NTRA Issues Statement On Player Disqualification At National Horseplayers Championship

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) issued the following statement on Monday after its first ever disqualification during the National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) which took place this weekend in Las Vegas, Nev.

“The NTRA disqualified a player from the 2022 NHC for violating the official rules. One of the violated rules states, “All wagers must be placed personally, and in-person, by the Contest Player.” The disqualified player was not present at Bally's during the NHC tournament and his contest wagers were being submitted on-site by an intermediary without authorization. No authorization was given to the player to leave Bally's or the State; he violated both. The rules of the NHC are clearly outlined and all participants are required to sign them prior to the tournament.”

According to a report in HorseRacingNation.com, the disqualified player was Jonathan Kinchen, the Fox Sports racing analyst and a tournament regular who won the NHC Tour title in 2015. Kinchen reportedly left Las Vegas to attend Saturday's Pegasus World Cup day races at Gulfstream Park in Florida and had his tournament bets made in Las Vegas by an associate.

Kinchen indicated on Twitter he would make a statement in an upcoming podcast.

NTRA President and CEO Tom Rooney said, “The rules are clear that participants must be onsite to participate in the NHC. The NHC is the world's most prestigious handicapping tournament. The integrity of the event is of paramount importance—not just to us but to the thousands of men and women who attempt to qualify and play each and every year. The NTRA will staunchly and steadfastly follow the rules and defend the integrity of this prestigious event and its participants.”

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‘Old-School’ Player, Harvey Pack Disciple David Harrison Wins National Horseplayers Championship

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.

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.”

The 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.

“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.

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$3.5 Million In Cash And Prizes Up For Grabs In National Horseplayers Championship

The 23rd NTRA National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) presented by Racetrack Television Network, Caesars Entertainment, and Bally's Las Vegas kicks off Friday in Las Vegas, Nev., with over 500 horseplayers from across the continent competing for more than $3.5 million in cash and prizes, including $725,000 to the winner.

Competitors range from professional gamblers analyzing every angle looking for a giant payday to deer-in-the-headlights rookies happy just to be here. All of them have one thing in common; there are no buy-ins at the NHC, thus everyone has earned their way into the prestigious event by qualifying in an NTRA-sanctioned qualifying contest held during the previous 12 months.

The contest runs Friday to Sunday at Bally's Las Vegas.

The NHC is the richest and most prestigious handicapping contest in the world. In addition to its unequaled cash prize the winner earns an Eclipse Award and the title of “Horseplayer of the Year.”

The NHC cash prize pool of $2,339,550 will be paid out to the top 10%, which means the top 64 finishers from a field of 643 entries will get a check of at least $10,000. The field comprises 509 individuals, 134 of whom are “double-qualified” with the maximum of two entries. A portion of the cash prize pool also goes to $50,000 in prizes for the Consolation Tournament open to the remaining 90% of players who do not make the cut after Day 2, as well as to three Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge entries worth $10,000 apiece. The cash prize scale boasts six-figure checks for the top four – $725,000 to the winner, $200,000 for second, $150,000 for third, and $100,000 for fourth. The top 10 that make up the Caesars Race and Sportsbook Final Table, Presented by Global Tote, a BetMakers Company, are guaranteed at least $50,000.

All qualifiers earned at least four nights at Bally's Las Vegas (rebranded this week Horseshoe Las Vegas as part of a multi-million dollar rebrand and renovation) and virtually everyone received travel stipends. NHC Tour prizes from 2021 NHC qualifiers account for another $355,500 to be officially awarded at Sunday night's annual Champions Dinner.

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.

This year's track menu for mandatory and optional races comprises Aqueduct, Fair Grounds, Golden Gate Fields, Gulfstream Park, Laurel Park, Oaklawn Park, Santa Anita Park, and Tampa Bay Downs. Sunday's stakes-laden Houston Racing Festival card at Sam Houston Race Park will be eligible only for Final Table play.

“Interest in the NHC and NHC Tour has never been stronger,” said Keith Chamblin, NTRA chief operating officer and NHC tournament director. “We're so appreciative of the team at Bally's, our partners who hosted qualifiers in 2021, the NTRA staff, and, of course, horseplayers for all their support that makes the NHC a better experience every year.”

Players who do not make the Semifinals 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 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) Friday-Sunday. TVG will be reporting from Las Vegas throughout the event. Additional news and exclusive content will be shared on Twitter via the official NTRA account, @NTRA.

The NHC field is led by defending NHC champion Justin Mustari, who in 2021 at age 26 became the youngest NHC champion in the event's history.

As the 2021 NHC winner, Mustari received an automatic berth into this year's tournament to defend the title he won only six months ago, when the 2021 NHC was held in late summer due to a COVID postponement. Mustari amassed a winning bankroll of $370.80 over the three-day tournament from 52 mythical $2 Win and Place bets. He will seek to become the first-ever two-time winner of the NHC, as will nine other past winners that have qualified. The other qualifying champions are Thomas Goldsmith (2020), Scott Coles (2019), Chris Littlemore (2018), Ray Arsenault (2017), Jose Arias (2014), Michael Beychok (2012), Stanley Bavlish (2007), Steve Wolfson, Jr. (2003), and Judy Wagner (2001).

As the winner of the 2021 NHC Tour, Joseph (Kevin) Costello won $100,000 and an NHC berth. He is eligible for a $5 million bonus if he goes on to win at the 2022 NHC finals.

In its 23rd 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 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.

The #NHC2022 qualifier hosts were: Aqueduct, At the Races with Steve Byk, Bally's Las Vegas, Belmont Park, Breeders' Cup, Canterbury Park, Colonial Downs, Del Mar, Gulfstream Park, Hawthorne, Hialeah, Horseplayers.com, Horsetourneys.com, Indiana Grand, Keeneland, Kentucky Downs, Little Red Feather, Lone Star Park, Los Alamitos, Meadowlands, Monmouth Park, NTRA, NYRA Bets, South Florida HBPA, Santa Anita, Saratoga, Sport of Kings, Race Lens, Tampa Bay Downs, The Big One, TourneyBets, Treasure Island, TVG, and Xpressbet.

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 – 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 Mandatory Race Selection Committee is comprised of Steve Alford of William Hill, Jim Mulvihill of the Colorado Horse Racing Association, Brian Skirka of Monmouth Park and Eric Wing of HorseTourneys.com

The remaining 10 races on Day 1 and Day 2 and all 10 plays in the Semifinals 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 8th Annual NTRA NHC Charity Challenge presented by Four Roses Bourbon. A field of approximately 75 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.

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.

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.

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Free Online NHC Qualifying Contest Scheduled Sunday, May 2

The second of four free online qualifiers for the National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) is set for this Sunday, May 2, on HorsePlayers.com, the official online qualifying site of the NHC. The top five finishers in the contest will earn automatic berths to the 2022 NHC, which is slated to be held at Bally's Events Center from Jan. 28-30 next year.

Each winning prize package includes NHC entry, tour points, a four-night stay at the host hotel, and up to $400 travel reimbursement.

Registration is now open at https://horseplayers.com/contest/928050.

The remainder of the free contest schedule for 2021 is as follows:

  • 12 – One round, 5 NHC spots
  • 5-6 – Two rounds 5 NHC spots

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

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.

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