Lexington, Ky. (January 26, 2021) – With the National Horseplayers Championship postponed from its traditional February dates due to COVID-19 and re-scheduled for August, the NTRA today announced that a Last Chance/First Chance qualifier has been added to the calendar on Saturday, February 13. The contest will provide an opportunity for players to qualify to either the August 27-29, 2021 NHC or the January 28-30, 2022 NHC.
The Last Chance/First Chance qualifier will be held on HorsePlayers.com, and the entry fee will be $500. HorsePlayers.com has begun operating low entry fee feeder events awarding seats to the February 13th qualifier. Two NHC seats will be guaranteed to NHC 2021 plus travel and hotel accommodations. In addition to the two NHC 2021 seats, the Last Chance/First Chance qualifier will offer a maximum of two seats to the 2022 NHC. Only individuals who have already won two qualifying seats into NHC 2021 may compete for a seat in NHC 2022. One additional qualifying seat to the 2021 NHC will be awarded for every 20 entries over the first 80 entries. The NHC seats include travel and hotel accommodations. NHC 2021 Tour points will be awarded.
Traditionally the National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) presented by Racetrack Television Network, Caesars Entertainment and Bally’s would be held in Las Vegas the weekend after the Super Bowl. Due to the pandemic, the 2021 NHC has been moved to the last weekend in August in Las Vegas. The traditional onsite ‘Last Chance First Chance’ contest will still be held at Bally’s on the eve of the NHC.
A player must be a 2021 NHC Tour member to be eligible to win a 2022 seat and receive 2021 NHC Tour points. 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).