tournaments where you need $10,000 or more to get in the front door.

Handicapping tournaments are a lot of fun, but to win one you have to be more than just a good handicapper. You have to be prepared and have a plan. Today we’ll look at the steps I believe you need in order to succeed in horse racing contests. Feel free to share your thoughts and experiences at the end on what you think it takes to win a handicapping tournament.

REALLY KNOW THE RULES

Yes, that seems pretty obvious. But understanding the basic rules and really knowing the rules are two different things. There are many contests out there that have ‘fine details’ and those fine details can be the difference between winning and losing.

I highly recommend reading through the rules of an upcoming contest multiple times. In doing so, you may just catch something you missed the first time around. For example, in 2016 I was fortunate to win into the Kentucky Derby Betting Championship, a brand new, real-money contest that featured a $20,000 buy-in. You had to bet a certain amount of money on a minimum number of Churchill Downs races on both Friday and Saturday of Kentucky Derby weekend. What could easily be missed in the rules is that you could wager LESS than the required amount on any given race.

This omission was actually significant. Why? The reason being that you could take a swing at a race that maybe you didn’t want to go all-in on per the minimum race requirements. So, instead of wagering the required $400 minimum, for example, you could take a shot with $50-100 in bets. If you lost, no big deal. If you hit an exacta or trifecta that paid well, this could help you make a move on the leaderboard. If you sat out the race entirely, because you failed to understand the rule, and then a horse you were strongly considering won, this could also wreck havoc on your mental game.

There are other contests where if you fail to make a bet or meet the minimum requirements, you’re disqualified. I’ve seen this happen even to veteran tournament players. By reading the rules and really understanding the ins and outs of the contest, you’re much less likely to make a critical mistake.

FOLLOW THE CONTEST TRACK(S)

In the week leading up to a contest that features specific tracks, you should definitely follow the action at those tracks in the days prior. There are several benefits to doing that. For one you may catch on to a prevailing track bias. You may notice certain trainers or jockeys that are ice cold, or red-hot for that matter.

You may also notice a horse that was victorious who ran against a horse entered on the upcoming contest date. That happened to me many years ago when I was involved in a handicapping tournament in Kentucky. The day before the contest, I had wagered on a horse that won impressively at Keeneland and had done so at nice odds. The following day a runner that had been very competitive with that winning horse was entered to run. The horse made sense to me, for a variety of reasons, and I knew he was coming out of a sneaky good race. He crushed the field and scored at 50-1 odds! I had him in the contest and, although I didn’t win the grand prize, I was among the top finishers at the conclusion of the contest.

BE AGGRESSIVE

It’s very hard to win a contest with a conservative approach. Playing the favorites, for example, throughout the majority of the card isn’t going to get you into the winner’s circle very often. You may feel good cashing several races, but it simply won’t ‘cut it.’

I’m not suggesting that you just take stabs at big longshots. However, it is advisable to find some value plays that make sense and can propel you up the leaderboard if you’re right. Just a couple of victorious 6-1 shots can oftentimes put you in the hunt to win a tournament.

If you’re playing a tournament with mandatory races, then everyone is required to play the same race(s). If a big price comes in, unless it’s a very small field of players, someone is going to have the longshot, and you’re toast.

The chances of just picking the logical favorites and being successful in most tournaments is low, as this player found out a few years ago.

In this live, online tournament featuring 10 mandatory races, there were 105 players and the top 12 won prizes. This player had an awesome day, selecting six winners in a row! The problem was that only one of those winners paid more than 2-1 and that was the 4-1 winning selection at Hawthorne. Unfortunately for this sharp handicapper, a big price came in late in the tournament and blew him and his great day out of the water. He plummeted to 15th place, out of the prize spots. SIX winners in a row in a 10-race contest against only 104 other entries, and he finished completely out of the money. Incredible.

MAP OUT YOUR CONTEST PLAYS

When you enter a contest, whether it’s on-track or online, you should handicap and make your selections (or structure your wagers) as far in advance of the first race as possible. Then, check the scratches when they get posted and make appropriate revisions.

If you enter a contest and just plan to ‘wing it’ at the event, or during the online contest, I wish you the best of luck. To me, one of the worst aspects of ‘winging’ a contest and playing it as it goes, is that you are not prepared for the later races. And, more times than not, the later races will play the biggest part in determining the final results.

My friend Paul Shurman, who is currently leading the NHC Tour (again), explained his thoughts on this in an interview with Eric Wing: “I think you need to have handicapped all the races before you enter the room. You have to know what you like later on in the day to know whether what you’re looking at right now represents good contest value. I also handicap backwards. I’ll start at the end of the card and work my way to the beginning. This way, if I don’t finish, and I wind up having to handicap on the fly, at least I’ll be handicapping on the fly early, knowing what I like later.”

The other benefit of mapping our picks or wagers ahead of time is that you are more likely to stick to your guns. How many times have you heard a player say, “every time I change a pick, it loses,” or “I should have stuck with my original pick.” I can attest that when I change my original pick it is usually a mistake. It’s rare that I have a good reason to go against my original handicapping.

Now, of course, if there is a sudden downpour and the track has become a muddy mess, that is one example where changing your picks is not only a good idea but probably advisable (assuming you didn’t handicap for a wet track). There are other scenarios and most are common sense.

Where it is not advisable is when you hear the paddock commentator say something negative about your selection, and so now, you’re looking at going a different direction. Stick to your guns. If you put a lot of work into your original selections, don’t be easily swayed from them.

SUMMARY

Winning any handicapping tournament is not easy. Chances are you need to follow the advice presented herein and then proceed to have a really good day on top of that. In many big contests, you also may need to catch a few breaks, e.g. winning a photo, surviving an inquiry, etc. Winning is not easy, but if you lay the proper foundation, you enhance your chances greatly. Best of luck!

Rich Nilsen is the founder of A Game of Skill. He is a 15-time qualifier to the National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) and a winner of 8 major handicapping tournaments. He is currently ranked 6th on the new NHC Lifetime Player Rankings system.

Rich will be on the panel discussing handicapping tournaments at the Equestricon Conference in Louisville, KY.

Filed Under: Horse Racing contests & tournaments Tagged With: bcbc, contest, CONTEST PLAYS, CONTEST Strategy, contests, Equestricon Conference, horse racing world, How to Win a Handicapping Tournament, nhc, Pegasus Cup, Rich Nilsen

NHC Begins Friday in Las Vegas