NEW YORK CITY (Tuesday, August 19, 2014) – A new National Handicapping Championship online qualifier open exclusively to “rookie” NHC Tour members – those that joined for the first time in 2014 – has been set for Sept. 21.
NHC Tour membership is $50 annually. Individuals can join by clicking here or by going to the following link: /en/nhc/become-a-member/.
To present the first-of-its-kind contest, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) and NHC are partnering with Daily Racing Form and official qualifying site NHCqualify.com, which will host the event. The top three finishers will receive seats to the NHC, hotel accommodations and airfare reimbursement to Las Vegas for up to $400. Secondary prizes include credits for future play in upcoming NHCqualify.com online tournaments.
The entry fee is $25. Registration will open at NHCqualify.com as the contest date draws nearer.
NHC Tour points will not be awarded since eligibility is restricted to newbies.The 16th Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Championship (NHC), presented by Racetrack Television Network, Sovereign Stable and Treasure Island Las Vegas will be held January 23-25, 2015 at Treasure Island and will carry a record purse of $2 million. For the second year in a row, the Championship will feature a three-day format with a Final 50 and Final Table of 10.
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 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 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).