Every week seems to bring a new innovation in the world of handicapping contests, from novel formats to multimillion-dollar bonus opportunities. Hawthorne Race Course has long been on the leading edge of these developments and has pushed the envelope once again with Saturday’s inaugural Horseplayers Invitational, designed with television in mind for a two-part special to air next month on NBC Sports Chicago.
The live-money contest is restricted to 25 top handicappers invited by Hawthorne, including four former winners of the NTRA National Horseplayers Championship (NHC). Prizes include a $14,000 cash prize pool and two berths to the NHC. Hawthorne racing analyst and tournament director Jim Miller and Ren Carothers of Equestricon will host the NBC Sports Chicago show, which is set to air April 21 and 28 at 10:30 a.m. CT.
For more information on the inaugural Hawthorne Invitational, including details on spectator tickets, visit https://www.hawthorneracecourse.com/handicapping_contests/2018_horseplayers_invitational.php.
While the field for the prestigious Hawthorne Invitational is already set, there are a number of open contests to play this weekend, both on-track and online.
Details on this week’s NHC qualifiers are as follows:
TODAY
HorsePlayers.com
Prizes: Two NHC berths
Format: $2 Win and Place mythical wagers, Pick and Pray (selections submitted before first contest race)
Entry: $75
More: https://horseplayers.com/contest/304021
SATURDAY
HorseTourneys.com
Prizes: Two NHC berths guaranteed
Format: $2 Win and Place mythical wagers, Pick and Pray (selections submitted before first contest race)
Entry: $165
More: https://horsetourneys.com/contest/302104
Feeders: Multiple $18 feeder contests daily
Wood Memorial Challenge, Aqueduct, Queens, N.Y.
Prizes: Two NHC berths + one Belmont Challenge berth + cash prize pool ($5,000 guaranteed to first)
Format: $25 minimum wager on 10 races (five from Aqueduct and five from Keeneland)
Entry: $500 ($250 live bankroll, $250 to prize pool)
More: https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/fall-handicapping-challenge
SUNDAY
Simulcast Series Challenge, Monmouth Park, Oceanside, N.J.
Prizes: $10,000 cash prize pool + 10 berths to May 12 SSC Invitational (two NHC berths plus other prizes)
Format: $15 WPS on min. 10 races from Kee, GP, Aqu
Entry: $250 ($150 live bankroll + $100 entry fee)
More: http://www.monmouthpark.com/contest_detail.aspx?id=11532
HorsePlayers.com
Prizes: Two NHC berths
Format: $2 Win and Place mythical wagers, Pick and Pray (selections submitted before first contest race)
Entry: $165
More: https://horseplayers.com/contest/304019
Feeders: Multiple $18 feeder contests daily
Each NHC prize package includes NHC entry, four nights at Treasure Island and airfare reimbursement. This past February’s NHC 19 offered a record prize pool worth more than $2.9 million, including an $800,000 first-place prize.
One must be a current NHC Tour member to be eligible to win NHC entries. To sign up for the NHC Tour, go to www.ntra.com/membership.
For more information on the NHC and NHC Tour, visit www.ntra.com/nhc.
About the NHC
In its 20th year, the National Horseplayers Championship 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 buy-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.