FREE NHC Tour Contests Begin This Weekend

First of Five Free Online NHC Qualifiers Set For April 22

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 17, 2023) – The first of five free online qualifiers for the NTRA National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) is set for this Saturday April 22 on HorsePlayers.com, the official online qualifying site of the NHC. The top three finishers in the FREE NHC tour contests will earn automatic berths to the 25th Annual NHC, which is slated to be held at the Horseshoe Las Vegas next March 15-17, 2024. An additional $1,000 in HorsePlayers credits will be distributed to the next top 25 finishers of the contest.

Registration is now open.

The remainder of the free contest schedule for the 2023 NHC Tour is as follows:

· Sunday, May 14

· Saturday, July 1

· Sunday, August 27

· Sunday, October 8

Participants in the online qualifier must be a 2023 NHC Tour member to be eligible to win a qualifying spot to the NHC. Players failing to register for NHC Tour membership prior to the start of this event will forfeit their opportunity to win a qualifying package.

NTRA NHC logoEach winning prize package includes an NHC entry, a four-night stay at the Horseshoe Las Vegas, and a $500 travel reimbursement. All participants will be awarded 50 NHC Tour points and additional NHC Tour points will be awarded to the top 100 finishers.

Tour membership starts at $50 and includes entry to the year’s remaining free online qualifiers, as well as access to dozens of contests each week. To sign up for the NHC Tour, go to www.ntra.com/membership. Individuals also must be registered at HorsePlayers.com (free).

Every free online contest on HorsePlayers.com is determined by mythical Win and Place wagers on a series of mandatory races across the country with selections submitted in advance of the first designated contest race per the “Pick and Pray” format.

For more information on the NHC and NHC Tour, visit www.ntra.com/nhc.

About the NHC

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 and is named Horseplayer of the Year. For more information on the NHC, visit NTRA.com/nhc.

ABOUT THE NTRA

The NTRA, based in Lexington, Ky. and Washington, D.C., 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.

NTRA National Horseplayers Championship Goes to Paul Calia

After a weekend of nail-biting handicapping prowess, Paul Calia, of Kansas City, Missouri, toppled a field of 779 entries to take home the grand prize of $800,000, in addition to finishing in 4th place, and an Eclipse Award crowning him Horseplayer of the Year. This is the first contest that Calia has ever won.

Calia amassed a winning score of $362.50 on his first entry, and $305.50 on his second entry, over the three-day tournament from 53 mythical $2 Win and Place bets – 18 on Friday, 18 on Saturday, 10 in Sunday morning’s Semifinal round, and 7 at the exciting Final Table which ultimately yielded his victory. He is the first winner to also finish in the top ten with a second entry.

“I started a little slow on Friday, thought I handicapped okay with some seconds and thirds. But Saturday I was pretty hot, and pretty much hit every long shot. It’s hard to put into words how many winners I picked on Saturday,” Calia said.

 

When asked his approach to playing two cards in the final table he said, “I don’t know how to describe it. I didn’t switch a lot of picks, I don’t let the odds affect me. I only switched about 10-15% of my picks between cards, one or two a day that’s it.”

His strategy obviously paid off. Calia will take home $800,000 for his first-place finish in addition to taking home $150,000 for his fourth-place finish. With this victory, Calia also earns an exemption into next year’s NHC and a berth to the 2023 Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge worth $10,000. In lieu of winning a second BCBC entry, which he won from finishing first on day two (Saturday), he will instead take home $10,000 cash. That makes his full earnings from the weekend a whopping $960,000 and a 2024 BCBC seat valued at $10,000.

“There are three pillars to the sport of Thoroughbred racing – you have the horse and its connections, the racetracks, and the horseplayer,” said NTRA President and CEO Tom Rooney. “So, if horse racing is a three-legged stool, we aren’t anything without the horseplayer. My family’s relationship with this sport and with football all traces back to playing horses. The excitement at the NHC is vital to everything we do as an industry. This year’s NHC is bigger than ever before and I’m proud that the NTRA has this unique opportunity to showcase the best of the best in handicapping and celebrate what it means to be a horseplayer.”

 

The official Top 10 finishers of the 2023 NHC are:

1. Paul Calia (first entry), $362.50, Kansas City, MO, 2nd NHC Appearance

2. Francis Boustany, $330.30, Lafayette, LA, 7th NHC Appearance

3. Gary Fenton, $309.60, Sherman Oaks, CA, 4th NHC Appearance

4. Paul Calia (second entry), $305.50, Kansas City, MO, 2nd NHC Appearance

5. David Browning, $302.80, Lexington, KY, 3rd NHC Appearance

6. George Novick, $290, Pocono Pines, PA, 2nd NHC Appearance

7. Steven Wells (second entry), $289.40, Fordville, ND, 5th NHC Appearance

8. Joseph Paese, $288.50, Middletown, PA, 2nd NHC Appearance

9. Steven Wells (first entry), $281.60, Fordville, ND, 5th NHC Appearance

10. Steve Nemetz, $281.50, Vancouver, BC, 11th NHC Appearance

 

NTRA National Horseplayers ChampionshipThe 2022 NHC paid out the top 68 finishers. This year, the top 78 finishers will take home prize money. Total cash prizes to be offered over the three days was a record $3,115,350, a 33% increase over last year. The full prize structure can be found online.

In a separate Consolation Tournament on Sunday for players that did not reach the Semifinals round, Karen Richards of Pembroke Pines, FL, won the $10,000 top prize with a bankroll of $130.40 from 10 optional races. The Consolation Tournament started with bankrolls reset to zero. Cash prizes totaling $50,000 were awarded, from the $10,000 first prize down to $1,000 for 20th.

NHC weekend concluded with the annual Champions’ Dinner, featuring the presentation of prizes and the induction of the 2022 NHC Hall of Fame class: Jose Arias, Dennis Decauwer, Jim Goodman, and Bill Shurman.

Retired Disability Advisor for Social Security from Kansas City Takes First and Fourth for $960,000 in cash and Eclipse Award as Horseplayer of the Year

The NHC, the world’s richest and most prestigious handicapping contest, featured 779 entrants competing for more than $3.1 million in cash and prizes. All qualifiers received a complimentary four night stay at the Horseshoe Las Vegas and travel reimbursements which totaled more than $1 million.

The tournament format for the NHC is meant to be the best possible test of overall handicapping ability by picking winners. 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 – are announced at least 36 hours prior to each contest day via direct e-mail to players and publicly on Twitter (@NTRA) and NTRA.com.

In addition to its three presenting sponsors ― Caesars Entertainment, Horseshoe Las Vegas and RTN ― the NHC is supported by official partners Daily Racing Form, EquinEdge, Four Roses Bourbon and Race Lens.

For the complete Caesar’s Race and Sports Book NHC Leaderboard and other contest information, please visit NTRA.com. To sign up for the NHC Tour, go to www.ntra.com/membership.

It’s NHC Week from Las Vegas

Lexington, KY, (March, 2023): The 24th National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) presented by Caesars Entertainment, Horseshoe Las Vegas, and Racetrack Television Network (RTN) kicks off Friday, March 10, running through Sunday March 12, at the Horseshoe Las Vegas. The field of an estimated 750 entries will yield one ultimate winner, who will go home with an estimated $750,000 and an Eclipse Award as Horseplayer of the Year.

nhc final table vegasThe NHC, the world’s richest and most prestigious handicapping contest, features more than 600 top horseplayers competing for an estimated $3.2 million in cash and prizes. All qualifiers will receive a complimentary four night stay at the Horseshoe Las Vegas and travel reimbursements which total more than $1 million. The complete field and total prize breakdown will be finalized following the Last Chance/First Chance Contest, held Thursday on the eve of the NHC.

In addition to its three presenting sponsors ― Caesars Entertainment, Horseshoe Las Vegas and RTN ― the NHC is supported by official partners Daily Racing Form, EquinEdge, Four Roses Bourbon, and Race Lens.

New Host at the NHC

Interested spectators will have the ability to watch and listen to the action unfurling at the NHC in multiple places. Rachel McLaughlin, Racing Analyst at Horseshoe Indianapolis, will be hosting the NHC broadcast which can be watched on NTRA’s YouTube channel and will be available on all NTRA social media platforms. Additionally, At the Races with Steve Byk will broadcast live on SiriusXM satellite radio (Sirius 219; XM 201) from the Horseshoe Las Vegas and online at www.stevebyk.com daily, from 9-12 a.m. ET/6-9 a .m. PT on Friday and Monday, with bonus NHC coverage at www.SteveByk.com/listen-live-SiriusXM slated for 2-8 p.m. ET/11 a.m.-5 p.m. PT) next Friday-Sunday. America’s Best Racing and Hawthorne will also be streaming live from the event.

Of the 23 years of past champions, at least 11 will be returning to attempt to become the first repeat winner of the NHC – Judy Wagner (2001), Steve Wolfson, Jr. (2003), Stanley Bavlish (2007), Michael Beychok (2012), Jim Benes (2013), Paul Matties, Jr (2016), Ray Arsenault (2017), Chris Littlemore (2018), Scott Coles (2019), Justin Mustari (2021) and David Harrison (2022). While many NHC veterans will be returning, there will also be many fresh faces at the Horseshoe this year. Among those will be 2022 Breeders Cup Betting Challenge winner Drew Coatney, who will be making his first NHC appearance along with 142 other rookies pending the results of next Thursday’s Last Chance/First Chance Contest at the Horseshoe Las Vegas.

All of the current 621 participants qualified via contests hosted by 34 racetracks, casino race books, handicapping contest websites, Advance Deposit Wagering (ADW) platforms, simulcast distribution networks, horse owner associations, media outlets, and other Thoroughbred racing organizations. Outlets that held qualifiers to the #NHC2023 included At the Races with Steve Byk, Bally’s Las Vegas, Breeders’ Cup, Canterbury Park, Colonial Downs, Del Mar, FanDuel TV, FTHA, Gulfstream Park, Hawthorne, Hialeah, Horseplayers.com, Horsetourneys.com, Horseshoe Indianapolis, Keeneland, Kentucky Downs, Laurel Park, Little Red Feather, Lone Star Park, Los Alamitos, Meadowlands, Monmouth Park, NTRA, Race Lens, Sam Houston Race Park, Santa Anita Park, Saratoga Bets, Sport of Kings, Tampa Bay Downs, Treasure Island, The Big One, and Xpressbet.

The tournament format for the NHC is meant to be the best possible test of overall handicapping ability by picking winners. 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 – are announced at least 36 hours prior to each contest day via direct e-mail to players and publicly on Twitter (@NTRA) and NTRA.com.

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 Semifinals round on Sunday morning will fill out the Final Table. Bankrolls amassed during Day 1, Day 2 and the Semifinals round will roll over to the Final Table, with the 10 finalists settling the NHC score in seven “mandatory” assigned races.

To sign up for the 2023 NHC Tour, go to www.ntra.com/membership.

NHC Tour Title for 2022 Goes to Jay Johns

LEXINGTON, Ky. (February 17, 2022) ― Jay Johns, of Meridian, Idaho, has officially won the 2022 National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) Tour. Johns, who has been playing in contests for almost two decades, earned $75,000 for winning the NHC Tour and is eligible for a $5 million bonus if he captures a win at the 2023 NHC March 10-12 at the newly rebranded Horseshoe Las Vegas.

 

“It’s such an honor coming out on top in this yearlong tour against arguably the absolute best handicappers out there. It’s quite a mind challenge on both picking horses and tournament strategy,“ Johns said after learning of his victory. “I finished third last year and was determined to improve on that. I’m just happy I won and a big congrats to all those folks competing with me. They made it difficult and exciting to the very last weekend.”

 

Johns, the President of IHOP Restaurants (formerly International House of Pancakes), finished the 2022 Tour season with 22,370 points from 34 contests. Trey Stiles finished in second place with 22,019, and Dylan Donnelly finished in third with 21,998 points. Tim Kindlon was the top rookie finisher of the year, coming in with 17,460 points. Kindlon will be honored at the NHC Champions Dinner on Sunday, March 12 with the Jim Nace Award, named in honor of the longtime contest player who passed away in 2019. The top 20 finishers of the 2022 Tour win cash prizes. The complete 2022 Tour results can be found at https://www.ntra.com/nhc/leaders/.

PAST WINNERS OF NHC TOUR

Previous winners of the NHC Tour include: Kevin Costello (2021), Sally Goodall (2020), David Snyder (2019), David Gutfreund (2018), Mike Ferrozzo (2017), Cheryl McIntyre (2016), Jonathon Kinchen (2015), Eric Moomey (2014), Brent Sumja (2013), Mark Streiff (2012), Paul Shurman (2011), Tom Noone (2010), Bryan Wagner (2009) and Sam Brooks (2008).

 

More than 5500 NHC Tour members participated in 2022 handicapping qualifiers leading to the 2023 NHC, to be held March 10-12 at Horseshoe Las Vegas. The 2023 NHC Tour season begins March 4. To sign up for the 2023 NHC Tour, go to www.ntra.com/membership. For more information on the NHC Tour benefits and to view the official rules go to www.nhctour.com.

 

NTRA NHC logoThe NHC Tour is a yearlong bonus series offering additional prize money and qualifying berths to the NTRA National Horseplayers Championship (NHC). Membership in the NHC Tour is mandatory in order for top finishers of sanctioned NHC qualifying events to be eligible to compete in the NHC Finals in Las Vegas. Membership in the NHC Tour is open to adults 21 years of age or older and requires a one-time, annual membership fee of $50. The NHC Tour membership must be in place prior to the start of any given qualifying tournament in order for one to qualify for the NHC Finals at that qualifying tournament.

Source: NTRA.com

Overflow Field for the Big Data Derby

Horse Racing NFT-game OHRAC: Own, Manage And WinA total of 106 submissions were received for the inaugural Big Data Derby, a competition requiring entrants to provide a machine-learning model to analyze all manner of data regarding horseracing tactics, strategies and path efficiencies.

Sponsored by the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) and the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association (NYTHA) in partnership with the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association, Equibase, The Jockey Club, Breeders’ Cup and the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA), the Big Data Derby launched with a goal of better understanding the vast data set at hand to racing organizations, and to potentially develop new ways of racing and training in a highly traditional industry.

“Our main objective with this competition was to see if qualified data scientists could utilize horse-tracking data to improve the sport’s collective knowledge in key areas such as equine welfare and performance,” said NYTHA President Joe Appelbaum.

The Big Data Derby offers a total of $50,000 in prize money with $20,000 awarded to the winner and $10,000 each to the next three placings. The competition is held on Kaggle, a global data science platform with over 500,000 active users where participants compete by using machine learning to solve problems ranging from the trivial to the extremely complex.

A total of 9,349 potential competitors accessed the competition’s four data files providing NYRA racing data from 2019 along with in-race horse tracking information. A wide and varied range of submissions offered models that shed light on injury prevention, jockey decision making metrics, race tactics, track bias and more. An open notebook of user-created content and data can be viewed at: https://www.kaggle.com/competitions/big-data-derby-2022/code.

“The response in both participants and submissions highlights the interest in alternative data sets and bodes well for potential future applications. We are very much looking forward to the results of the competition,” said Joe Longo, NYRA’s General Manager of Content Services.

A judging committee will score the submissions based on four categories – Innovation [25 points], Relevance [30 points], Competence [25 points] and Presentation [20 points]. Winners will be announced in early December.

Source: NYRA

Horseshoe Las Vegas to Host National Horseplayers Champship (NHC) Through 2026

Bally's Casino Las VegasLexington, KY and Las Vegas, NV (October 25, 2022): The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) and Caesars Entertainment have announced a multi-year agreement for Bally’s, the soon-to-be Horseshoe Las Vegas, to remain host-site of the National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) through 2026. This year’s contest will be held March 10-12, 2023, and future dates include:

2024: March 15-17, 2024

2025: March 14-16, 2025

2026: March 13-15, 2026

“We are delighted to secure a multi-year extension and continue our partnership with two iconic brands—Caesars and Horseshoe Las Vegas—to host hundreds of horseplayers in the heart of the Las Vegas strip at the world’s most prestigious horse racing handicapping contest,” said NTRA President and CEO Tom Rooney.

“We’re pleased to again partner with the NTRA to host the 2024, 2025, and 2026 National Horseplayers Championship at Horseshoe Las Vegas,” said Joseph Morris, Senior Vice President, Racing at Caesars Entertainment. “Hosting this event continues the Caesars commitment to horse racing and aligns well with the Horseshoe Las Vegas legacy of hosting championship-level events like the World Series of Poker.”

ABOUT THE NHC

The NHC, presented by Caesars Entertainment, Racetrack Television Network, and Horseshoe Las Vegas, is the richest, most important, and most prestigious tournament for horseplayers in the world. This event is the culmination of a yearlong series of 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 in Las Vegas. Each year, the NHC winner joins other human and equine champions as an honoree at the Eclipse Awards.

Established in 1999, the first NHC offered total purse money of $200,000. The 2022 NHC offered total prizes and awards of more than $3.5 million. David Harrison, a real estate appraiser from Webster, NY, topped a field of 643 entries to win the $725,000 first-place prize and earn an Eclipse Award as Horseplayer of the Year.

Next Year’s National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) Is On This Date

Las Vegas sportsbook contestLexington, KY and Las Vegas, NV (April 6, 2022) – The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) in conjunction with Caesars Entertainment has set the date for the 2023 National Horseplayers Championship (NHC). The NHC will be held at the newly rebranded Horseshoe Las Vegas, the former Bally’s, on March 10-12, 2023.

 

“We’re excited to bring everyone back together in Las Vegas for all the excitement of the NHC,” said Tom Rooney, NTRA President & CEO. “The Horseshoe Las Vegas feels like it was made for this event, and we’re looking forward to the best NHC we’ve ever had.”

 

The NHC, presented by Caesars Entertainment, Racetrack Television Network, and Horseshoe Las Vegas, is the richest, most important and most prestigious tournament for horseplayers in the world. This event is the culmination of a yearlong series of 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 in Las Vegas. Each year, the NHC winner joins other human and equine champions as an honoree at the Eclipse Awards.

 

Established in 1999, the first NHC offered total purse money of $200,000. The 2022 NHC offered total prizes and awards of more than $3.5 million. David Harrison, a real estate appraiser from Webster, NY, topped a field of 643 entries to win the $725,000 first-place prize and earn an Eclipse Award as Horseplayer of the Year.

Source: NTRA.com

NTRA Statement on Suspension Against First Disqualified Player from the NTRA National Horseplayers Championship

NTRA NHC logoLEXINGTON, KY, February 8, 2022: The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) announced today that the player disqualified from the 2022 National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) will be suspended from the NHC and NHC Tour for a period of two years. At the end of the two-year suspension, the player may request to the NTRA to be reinstated to the NHC Tour.

The suspension was issued by the NTRA following discussions and a recommendation by the NHC Players’ Committee, a group of NHC players who act as a sounding board on NHC policy and rule matters. The suspension covers the 2022 and 2023 NHC Tour seasons and the 2023 and 2024 NHCs.

“Maintaining the integrity of the NHC is of the utmost importance,” said NTRA President and CEO Tom Rooney. “We look forward to making the 2022 NHC Tour and the 2023 NHC the best ever.”

Source: NTRA

New York Horseplayer Wins $725,000 NHC Grand Prize

LAS VEGAS (Sunday, January 30, 2022) – David Harrison of Webster, N.Y., topped a field of 643 entries to win the $725,000 first-place prize and an Eclipse Award as Horseplayer of the Year at this weekend’s 23rd annual National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) presented by Racetrack Television Network, Caesars Entertainment, and Bally’s Las Vegas.

Harrison amassed a winning score of $342 over the three-day tournament from 53 mythical $2 Win and Place bets – 18 on Friday, 18 on Saturday, 10 in Sunday morning’s Semifinal round, and seven at the climactic Final Table presented by Caesars Sportsbook and Global Tote, A BetMakers Company.

The 63-year-old Harrison, who makes his living as a real estate appraiser and collateral analyst, held a $30.30 advantage over A.J. Benton and the rest of the field entering the Final Table.

Other related NHC News: Industry personality Jonathan Kinchen is the first ever DQ in the NHC

Despite a tightening of the TVG Leaderboard from the first six of seven Final Table races, Harrison did enough to hold off his rivals late.

“This is an absolute life-changing score,” Harrison said. “I’m a middle-class, middle-income, hard-working guy. This is going to help me hopefully retire a little bit earlier than I’d planned. I’m totally overwhelmed and don’t even know what else to say.”

NHC 2022 Winner David HarrisonThe contest came down to the Baffle Stakes at Santa Anita – a 6 1/2-furlong turf sprint for 3-year-olds – with Harrison $16.60 ahead of Benton and $17.20 to the better of Ryan Patrick Scully. The other seven were at least $44 from the top.

VISN Reporter Dave Tuley reports on the 2022 NHC

“The guys in second and third only had a few options,” Harrison said. “Don’t Swear Dave went up to 4-1 and I thought, ‘If I don’t have that horse they could nip me. And my name’s Dave! I can’t let that horse beat me.’”

Even-money favorite Maglev hit the lead in upper stretch and drew off easily. To slam the door shut, Don’t Swear Dave closed for second, making it impossible for anyone to catch Harrison. As Maglev opened up Harrison did not wait to see him hit the wire before raising his arms in triumph and leaving the stage to celebrate with his friends in a far corner of the ballroom.

Harrison started the day in 14th and made his big moves in the morning’s Semifinals round. At the Final Table, no player moved more than one position.

“My goal was to creep up and I hit my first couple of races,” he said. “Then the one that really got my confidence up was the horse at Laurel – Let Me Finish. Every time I get into a discussion with my wife she’s always telling me that – let me finish. That was one of my hunch plays and that’s probably the reason I won.”

Harrison has been handicapping since the late 1970s, when he would frequent Belmont Park, and credits the late New York Racing Association broadcaster and handicapper Harvey Pack for teaching him how to handicap. After the trophy presentation, Harrison tossed his Daily Racing Form in the air in tribute to Pack.

“I’m an old-school guy,” he said. “I just use the Form.”

Scully ended up second with $324.80, good for a $200,000 prize, followed by Benton with $321, which was worth $150,000.

The official Top 10, with placing, final bankroll, name, hometown (and prize):

1. $342.00, David Harrison, Webster, N.Y. ($725,000 + Eclipse Award + BCBC spot)
2. $324.80, Ryan Patrick Scully, Montgomery, Ill. ($200,000)
3. $321.00, A.J. Benton, Manchester, N.H. ($150,000)
4. $293.80, Frank Paros, Jupiter, Fla. ($100,000)
5. $286.00, David McCarty, San Diego ($75,000)
6. $260.00, Sally Goodall, Las Vegas ($70,000)
7. $253.20, Mike Somich, Raleigh, N.C. ($65,000)
8. $252.30, Shirley Wolff, Holmdel, N.J. ($60,000)
9. $243.50, Kevin Smith, Coral Gables, Fla. ($55,000)
10. $240.00, Dale Day, Yukon, Okla. ($50,000)

By virtue of his victory, Harrison also earns an exemption into next year’s NHC and a berth to the 2022 Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge worth $10,000.

The full NHC and Consolation Tournament standings can be accessed at NTRA.com.

The NHC was held for the third straight year in the historic Bally’s Event Center, which for three days was transformed into the world’s largest race and sports book. The next NHC in 2023 will be at the same property but it will bear a new name, Horseshoe Las Vegas.

The NHC finals awarded cash prizes to 64 players—the top 10% of finishers—from a total cash prize purse of $2,339,550. An additional $50,000 went to the top 20 in today’s Consolation Tournament. Including $355,000 paid out to top finishers in the year-long NHC Tour, NHC Tour travel awards, RTN subscriptions, and the $10,000 Charity Challenge tournament prize, plus $30,000 worth of Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge prizes in the form of entry fees, airfare, and hotel, the aggregate value of payouts this weekend in NHC cash and prizes totaled $3,568,592.

To make the Semifinals cut, the 509 individual NHC players were required to place 36 mythical $2 Win and Place wagers – 18 on Friday and 18 on Saturday. The highest 10 cumulative scores after the Semifinals round on Sunday morning moved on to the Final Table. Bankrolls amassed during Day 1, Day 2 and the Semifinals round rolled over to the Final Table, with the 10 finalists settling the NHC score in seven “mandatory” assigned races.

Final Table participants were relocated to a single table in the middle of the Bally’s Event Center that served as NHC headquarters.

Final Table Race Results
Race: Winner ($2 Win, $2 Place), Second ($2 Place)

Gulfstream, Race 10: 8-Skyro ($11.80, $5.60), 5-Mid Day Image ($3.40)
Fair Grounds, Race 7: 8-Citizen West ($7.40, $4.20), 1-Abuelo Nuno ($6)
Sam Houston, Race 6: 11-Red Run ($12.80, $6), 1-Bloodline ($8.40)
Fair Grounds, Race 8: 10-Big Agenda ($6, $3.40), 3-Forever Mo ($3.60)
Sam Houston, Race 8: [Dead Heat] 9-Another Mystery ($23.60, $16.80), 6-Fantasioso ($10.80, $9.80)
Sam Houston, Race 9: 2-Greeley and Ben ($9, $4.60), 10-Mr Money Bags ($5.20)
Santa Anita, Race 9: 1-Maglev ($4.40, $2.80), 6-Don’t Swear Dave ($4.40)

NHC Tour winner Kevin Costello advanced to the Semifinals with both of his entries, finishing 19th ($206) with Entry 1 and 53rd with Entry 2 ($173.60), which was the one eligible for a $5 million bonus if he could have won the NHC. Costello was the only player with two entries in the Semifinals round.

Defending champion Justin Mustari checked in at 108th ($137.20).

In a separate Consolation Tournament for players that did not reach the Semifinals round, David Wolff of Holmdel, N.J., husband of Final Table player Shirley Wolff, won the $10,000 top prize with a bankroll of $141.60 from 10 optional races. The Consolation Tournament started with bankrolls reset to zero. Cash prizes totaling $50,000 were awarded, from the $10,000 first prize down to $1,000 for 20th.

NHC weekend concludes this evening with the annual Champions’ Dinner, featuring the presentation of prizes and the induction of the 2022 NHC Hall of Fame class: Michael Beychok, Stanley Bavlish, J. Randy Gallo, David Gutfreund, and Paul Matties Jr.

The 2022 NHC was the culmination of 310 qualifying contests held online and at racetracks and OTBs in 2021. From those contests, there were 44,553 entries played in hopes of making it to Bally’s Las Vegas.

In addition to its three presenting sponsors – RTN, Caesars Entertainment, and Bally’s Las Vegas – the NHC is supported by official partners Daily Racing Form, EquinEdge, FanDuel Group, Four Roses Bourbon, NYRA Bets, Race Lens, TVG, and 1/ST Bet. The Final Table, where only the top 10 players advance to determine final placings based on seven climactic races, is sponsored by Caesars Sportsbook and Global Tote, A BetMakers Company.

About the NHC
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, visit NTRA.com/nhc.

About the NTRA
The NTRA 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).

Turf Pick-3 Wager to Debut at Keeneland Fall Meet

Keeneland has announced a number of wagering opportunities, including the new Keeneland Turf Pick 3, for handicappers of all levels during the Fall Meet from Oct. 8-30.

The Keeneland Turf Pick 3 wager will be offered on the final three turf races each race day. The minimum wager is $3 and will follow the same rules as the traditional Pick 3. (The Keeneland Turf Pick 3 will be available only as a separate event on wagering terminals or on ADWs due to the unique $3 minimum and the fact that Keeneland has rolling Pick 3s on each race.)

The new wager has a 15 percent takeout, the same low takeout as Keeneland’s popular Pick 5 wager.

“We believe the Keeneland Turf Pick 3 to be the first wager of its kind to be offered to horseplayers,” Keeneland Vice President of Racing Gatewood Bell said. “With Keeneland’s deep turf schedule and the caliber of racing we expect to see during the Fall Meet – combined with a $3 minimum bet amount and lower takeout of the Keeneland Turf Pick 3 – this innovative wager should be appealing to handicappers.”

Post time for the first race during the Fall Meet, which marks Keeneland’s 85th anniversary, is 1 p.m. ET.

Got rebates? Wager on Keeneland, Santa Anita and more – apply for info.

Keeneland Select Handicapping Challenge, Super High 5 every race day

Every race day: Sport of Kings, the free horse racing contest website, has a new free online handicapping contest, the Keeneland Select Fall Handicapping Challenge, which will appeal to casual fans and serious horseplayers alike. The contest requires participants to make mythical selections on two Keeneland races for each day of the meet. Two seats to the 2022 NTRA National Horseplayers Championship will be awarded. To sign up, click here.

Also, the Super High 5 wager will be offered on the final race of the day and no longer be available as a jackpot wager. Therefore, it will return to traditional Super High 5 rules.

Special Pick 4, 5 and 6 opportunities

Friday, Oct. 8, 15, 22: $200,000 Guaranteed Pick 4 Presented by TVG.

Saturday, Oct. 9 and Sunday, Oct. 10: Breeders’ Cup Challenge Pick 6, featuring races from Belmont Park and Keeneland.

Saturday, Oct. 9: $300,000 Guaranteed All-Stakes Pick 5, $400,000 Guaranteed All-Stakes Pick 4

Saturday, Oct. 16, 23: $300,000 Guaranteed Pick 4

Saturday, Oct. 16, 23, 30: NYRA-Keeneland Cross Country wagers, featuring races from Belmont Park and Keeneland.

Handicapping contests for horseplayers of all levels

Wednesday, Oct. 13, 20, 27: WINS-Day Challenge Sponsored by Malone’s. This is an inexpensive way for beginning handicappers to test their skills and give handicapping contests a try. The contest has a $2,500-guaranteed pool. Enter for $10 at Wagering Central on the first floor Grandstand and place a mythical $2 win and place wager – no actual money required – on Keeneland races 3-8. Limit three entries per person. The first 200 participants receive a card for a free Malone’s appetizer and a complimentary copy of Daily Racing Form.

Saturday, Oct. 16: Fall BCBC/NHC Challenge. Registration is open for in-person and remote participation in the handicapping contest, which features Keeneland’s Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (G1) Presented by Dixiana. Awarding berths in the Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge and the NHC Challenge, the live-money contest is held in cooperation with XpressBet, NYRA Bets, 4NJ Bets and TVG. Click herefor more information and to register.

Sunday, Oct. 17: Fall $400 Challenge. Registration is open for Keeneland’s live bankroll handicapping tournament, which has a $400 buy-in with a live bankroll of $250 and $150 prize fund fee. Players will be able to wager any amount on any race at Keeneland with no minimum wagers or minimum number of races. The tournament is only available at Keeneland. Click here for more information and to register.

Source: Keeneland.com (edited Press Release)