LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 10, 2021) ― Each week, the NTRA will provide a rundown of those who have qualified for the National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) the previous weekend. Ten players earned 2022 NHC berths through contests on NYRA Bets, Horseplayers.com and Xpressbet. Frank Mustari, a Final Table participant in the 2017 NHC, and Cheryl Knepper, became a double-qualifiers for next year’s event.
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. The 2021 NHC is slated take place in the Bally’s Events Center from Aug. 27-29 with the 2022 NHC set for Jan. 28-30 at Bally’s.
Last weekend’s qualifiers, and their respective contest sites, are as follows:
NYRABets
Thomas Maloof, of Middleboro, PA, has qualified for his fifth NHC.
Tony Zhou of Jersey City, NJ, has qualified for his eighth NHC.
Brian Chenvert of Rogers, MN, has qualified for his 12th NHC.
James Metzger of Louisville, KY, has now qualified for his fourth NHC.
Horseplayers
Robert Carlson of Chandler, AZ, has qualified for his fourth NHC.
Randy Bauer, of Henderson, NE, has qualified for his12th NHC. In 2017, he cashed for $10,960.
Cheryl Knepper, of Reading, PA, has qualified for a second entry into the 2022 NHC.
Michael Chavez, of Sante Fe, NM, has qualified for his second NHC, after first qualifying in 2002.
“It’s an exciting feeling,” said Chavez on qualifying again after 19 years. “I had become a member of NHC last year because I wanted to see if I can qualify again. There are so many great horse players across the country and great people, too. It’s fun to compete and since the COVID pandemic happened I had a little more time to handicap and play.
Chavez’s parents started taking him to the races as a baby, “and once I learned how to bet, I was hooked,” he recalled.
Chavez was close to qualifying for the 2021 NHC at a Ruidoso Downs contest, but finished third after a longshot at Del Mar in the last race thwarted his chances. “After that, I became somewhat obsessed with qualifying this year.”
Two major wagers that put Chavez in the 2022 in NHC came on Sunday when Miss Margaret Ann went wire-to-wire in a maiden claiming event at Monmouth and paid $29.80, and in the last race at Belmont, when FF Rocket won a maiden claimer on the turf and returned $21.20.
Jonathan Thorne of Millbrook, N.Y., has qualified for his first NHC. “It’s a very fulfilling experience to qualify because I realize the difficulty, perseverance and luck it takes to qualify when competing against so many other talented and dedicated horseplayers,” said Thorne. “Actually, I finished third in the May 7th qualifier on horseplayers.com, so up until this past weekend that was the closest I’d ever come to qualifying. I’m super excited for the Championships in Las Vegas in January 2022 and looking forward to a very memorable experience!”
Thorne became interested the horse race at age 10 when he started reading Daily Racing Form, and grew up counting the days before the opening of Saratoga.
Joseph Rumfolo of Willis, Texas, has qualified for this third NHC.
“It feels absolutely great to qualify for the NHC for the third year in a row,” said Rumfolo. “Being in a room full of horseplayers is a real good time. We have our own language and it’s a pleasure being around like-minded individuals. I began competing in the contest world seriously in 2018 after a good friend of mine told me more about it. I learned quite a bit about live contest play in Vegas at the 2019 NHC.”
Rumfolo’s dad taught him math at around the age of five. Weekends were spent at tracks on Louisiana or at bush tracks around Houston. “My grandfather was an owner, my father and uncles were owners, and I dabble in ownership as well. Tough but rewarding sport,” Rumfolo said.
Helping Rumfolo qualify for next year’s NHC during the May 21 contest was Odalea, a 3-year-old filly with a turf pedigree, making her second start in the ninth at Gulfstream. Taking the lead in the upper stretch of a 7-furlong maiden claimer, Odalea held off her rivals to win by a neck and paid $37.40. But the drama wasn’t over. Rumfolo bet Jazz Hands in the final race at Santa Anita while sitting in third place in the contest about $20 out of first. “When they broke, he was 8/1 and I knew if he won I would qualify,” an anxious Rumfolo recalled. “About 24 seconds and two furlongs later, his odds went to 9/2, now I’m sweating as if he does win, it will be close to qualify. He won and I snuck into second by about a buck. Welcome to gambling.”
Rob Henie of Carlsbad, Calif., has qualified for this third NHC.
Juliana Bargfeldt of Owassa, Okla., has qualified for her first NHC.
HorseTourneys
Mark Stovall of Mesquite, Texas has qualified for his 10th NHC. His best finish came in 2011 when he finished sixth overall, and cashed for $32,000.
Mark Wilgard of Melville, N.Y., has qualified for his third NHC.
Monmouth Park
Joseph Guarino of Rumson, N.J., has qualified for his first NHC.
Brian Fairlie of Point Pleasant, N.J., has qualified for his second NHC.
Robin Buser of Delran, N.J., is an NHC Tour Mentor who has qualified for his 12th NHC. In the May 22 “live money” tournament at Monmouth, Buser bagged the late pick 3 at Gulfstream Park on his second qualifying card with Sonar, Caribu Club and Starry Hope. “It’s always great to get that ‘Q’ in the first part of the year,” said Buser. “It was also a thrill to punch this latest ticket on the very same weekend that I became a grandfather for the very first time. Can’t wait for little Wyatt’s first visit to the Racetrack-hah!”
Buser has been a horse racing fan since watching Secretariat win the Triple Crown on television, “but I really honed my handicapping skills while a young lawyer in the early 90’s with regular night racing appearances, clad in suit & tie after court, at Garden State Park in Cherry Hill, N.J., and at Atlantic City Race Course during the summer.”
Jerry McClenin of Staten Island, NY, has qualified for his eighth NHC.
Xpressbet
Nisan Gabbay, of San Diego, has qualified for his fifth NHC. He cashed for $20,000 in 2014. Gabbay won the 2017 Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge. On Saturday at Belmont Park, Gabbay hit the Silver-State-By My Standards exacta in the Hill ‘N’ Dale Metropolitan Handicap, and the exacta of Essential Quality-Hot Rod Charlie in the Belmont Stakes to secure his qualification.
Frank Mustari of Des Plains, Il, has qualified for a second entry into the 2022 NHC. Now qualified for his 10th NHC overall, Mustari was a Final Table participant in the 2017 NHC. He finished eighth that year.