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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