LAS VEGAS, Nevada (February 5, 2020) – Joseph Besecker, Howard Blumberg, James Metzger, and Chris Michaels are the top individual betting interests according to player odds released for this week’s 21st NTRA National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) Presented by Racetrack Television Network, Caesars Entertainment and Bally’s, set for February 7-9 at Bally’s Las Vegas.

All four top individuals were installed at 60-1 to take the title of Horseplayer of the Year this season. Besecker, Blumberg, Metzger and Michaels will each be making their second NHC appearance with Blumberg finishing 13th overall in 2019 on the NHC Tour. Of the quartet, Michaels boasts the best previous finish in the NHC as he landed in 49th in 2009, his only other time playing the tournament.

Richard Goodall, the 2008 NHC champion and 2019 NHC Hall of Fame inductee, is among several individuals installed as co-second choice at 70-1. Defending NHC champion Scott Coles is also 70-1 on the line to become the first player to win the title twice with 2019 NHC Tour champion David Snyder at 150-1.

Gary West, co-owner and breeder of champion Maximum Security, is playing in the tournament for the fourth time and is 75-1 on the line.

David Gutfreund, the 2018 NHC Tour Champion who opened at odds of 150-1, was bet down to 75-1 by the end of day one of the Future Bet wagering. Betting continues through Thursday at Bally’s and other Caesars Entertainment properties.

Draft Kings is the exclusive sponsor of the NHC Final Table. Official Partners of the 2020 NHC include Racetrack Television Network, Daily Racing Form, TVG, Insurance Office of America (IOA), and NYRA Bets. The official charity of the NHC is the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA).

To sign up for the NHC Tour, go to www.ntra.com/membership.

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. For more information on the NHC, visit NTRA.com/nhc.

About the NTRA

The NTRA, based in Lexington, Ky., 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 Horseplayers Championship; NTRA Advantage, a corporate partner sales and sponsorship program; and Horse PAC®, a federal political action committee. NTRA press releases appear on NTRA.com, Twitter (@ntra) and Facebook (facebook.com/1NTRA).