August 2022
Welcome back to the August edition of NHC at the Post, your monthly update on all the happenings of the National Horseplayers Championship Tour, and more. There were a lot of exciting contests in July. Both online and in-person, from east coast to west, events were jam packed and we could barely rein in the fun.
July proved to be another exciting month on the Tour with 52 members qualifying to the 2023 NHC.
Chris Podratz of Santa Clarita, Calif. celebrated more than just Independence Day on the 4th of July. He also was the winner at the LA County Fair NHC Qualifier at Los Alamitos. Podratz is one of the most accomplished contest players in America. A U.S. Air Force veteran, Podratz has now qualified for the NHC every year since 2010. Podratz earned his 2023 berth thanks to his victory at Los Alamitos. Dennis Decauwer also punched his ticket to the NHC at Los Al. Decauwer is one of the best known and most respected NHC ambassadors and is the Vice Chairman of the NHC Players’ Committee.
In Texas, Lone Star Park held its annual Summer Betting Challenge on Saturday, July 16 at the Lone Star Bar & Book. The top four out of the 87 entries were awarded NHC prize packages. All players started with a $1,000 bankroll. Bill Rendino finished in first-place with a $3,902 bankroll and earned an NHC seat. Michael McKee, Nick Tammaro, and Kim Dixon finished in second, third, and fourth respectively winning NHC 2023 seats. Click here for the official results.
In the Battle Born State, Treasure Island (TI) hosted their Wager to Win XXVII on the weekend of July 23-24. With a sold-out crowd in the Golden Circle Sportsbook & Bar, TI awarded approximately $37,000 in cash prizes along with two NHC seats. Frank Polk of Oklahoma City, OK, finished in first place, winning $18,900 in cash and a coveted seat to the 2023 NHC. Steve Decaspers was glad he traveled from Forest Park, IL, as he finished in second and third place, amassing cash prizes of $11,340 and claiming the second NHC seat. “We were able to overcome a cancelled race at Monmouth and a NO CONTEST race at Saratoga on Sunday. Everyone had a fun-filled weekend of competition at the TI,” said Tony Nevill, Director of Race & Sports Operations at Treasure Island Hotel & Casino.
That same weekend in the Garden State, Monmouth Park hosted the Haskell Handicapping Challenge. With 229 online entries, Frank Mustari finished in first place. Travis Stone, race caller for Churchill Downs, and Joe Calvo won seats to the 2023 NHC. There are many other contests coming up at Monmouth Park – August 27 for the Travers with 3 NHC seats guaranteed and newly added qualifiers on October 8, December 3, January 7 and February 4 – all $300 buy-in, on-track only, 2 NHC seats guaranteed.
The month of contests wrapped in the Golden State where the Del Mar Summer Challenge hosted 106 players (130 total entries) all on track July 30-31. Two NHC seats were awarded to Frank Scatoni and Ray Sainz. Frank, the former editor of “The HorsePlayer Magazine” and co-author of “Six Secrets of Successful Bettors,” is the daily host of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club’s Newcomers’ Seminar and Sunday’s Handicapping Seminar. Ray, from West Hills, CA, will be making his NHC debut. The next contest at Del Mar will be the Pacific Classic Betting Challenge which can be played on track or online at TVG.com.
Last but not least, July was hot online for Horseplayers.com and the 31 NHC Tour members that won NHC seats on the official online qualifying site of the NHC and BCBC. Click here to see who qualified on Horseplayers.com in July. Paul Matties, 2016 NHC Champion, will be joining his brother, Duke Matties at NHC 2023. Five first-time NHC Tour members qualified on Horseplayers.com in July – Frank Taddeo, Jeff Aldstadt, Bob White, Anthony Schiavone, and Stephen Doyle.
Five contests were hosted on Horsetourneys.com in July awarding 9 NHC berths. David Harrison, 2022 NHC Champion, will be competing for back-to-back NHC Championships in March. Steve Wolfson, Jr., 2017 NHC Hall of Fame inductee, will also be joining the NHC field in 2023. The next NHC qualifier on Horsetourneys.com will be held on August 7.
Dennis Decauwer and Chris Podratz
Frank Polk
Steve Decaspers
Travis Stone
Bill Rendino
David Harrison
Paul Matties, Jr.
David (Trey) M Stiles III
Houston, TX
Q&A with Jeannie King
How did you get interested in handicapping contests?
I got interested in the contests when my husband’s cousin Chris Podratz was playing and told us how fun it was and helped us sign up.
What was the first contest you played in and when?
My first contest was a feeder about 10 years ago and I won with “I’ll Have Another” as a long shot. I was hooked!
When and where did you qualify for the 2023 NHC?
I qualified June 4 on-track at Monmouth.
Tell us about the day you qualified for the NHC at the track or online (how it went, your strategy, the energy, etc.).
Well, since being exhausted from chasing Chris and my husband Kenny to qualify for Vegas lol, I knew that I just needed to get within the top 32 that day! I had about $1500 on one entry and $660 on the other entry, I threw a couple shots on the horses I liked and it worked.
What do you like best about the NHC?
I love that the NHC has brought awareness to horse racing through the handicapping tournaments. I didn’t grow up going to the track like Chris and Kenny.
GRAB AT THE TRACK OR MAKE IT AT HOME
tHE DEL MAR SIGNATURE DRINK
Del Margarita
INGREDIENTS:
- Double shot of tequila
- Margarita Mix
- A splash of Patrón Citrónge
- Lime Wedge
August NHC Qualifiers
Beat Byk | Through September 7 | FREE | ONE NHC seat awarded │No NHC Tour points awarded
Colonial Downs – August 16 | Online Only | $300 live bankroll/$300 entry fee | TWO NHC seats guaranteed
Horseplayers.com – August 5, 6,12,19, 20, 26, 27 & 28
Note: Special August 13 contest limited to Tour members that have not yet qualified for NHC 2023
NHC Tour Free Member Only Contest July 27│ FIVE NHC seats guaranteed
Horsetourneys.com – August 7,14 & 21
Little Red Feather Cares Charity Challenge │Del Mar or TVG.com | August 6 | $300 live bankroll/$300 entry fee | TWO NHC seats guaranteed | LRF Cares
Monmouth Park | August 27 | $500 | TWO NHC seats guaranteed
Sport of Kings| Every weekend in August | FREE | Each month the top 50 players advance to Round 2 to be held Breeders’ Cup weekend
XpressBet | August 27 | $1,500 | TWO NHC seats guaranteed
Beat Byk Recap
July brought the return of the Beat Byk NHC Challenge, in which NTRA and Steve Byk partner to send one NHC Tour member to the 2023 National Horseplayers Championship in Las Vegas. Last year’s promotion drew nearly 5,000 entries, and we’re excited to hopefully get even more engagement this year.
After the first three weekends of Beat Byk selections, there have already been 741 qualifiers who will compete in the Beat Byk Challenge Qualifier that will be held on September 17 on Horseplayers.com. The winner of the Beat Byk qualifier will be playing for a $1 million bonus, presented by John Unick of IOA Insurance, if he or she were to win NHC2023.
There are many more weeks to go – keep playing to Beat Byk!
Beat Byk Stats:
Beat Byk: 4
Won with Byk: 2
Caesars Racebook App Launches in Kentucky
On Tuesday, July 19, Caesars Sportsbook and NYRA Bets announced that the Caesars Racebook App is officially available for download in the state of Kentucky. Check out Kenny Mayne’s Twitter announcement here.
Kentucky is now the sixth state where the new IOS horse racing app is live, behind Florida, Ohio, Indiana, Oregon, and Montana.
NHC Tour Leaderboard Updates
The NHC Tour Leaderboard has been updated throughout the month of July. Justin Waitekus is currently at the top of the 2022 NHC Tour overall leaderboard with 20,516 points. Jay Johns is currently in the top spot of the First-Half NHC Tour Leaderboard. The First-Half NHC Tour leaderboard will conclude at the end of August. The top three finishers will win a BCBC entry.
NHC Fun Fact
Fun Fact: Paul Shurman, NHC Hall of Fame member and 2011 NHC Tour Champion, has finished in the top 25 of the NHC Tour every year since 2017. Paul has also cashed seven times at the NHC, including four finishes in the Top 20.
Michele’s Pick
New Restaurants to check out in Las Vegas
The Paris and Bally’s Las Vegas have several new restaurants that you will want to check out if you are at NHC 2023 or if you are in Las Vegas for fun.
I have to admit Nobu is one of my favorite spots in Las Vegas. The yellowtail jalapeno and crispy rice with spicy tuna is the bomb dot com. I am very glad they added a second location at the Paris.
You definitely will need a reservation at Vanderpump A` Paris in advance. Last time I was there you couldn’t even get a bar stool. It was packed so it must be good!
I will have to say I am disappointed that Cafe Martorano closed. We are still trying to locate where our favorite bartender from there is now. I’m looking forward to trying Martha Stewart’s “first-ever restaurant”, The Bedford by Martha Stewart.
You can’t pass by Bobby’s Burgers By Bobby Flay without stopping. The dark chocolate milkshake was delicious and the service was fast and excellent.
The legendary Jack Binion’s Steak just opened at Bally’s. It is located where BLT Steak used to be. The menu looks amazing but I will need to win several rounds of roulette to afford a steak.
It’s been a busy month for NTRA President and CEO Tom Rooney. After spending most of the month on Capitol Hill meeting with Members of Congress, he spent a weekend in the Garden State to attend TVG.com Haskell Day. His first visit to Monmouth Park was also one of the hottest days of the year! He presented the trophy to Chad Brown and Flavien Prat for winning the G3 Molly Pitcher Stakes with Search Results and got to see Cyberknife take home the victory in the $1,000,000 TVG.com Haskell Stakes. Tom will be in Saratoga for much of August, so if you see him be sure to introduce yourself!
