NHC Day One Leader Mike Saletta. Photo Credit: Que Images / NTRA
Las Vegas (March 13, 2026) – Landing a $19 win-place wager on the final race of the day, Michael Saletta of Alden, NY, is the leader after the first day of the 27th National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) National Horseplayers Championship (NHC), presented by Caesars Entertainment, Horseshoe Las Vegas, and Racetrack Television Network (RTN). Saletta bested Tommy Lenberg of Sparks, NV, whose two entries put him tied in second place, among the 828 entries in this year’s three-day tournament.
All players in the Horseshoe Event Center for the contest placed mythical $2 win-place wagers on 16 races Friday from racetracks throughout the United States, including six mandatory races.
Saletta, 57, playing in his first NHC, amassed a mythical bankroll of $156.24. Lenberg amassed $139.60 on two entries, making identical selections for his two second-place entries. Tom Arndt of Carefree, AZ, is in fourth place with $138.62, followed by Dan Piazza, of Chicago, IL, the defending NHC winner, in fifth place with $137.18.
Saletta earned a cap of $64 on the ninth race at Fair Grounds.
Saletta’s first place finish awarded him a $10,000 berth into this year’s Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge. Lenberg earned $7,500 for the two second place entries.
Upon winning today’s competition, Saletta’s first thoughts were for his wife, Sarah. “My wife has been very ill and it was hard for me to come here,” he said. “She’s going to appreciate this as much as I do because she knows how much this means to me, and the people that I’ve met in this sport. So it’s a great feeling even if I don’t win.”
This year’s NHC has a record cash and prizes totaling $5,229,000, including $3,238,000 million in cash prizes. The top 10% of the field after Saturday will be guaranteed cash prize money. The NHC Champion will receive $825,000 and the 83rd-place finisher will win $10,000. The full prize structure can be found here.
The action will resume Saturday and continue into Sunday, when the NHC Champion will be crowned.
The tournament format for the NHC is meant to be the best possible test of picking winners. Players attempt to earn the highest possible bankroll based on mythical $2 Win-Place wagers placed over three days.
The 27th NHC is presented by Caesars Sportsbook, Horseshoe Las Vegas, and RTN and is supported by official partners America’s Best Racing, Brisnet, Daily Racing Form, Equibase, EquinEdge, Morningline.io, Race Lens, Twinspires, and the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance.
On Day 1, contestants wagered on races from Aqueduct, Colonial Downs, Fair Grounds, Gulfstream Park, Laurel Park, Oaklawn Park, Santa Anita Park, Tampa Bay Downs and Turfway Park.
About the NHC
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 and is recognized as the Horseplayer of the Year. For more information on the NHC, visit NTRA.com/nhc.
About the NTRA
The NTRA, based in Lexington, Ky. and Washington, D.C., 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.
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