Kevin Harrell of Marion, Ind. topped a field of 135 entries in the National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) Qualifier held at Indiana Grand Racing & Casino Saturday, Dec. 4. Harrell completed the contest with a bankroll of $2,851.75 in his win.
“I hit the Pick 6 at Aqueduct and that's what put me in the lead,” said Harrell, who is in software sales for health care. “After that, I only made one bet just in case someone came in later and took me off the top.”
Harrell plays in the NHC annually and received a trip to the NHC Finals set for Bally's in Las Vegas Jan. 28 – 30, 2022. The win at Indiana Grand was his second seat, so he has a double shot at a share of the $2.7 million in prize money for the final. This year will mark the fourth time Harrell has qualified for the NHC Final.
In addition to advancing, Harrell received $4,000 in prize money along with a $500 travel stipend to Vegas. By winning the Indiana Grand tournament, his hotel and entry fees for the finals are covered.
The top four advanced to the NHC Finals from the Indiana Grand Qualifier. Also heading to Vegas will be Rich Pawlowski of Pennsylvania, who won $3,000 for second place with a bankroll of $2,707.50; Greg Gass of Zionsville, Ind. who won $2,000 for third place with a bankroll of $1,766.00; and Steven Simonovic of Wisconsin who won $1,000 for fourth place with a bankroll of $1,483. All players received an additional $500 for travel to Vegas along with hotel and tournament fees paid by Indiana Grand.
“I've qualified in the past, but this is my first seat this year,” said Pawlowski. “I actually started out with two entries and at the last minute, went up and bought a third one before the deadline. That third one is the one that got me into second.”
Gass, who is a regular player in the NHC Qualifiers at Indiana Grand, adds his seat in the final to a previously earned seat for the 2022 event. He only played on one account to advance. This will be his second season advancing to the NHC Final.
Simonovic traveled by car all the way from Wisconsin with hopes of picking up a seat for the final. The event in January will be his sixth time qualifying for the final and he will also have two seats to play when the event kicks off at Las Vegas in January.
Of the 135 entries for the NHC Qualifier at Indiana Grand, players came in from 19 states for the tournament, which was a $500 live money event. The contest included races from 11 different racetracks featuring more than 90 races as options in the contest format.
The 20th season of Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing is set to resume Tuesday, April 19 and run through Wednesday, Nov. 23. Racing will be held Monday through Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. with Thursday racing beginning at 3:30 p.m. A total of 12 Saturday racing programs will be held in 2022. For more information on events and racing, go to www.indianagrand.com.
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