Las Vegas, NV (Jan 23, 2015) Daily Racing Form, title sponsor of the Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Championship since its inception in 1999 and operator of NHCQualify.com, the largest NHC tournament qualifying site, has driven unprecedented growth in this year’s NHC tournament.  A record field of 606 entrants will compete for the largest purse in handicapping tournament history – $2,363,000 – and an Eclipse Award as “Horseplayer of the Year” at this weekend’s Championship. The three- day tournament, Friday to Sunday at Treasure Island, will offer a first-place prize of $800,000.

“Over the past year, DRF has made a tremendous commitment to tournament players, and we are proud to be a part of this record-breaking event,” said John Hartig, Chairman and CEO of Daily Racing Form.  “Our ongoing editorial commitment to tournaments and tournament players in the DRF newspaper and on DRF.com has helped drive widespread interest in tournament play, with 40% of new NHC participants citing DRF as their reason for playing.  We’re taking our coverage to a new level this year with a live broadcast and back-to-back play-at-home tournaments this weekend.”

Daily Racing Form will broadcast NHC tournament coverage live from Las Vegas, anchored by DRF handicappers Dan Illman and Matt Bernier, the NHC’s youngest participant ever.  They will be joined by Peter Thomas Fornatale, DRF’s tournament editor, as well as National Handicapper Mike Watchmaker.  Players can see complete coverage via DRF Live at live.drf.com during the following times:

DRFLive Video Coverage

Friday, January 23:              10:30 am – 5:30 pm PT

Saturday, January 24:           9:30 am – 5:30 pm PT

Sunday, January 25:             9:30 am – 5:30 pm PT

DRF will also offer racing fans across the country a chance to participate along with players in Las Vegas, including a chance to win the first online qualifying seat of 2015 to the 2016 NHC.

On Saturday, January 24th, there will be a $20,000 ‘Play Along with the NHC’ guaranteed prize pool contest on NHCQualify.com. The entry fee is $50 per entry. Players may purchase two entries per person. The contest will be based upon the same 8 mandatory races as in the NHC.

On Sunday, January 25, there will be a ‘Win a 2016 NHC Seat’ contest on NHCQualify.com. The entry fee is $50 and players can win a seat into the 2016 NHC. Players must be members of the 2015 NHC Tour, however no Tour points will be awarded. An additional $5,000 in prizes will be awarded to the top five finishers.

“We couldn’t be more thrilled with our results this year on NHCQualify.com and our contribution to this year’s NHC,” said Ken Kirchner, Administrator of the DRF tournament sites.  “NHCQualify.com alone has qualified 30% of this year’s NHC players, and we’re expanding our tournament offerings through our new site, DRFQualify.com, with online qualifiers for live tournaments at Gulfstream and Santa Anita.”

About DAILY RACING FORM
Daily Racing Form, “America’s Turf Authority since 1894″ for Thoroughbred racing horseplayers and professionals throughout North America, is the Thoroughbred industry’s dominant multi-channel media company. Launched in 1894, Daily Racing Form is the only daily newspaper in the U.S. dedicated solely to the coverage of a single sport, publishing up to 2,000 unique pages of statistical and editorial copy every day, in as many as 20 daily editions, 364 days a year. Its companion website, www.DRF.com, is the most heavily-trafficked horseracing destination, providing players with the most extensive news coverage in racing, interactive past performances, exclusive handicapping tools, and access to DRF Bets™, America’s fastest growing online and mobile wagering platform. Additionally, Daily Racing Form publishes DRF Harness Eye, the daily newspaper and digital content for Standardbred racing since 1964, offering news, handicapping products, and online wagering functionality specifically for Harness players. In 2012, Daily Racing Form introduced DRF Breeding, a business dedicated to serving Breeders and Owners, bringing expanded coverage and tools to horseplayer and breeding enthusiasts alike.