LEXINGTON, Ky. (Tuesday, June 2, 2015) – The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) today announced that the 17th Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Championship (NHC) presented by Racetrack Television Network and Treasure Island Las Vegas, will be held Thursday, January 28 to Saturday, January 30, 2016. The NTRA also announced that the purse for NHC 17, which will once again be held at the Treasure Island Las Vegas in the heart of Las Vegas’ world famous strip, is estimated at $2.5 million.
In addition to announcing a return to its traditional Thursday through Saturday dates, the NTRA also announced that the rules for the championship have been updated and posted at /en/nhc/2016-championship-official-rules/. The most significant changes to the rules from the January 2015 final are:
– The first two days of competition will include eight mandatory races and 10 optional races (up from seven in previous years);
– The purse will be scaled to pay to the top 10% of entries and the same number of individuals will advance to the semi-final round leading to the Final Table.
– A participant with two entries in the NHC will be able to carry both entries into the Final Table should he or she be so fortunate. In 2015, Jonathon Kinchen finished the Final 50 with two entries among the top 10, however, the rules allowed him to carry only one entry into the Final Table while the other earned 11th-place purse money. Kinchen eventually finished seventh and 11th overall.
The NTRA also announced that a Last Chance tournament, offering the final seats to NHC 17, will be held on Wednesday, January 27, 2016. A First Chance tournament, which will kick off the 2016-17 NHC Tour and road to the 2017 NHC, will be held on the morning of Sunday, January 31, 2016.
“The changes to the rules and modifications to the purse structure were made following research and input from the participants competing at this year’s contest, which by many accounts and measurements was the best in the event’s 16-year history,” said NTRA Chief Operating Officer Keith Chamblin. “Thanks to the support of our sponsoring partners, the participating organizations that host tournaments throughout the year and the thousands of horseplayers who have been attracted to tournament play, the stage is set to host another exciting NHC.”
About the NTRA
The NTRA is a broad-based coalition of more than 100 horse racing interests and thousands of individual stakeholders consisting of horseplayers, racetrack operators, owners, breeders, trainers and affiliated horse racing associations, charged with increasing the popularity, welfare and integrity of Thoroughbred racing through consensus-based leadership, legislative advocacy, safety and integrity initiatives, fan engagement and corporate partner development. The NTRA owns and manages the NTRA Safety and Integrity Alliance; NTRA.com; the NTRA Top Thoroughbred and NTRA Top 3-Year-Old weekly media polls; the Eclipse Awards; the National Handicapping Championship; NTRA Advantage, a corporate partner sales and sponsorship program; and HORSE PAC, a federal political action committee. 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).