LEXINGTON, Ky. (July 17, 2019) – Steve Byk, host of the acclaimed Thoroughbred radio news magazine “At the Races” on Sirius XM, is partnering with the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) to send one NHC Tour member to Las Vegas to compete in the National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) next February.
The “Beat Byk NHC Challenge” will run from July 20-Sept. 2. During that promotional period, Byk will pick a horse in one stakes race each Saturday and Sunday and listeners will be encouraged to log in to https://www.ntra.com/beatbyk/ where they will either use Byk’s selection to win the featured race or try to beat Byk by selecting another horse.
All who correctly select the winning horse in each round advance to a September NHC online qualifier limited to winning participants from the weekly promotions. Participants can win up to three entries into the September online qualifier based on how many times they qualify during the promotional period. The winner of the “Beat Byk” Online Qualifier in September will then represent “At the Races” at the 2020 NHC, which will take place in the Bally’s Events Center from February 7-9.
In addition, any participant who “Beats Byk” in any of the weekly contests will be able to join the NHC Tour for a special offer of $1 for the remainder of the 2019 NHC Tour. Those who “Bet with Byk” and win a spot in the NHC online qualifier by picking the winner will be required to join the Tour ($50 annual membership good through January 31, 2020) to be eligible to win the NHC spot.
Participants in the September qualifier must be NHC Tour members in order to be eligible to win the NHC berth. A secondary prize of a $250 cash will be available to the overall winner if he or she is not an NHC Tour member.
“At the Races with Steve Byk” is Thoroughbred racing’s only national daily news and talk show. The show also streams live on stevebyk.com.
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).