Welcome back to the October edition of the NHC at the Post, your monthly update on all the happenings of the National Horseplayers Championship Tour and more.

There was no horsing around in September, as a string of new NHC qualifiers made their way through some great contests.

The month started off with the Pacific Classic Betting Challenge in sunny Del Mar, CA. Local Robert Traynor of Oceanside, CA won the contest and guaranteed his spot for NHC 2023. Brett Brophy of Arlington, WA also won a NHC 2023 seat. Labor Day weekend also saw the end of the Hawthorne Summer Coast-to-Coast Showdown that ran from July 16^th through the end of the summer. Pamela Cunningham of Fishers, IN won the Showdown and a NHC seat.

Kentucky Downs hosted the King of the Turf Handicapping Challenge over the course of two weekends. In the three days, nearly 700 entries locked in 10 NHC qualifiers: Steven Shaffer (Prospect, KY), Scott Carson (Yorktown Heights, NY), Scott Fiedler (Babylon, NY), Jeff Bussan (New Canaan, CT) Nick Fazzolari (Colts Neck, NJ), Erin Doty-McQuaid (Nicholasville, KY), Jeff Bussan (New Canaan, CT), Tom Rapps (Chagrin Falls, OH), Terry Jerge (Altadena, CA), and Nick Seevers (Sacramento, CA). Thomas Rapps will be crowned the National Turf Handicapping Champion at NHC 2023. The National Turf Handicapping Champion is the player with the highest aggregate three-day bankroll from all three Kentucky Downs Challenges. A player must compete in all three challenges to be eligible for the distinction.

FanDuel TV’s Surf to Turf Handicapping Contest saw nearly 250 entries and two NHC seats secured. Richard Murray of North Hills, CA won a seat along with first time NHC qualifier Ramon Calzadias of Carson, CA.

The following weekend up in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, Canterbury Park had nearly 100 entries at their ontrack only Dog Days of Summer Handicapping Contest. Mike Ferrozzo of Egan, MN and Colin Sumner of Maple Valley, WA took home first and second place along with seats for the NHC. That same weekend, Horsetourneys.com hosted The Big One awarding William Sadoo of Los Angeles, CA and Derek Dickson of Gilbert, AZ each a seat at the NHC.

September wrapped at Los Alamitos, CA with a father son victory. Out of 72 entries, Carson and Duke Matties from Laguna Beach, CA finished in first and second place and both won seats to Las Vegas. Of winning his first seat to the NHC, Carson said, “I’ve been watching my dad play in the NHC final since I was 15. It’s been my dream since then to qualify to the tournament and I finally did it.”

Last but not least, we had an overflow field of winners in this month’s online contests. Horsetourneys.com hosted four contests in September awarding eight NHC berths to Mark Aylward (Waxhaw, NC), Jay Coatta (Chanhassen, MN), Carl Kelemen (Henderson, NV), Brooks Lewis (Bluffton, TX), Adam Lewis (Mooresville, NC), Carl Richard Logan (Lexington, KY), Bob Schreiter (Savannah, GA), and Michael Somich (Raleigh, NC). Horseplayers.com in September awarded 18 NHC berths. A full list of September Horseplayers.com qualifiers can be found here. Notably four first-time qualifiers are Patrick Kennedy, Mark Mitchell, Patrick Mooney and Mike Thomas.

Robert Traynor

Steven Shaffer

Scott Fiedler

Jeff Bussan

Mike Somich

Linda Rodriguez

Mark Aylward

Carson and Duke Matties

Matt Myers

The Beat Byk NHC Challenge has quickly become a summer favorite for horseplayers. This summer’s Challenge drew nearly 1,000 entries and saw a first time NHC qualifier, Matt Myers, win a berth into the 2023 NHC.

Together with the NTRA, Steve Byk, host of the Thoroughbred radio news magazine “At the Races” on Sirius XM, partnered to send one NHC Tour member to Las Vegas. Throughout eight weeks this summer, Byk selected the weekend stake races to comprise the competition for that week. There were 16 chances to qualify before the Beat Byk NHC Online Qualifier the weekend of September 17. All who correctly selected the winning horse in each round advanced to the qualifier.

Matt Myers, of Columbus, OH, was crowned winner of the 2022 contest and will be heading to his first NHC in March. When asked what he was most excited about for the NHC, Matt said, “My horse racing buddies and I are big fans of Steve Byk. So having the honor of representing “At the Races” in the NHC is something I’m really excited to do.” A tour member since 2019, Matt was first introduced to horse racing by attending the 2011 Kentucky Derby at his now favorite track, Churchill Downs.

At the conclusion of the contest, Steve Byk said, “I am thrilled for Matt, a long time listener to the show, to make it to Vegas as the Beat Byk winner for a chance to win NHC as well as the $1,000,000 bonus offered by John Unick of Insurance Offices of America. It was another fun summer for the contest and I thank everyone who competed, the NTRA, Holly (Short) and Michele (Ravencraft) for making it possible and one of the highlights of the At the Races broadcast year.”

The last of four free-to-play online qualifiers for the National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) is set for next Sunday October 9 on HorsePlayers.com, the official online qualifying site of the NHC. The top five finishers in the contest will earn automatic berths to the 2023 NHC, which is slated to be held at the newly-rebranded Horseshoe Las Vegas, the former Bally’s, on March 10-12, 2023.

Each winning prize package includes NHC entry, tour points, a four-night stay at the host hotel, and a $400 travel reimbursement. Participants must be a NHC Tour member to be eligible. Not a tour member? Sign up with promo code TOUR25 and receive $25 off any membership level.

Registration is now open at HorsePlayers.com.

Horseplayers.com | October 7, 8, 9, 14, 16, 21, 28

NOTE: October 9 – FREE Tour Member Contest FIVE NHC SEATS GUARANTEED

Horsetourneys.com | October 15, 23, 29

Laurel Park Champions Tournament │ October 15 │ Ontrack │ $200 bankroll/$300 towards prize pool │TWO NHC seats guaranteed

Keeneland | October 14 & 15 │Friday Ontrack $400 │Saturday Ontrack or Online $2500 live bankroll/$1000 towards prize pool

Monmouth Park │October 8 | Ontrack | $300 entry fee | TWO NHC seats guaranteed

Santa Anita October Challenge │ October 22 │ Santa Anita & Xpressbet $400 live bankroll/$200 towards prize pool │TWO NHC seats guaranteed

Sport of Kings | Every weekend in October| FREE | Each month the top 50 players advance to Round 2 to be held Breeders’ Cup weekend

Registration is now open for the Keeneland BCBC-NHC Fall Handicapping Challenge happening Saturday October 15. The contest, hosted at Keeneland in cooperation with XpressBet, NYRA Bets, 4NJBets, HPI and FanDuel TV, will see contestants playing live at Keeneland or on either of those ADW platforms.

Jim Goodman, Director of Wagering Development, said of the contest:

“Keeneland has a long tradition of supporting the NHC through live money contests on track and online. This continues with this fall’s editions of our $400 Fall Challenge, scheduled for Friday, October 14, and the $3500 BCBC-NHC Challenge, scheduled for Saturday, October 15.”

“Between the two contests, an estimated 14 NHC spots and 7 BCBC spots will be available in addition to substantial prize money. Last Spring’s $3500 contest drew a record 274 players, and with the Breeders’ Cup only a few weeks away at Keeneland, we expect a great turnout for both tournaments.”

“We believe that the live meet tournament experience is second to none. We hope to see everyone at Keeneland for these contests.”

The entry fee is $3,500, with $2,500 going to live bankroll and $1,000 to the prize fund. Players must wager a minimum of $400 in at least five races at Keeneland, and must wager a minimum total of $2,500. Prizes include cash, as many as 10 NHC spots and six BCBC berths (based on number of entries). For official rules or to register, visit Keeneland’s website.

The NHC Tour Leaderboard has been updated through September 29. Michael Kavana is currently at the top of the 2022 NHC Tour overall leaderboard with 21,110 points.

29 Days and Counting Until Breeders’ Cup 2022 at Keeneland

The city of Lexington, KY home of Keeneland is very excited to be the host site of the 2022 Breeders’ Cup World Championships. As you know the NTRA is based in Lexington, KY right down the street from the Breeders’ Cup headquarters. If you are in town early in the week please feel free to stop by our office and say hello. We are located at 401 West Main Street, Suite 222 (2^nd floor above Tony’s Steakhouse).

There will be a lot going on in Lexington the week of the Breeders’ Cup. The Breeders’ Cup Festival, a celebration from Sunday, October 30 to Saturday, November 5 will be hosted city-wide. There will be live music, block parties, culinary bourbon events, and much more. Click here to see what exciting events will be happening that week. The Breeders’ Cup website is a great source of information to plan your visit.

I know many of you will be playing in the Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge (BCBC), racing’s richest live-money handicapping tournament with an estimated $1,250,000 in cash prizes. Matt Miller, an attorney from Chicago, IL won last year’s BCBC taking home $543,300. Matt started out with a $7,500 live-money bankroll. Matt is already double qualified to the 2023 NHC. Click here to read the press release and see last year’s final results. I will be working with Tim Schram, Jim Goodman and the BCBC team this year. I am looking forward to seeing everyone who will be playing from Keeneland and can’t wait to see who will be crowned the next BCBC Champion and congratulate the 15 players that will win National Horseplayers Championship seats.

P.S. One of my favorite restaurants downtown in Lexington that may not be too crowded is Sidebar Grill. The cheeseburger is definitely one of the best in town. Also, Columbia’s Steakhouse, downtown Lexington’s oldest restaurant, is managed by one of my favorite people ever, Flo. You should stop by and try the legendary Nighthawk Special and introduce yourself to Flo. And to finish off the night with a sweet, check out Sorella Gelateria, a locally owned gelato shop located on Jefferson Street.

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