NEW YORK CITY (Friday, May 9, 2014) – The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) today announced that the purse for the 16th Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Championship (NHC), presented by Racetrack Television Network, Sovereign Stable and Treasure Island Las Vegas, is estimated to be $1.8 million. The purse estimate represents a 13 percent increase over the 2014 NHC purse of $1,590,000.

An additional $200,000 in prize money will be distributed as part of the 2014 NHC Tour, bringing the estimated NHC and DRF NHC Tour purses to $2 million or more for the first time in the history of the event.

“Tournament play thus far in 2014 has exceeded expectations,” said Keith Chamblin, Senior Vice President of the NTRA. “Through April, there are more than 1,200 ‘rookie’ DRF NHC Tour members attempting to qualify to the NHC.”

The NTRA also announced that the 16th NHC will be held January 23-25, 2015 at the Treasure Island.

Official rules for the 2015 NHC have been posted online at NHCTour.com. For the second year in a row, the event will feature a three day format with a Final 50 and Final Table.

“This past January’s expansion to a three-day NHC format was well-received,” Chamblin said. “Based on research and other feedback from participants, we’ve made some adjustments to the format that we think will lead to an even better NHC in 2015.”

About the NHC

In its 16th year, the Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Championship, Presented by Racetrack Television Network, Sovereign Stable and Treasure Island Las Vegas is the most important tournament of the year for horseplayers. There are no “buy-in” entries at the NHC. It is the culmination of a yearlong series of NTRA- sanctioned local tournaments conducted by racetracks, casino racebooks, off-track betting facilities and horse racing and handicapping websites, each of which sends its top qualifiers to the national finals. Every year, the NHC winner joins other human and equine champions as an honoree at the Eclipse Awards. The 15 NHC Champions since the event’s inception, in chronological order, are Steven Walker, Judy Wagner, Herman Miller, Steve Wolfson Jr., Kent Meyer, Jamie Michelson, Ron Rippey, Stanley Bavlish, Richard Goodall, John Conte, Brian Troop, John Doyle, Michael Beychok, Jim Benes and Jose Arias.

About the NTRA

The NTRA is a broad-based coalition of more than 80 horse racing interests consisting of leading Thoroughbred racetracks, owners, breeders, trainers, horseplayers and affiliated horse racing associations, charged with increasing the popularity of horse racing and improving economic conditions for industry participants. The NTRA has offices in Lexington, Ky., and New York City. NTRA press releases appear on NTRA.com, Twitter (@ntra) and Facebook (facebook.com/1NTRA).