NTRA | Horse Racing Free Tips

Nearly $3 Million In Cash And Prizes Up For Grabs At This Weekend’s #NHC2021

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.

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Malathaat Becomes Fourth Female To Be Ranked In NTRA’s Top Thoroughbred Poll

Korea Racing Authority's 5-year-old Knicks Go kept his No. 1 rating in the NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll for the third straight week, while the 3-year-old filly Malathaat, winner of the Grade 1 Alabama Stakes, moved into eighth place. Malathaat joined Letruska, Gamine and Shedaresthedevil as the fourth female star in the top 10.

Knicks Go, trained by Brad Cox, received 30 first-place votes and 359 points. A winner three times in five starts this year, Knicks Go captured the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream Park, the Grade 3 Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap, and scored a dominant, front-running victory in the Grade 1 Whitney at Saratoga on Aug. 7.

Places two through seven in the poll remained unchanged. St. George Stable's 5-year-old mare Letruska is in second place with five first-place votes and 320 points. Letruska has won four races this year for trainer Fausto Gutierrez, including the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps at Belmont Park and the Grade 2 Fleur de Lis at Churchill Downs.

Godolphin's 3-year-old Essential Quality, who won the July 31 Grade 2 Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga, remained in third place with one first-place vote and 271 points. Also trained by Cox, Essential Quality, who captured the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes on June 5, is expected to start in this Saturday's Grade 1 Runhappy Travers Stakes at Saratoga.

Godolphin's 4-year-old Maxfield, winner of the Grade 2 Stephen Foster Stakes at Churchill Downs and second in the Whitney, is in fourth place. Trained by Brendan Walsh, Maxfield has 237 points.

Klaravich Stables' 4-year-old gelding Domestic Spending, the only turf horse in the top 10, is in fifth place with one first-place vote and 156 points. Second in the Grade 1 Mr. D. Stakes at Arlington Park on Aug. 14, Domestic Spending, trained by Chad Brown, finished in a dead heat for first in the Grade 1 Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic at Churchill Downs, and won the Grade 1 Resorts World Casino Manhattan Stakes at Belmont Park.

Winchell Thoroughbreds and Willis Horton Racing's Silver State, winner of four races in 2021 including the Grade 1 Hill 'N' Dale Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont Park, remained in sixth place with 135 points.

Michael Lund Petersen's 4-year-old Gamine, the 2020 champion female sprinter, is in seventh place with 90 points. Unbeaten in three starts this year for trainer Bob Baffert, Gamine is slated to run in this Saturday's Grade 1 Ketel One Ballerina at Saratoga.

Shadwell Stable's Malathaat, a determined 1 ½-length winner in the Alabama, jumped from 20th to eighth place this week with 85 points. Trained by Todd Pletcher, Malathaat has won three races in four starts this year, highlighted by two other the Grade 1 victories in the Central Bank Ashland Stakes at Keeneland and the Longines Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs. Her lone defeat was a second-place finish by a head in the Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks to Maracuja at Saratoga on July 24. A daughter of two-time Horse of the Year Curlin, Malathaat finished fifth in the final NTRA Top 3-Year-Old Poll in June.

Boat Racing, Gainesway Stable, Roadrunner Racing, and William Strauss's Hot Rod Charlie dropped one spot to ninth place with 65 points. Trained by Doug O'Neill, Hot Rod Charlie, third in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve, crossed the wire first in the Grade 1 TVG.com Haskell Stakes on July 17 but was disqualified and placed seventh due to interference.

Flurry Racing Stables, Qatar Racing and Big Aut Farms' 4-year-old filly Shedaresthedevil is in 10th place. Also trained by Cox, Shedaresthedevil has won three of four starts this year, including the Grade 1 Clement Hirsch Stakes at Del Mar on Aug. 1.

The NTRA Top Thoroughbred polls are the sport's most comprehensive surveys of experts. Every week eligible journalists and broadcasters cast votes for their top 10 horses, with points awarded on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. All horses that have raced in the U.S., are in training in the U.S., or are known to be pointing to a major event in the U.S. are eligible for the NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll. Voting in the Top Thoroughbred Poll is scheduled to be conducted through Nov. 6.

The full results for the NTRA Thoroughbred Polls can be found on the NTRA website at: https://www.ntra.com/ntra-top-thoroughbred-poll-august-16-2021/

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Racecourse Manager Certification Program Launches ‘Grader School’ Course At Keeneland

The Racecourse Manager Certification Program, a continuing education initiative launched in June with an online curriculum focused on educating the next generation of racing surface managers, is now accepting applications for its first in-person course to be held Sept. 13-15 at Keeneland Race Course. Grader School, focusing on combined theory and practice sessions on the grading of racing surfaces, will offer a select number of early career professionals the opportunity to develop highly focused, hands-on expertise that will allow them to adapt and excel to the changing demands of horse racing surfaces.

Grader School will consist of online lectures and examinations in preparation for a two-day intensive workshop at Keeneland. Taught by superintendents of two of the leading racecourses in the United States, Alfredo Laureano and Dennis Moore, the class will include the operation of both a state-of-the-art and an older model grader. Practice sessions will include measuring grades on turns and straights and the proper operation of a grader on dirt and synthetic surfaces.

The initial class is limited to six students. Both the hands-on workshop and online training will be expanded as demand increases. The Sept. 13-15 session requires completion of an application form and a letter of recommendation from an experienced racecourse manager. Priority will be given to younger full-time track maintenance personnel who demonstrate an interest in a career in racetrack surface maintenance. Applications may be obtained by emailing a request to info@racingsurfaces.org.

The Racetrack Certification Program is a combined effort of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) Safety and Integrity Alliance, the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment and the Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory.

“The most common surfaces used for Thoroughbred racing are dirt and synthetic surfaces. One of the highest priorities and the most difficult part of maintaining a racecourse is the accurate grading of dirt and synthetic racing surfaces.” said Michael “Mick” Peterson, Ph.D., Director of the Racetrack Safety Program at the University of Kentucky and Executive Director of the Racing Surfaces and Testing Laboratory (RSTL).

Information about the overall program, including the turf program, is available here. The recorded courses can be watched for free on the UK Ag Equine Programs YouTube channel. The University of Kentucky will be administering the certification program. The Racecourse Manager Certification Program is sponsored by John Deere, Duralock, Horsemen's Track and Equipment, Inc., and Equinox Racing.

Individuals interested in current and future programs that are part of the Racecourse Manager Certification Program, can sign up to receive email updates at https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/UZUC6mf/Racecourse.

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Knicks Go Retains Top Spot In NTRA Thoroughbred Poll

Korea Racing Authority's 5-year-old Knicks Go remained at No. 1 in the NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll for the second consecutive week, with the first seven places remaining largely unchanged.

Trained by Brad Cox, Knicks Go, who scored a commanding 4 ½-length victory in Saratoga's Grade 1 Whitney on Aug. 7, received 27 first-place votes and 338 points. The Whitney was the third win of the year for Knicks Go, who also captured the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream Park and the Grade 3 Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap.

St. George Stable's 5-year-old mare Letruska, trained by Fausto Gutierrez, is in second place with six first-place votes and 303 points. Letruska has won four of five starts this year, including the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps at Belmont Park.

Godolphin's 3-year-old Essential Quality, who won the July 31 Grade 2 Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga, remained in third place. Also trained by Cox, Essential Quality, who captured the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes on June 5, and finished No. 1 in the final NTRA Top 3-Year-Old Poll, has one first-place vote and 253 points.

Godolphin's 4-year-old Maxfield, winner of the Grade 2 Stephen Foster Stakes at Churchill Downs and second in the Whitney, has moved up one spot to fourth place. Trained by Brendan Walsh, Maxfield has 225 points.

Klaravich Stables' 4-year-old gelding Domestic Spending, whose valiant effort to catch Two Emmys in the Grade 1 Mr. D. Stakes at Arlington Park on Saturday fell just a neck short at the wire, dropped from fourth to fifth place with 150 points. Trained by Chad Brown, Domestic Spending had previously finished in a dead heat for first in the Grade 1 Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic at Churchill Downs, and won the Grade 1 Resorts World Casino Manhattan Stakes at Belmont Park.

Winchell Thoroughbreds and Willis Horton Racing's Silver State, who finished third in the Whitney after four consecutive wins, remained in sixth place with 139 points.

Michael Lund Petersen's 4-year-old Gamine, the 2020 champion female sprinter, retained seventh place with 90 points. Gamine, trained by Bob Baffert, is unbeaten in three starts this year, including a victory in the Grade 1 Derby City Distaff presented by Kendall Jackson Winery at Churchill Downs.

Boat Racing, Gainesway Stable, Roadrunner Racing, and William Strauss's Hot Rod Charlie rose from ninth to eighth place with 60 points. Trained by Doug O'Neill, Hot Rod Charlie, third in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve, crossed the wire first in the Grade 1 TVG.com Haskell Stakes but was disqualified and placed seventh due to interference.

New to the Top 10 is Flurry Racing Stables, Qatar Racing and Big Aut Farms' 4-year-old filly Shedaresthedevil. Also trained by Cox, Shedaresthedevil improved from 11th to ninth place this week. Shedaresthedevil has won three of four starts this year, including the Grade 1 Clement Hirsch Stakes at Del Mar on Aug. 1.

Kirk and Judy Robison's 3-year-old Jackie's Warrior also joined the Top 10 this week. Trained by Asmussen, Jackie's Warrior, who won the Grade 2, 6 ½-furlong Amsterdam Stakes at Saratoga by 7 ¼ lengths on Aug. 1, jumped from 12th into a 10th-place tie with Godophin's Mystic Guide, the Group 1 Dubai World Cup winner, who is out for the rest of the year with a knee injury. Jackie's Warrior and Mystic Guide have 41 points apiece.

The full results for the NTRA Thoroughbred Polls can be found on the NTRA website at: https://www.ntra.com/ntra-top-thoroughbred-poll-august-16-2021/

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