Night School, the racing industry’s national online fan education program since 2011, celebrates its 150th lesson plan tonight with a closer look at “Evaluating Layoff Horses” as the subject matter. To celebrate the 150th episode of the popular program, its founder, Horse Player NOW, will offering free handicapping prizes en masse during the class. Guest instructors tonight include farm trainer Richard Budge of WinStar Farm and Marty McGee, handicapper and Eclipse Award-winning turf writer for Daily Racing Form.

The free program is offered online each Tuesday, beginning at 8:30 p.m. ET and runs 40 consecutive weeks through Dec. 2. More than 40 websites in the Thoroughbred, American Quarter Horse and Standardbred industries simultaneously offer the Night School lessons.

“Evaluating Layoff Handicapping” and its interactive discussion will be simulcast on SiriusXM satellite radio with the free audio stream able to be accessed directly from the radio link within the Night School live chat module. Those listening on the dial can catch the show on Sirius 220 or XM 206. Night School founder Jeremy Plonk and original cast member Caton Bredar join weekly with Steve Byk of “At the Races with Steve Byk” from 8:30-10 p.m. ET during Night School’s traditional timeslot. Each week, top guests in the world of handicapping and horse racing will be featured.

Tonight’s lesson will include Night School anniversary handicapping prizes to celebrate the 150th lesson. The first 150 registered students during the live class tonight will receive a free copy of the Horse Player NOW BUZZ report for Breeders’ Cup Friday on Oct. 31. And, a special random drawing among all registered students will feature a 150-day subscription to the daily horses-to-watch BUZZ service, a retail value of nearly $150.

Free archives of all lessons, current and past, remain available for views by racing fans and horseplayers at any time. Therefore, if you can’t make class each week during the 90-minute live session, you can still take part and reap the benefits. Title sponsors for 2014 include charter members National Thoroughbred Racing Association and American Quarter Horse Association, as well as Keeneland Select, The Stronach Group, Twinspires, BRIS, Bet America, Mountaineer Park and Woodbine Entertainment.

Night School is free and voluntary with no registration necessary. Simply visit any of the Night School syndicate websites weekly at 8:30 pm ET to take in the live lesson, or access the archives at any of those same sites at your leisure. The program does offer a voluntary registration both live or in the archives. Attendees who register in at least half (20) of the season’s lessons are eligible to win prizes that include merchandise, NHC Tour memberships, handicapping contests, free handicapping products, etc. Fans who enjoy playing the races can participate alongside the Night School experts in two additional ways. The Night School Woodbine Wednesdays live chats feature the live races on the program each Wednesday at Woodbine. And, Night School Friday Night Live at Remington Park is a weekly Friday live chat during the full card from Oklahoma City. Both offerings present free live video streaming, free BRISNET.com past performances, real-time expert advice and fan camaraderie.

2014 FALL SEMESTER TOPIC SCHEDULE

Session

Date

Spring Semester Topics (all begin 8:30p ET)

27

2-Sep

Trip Handicapping

28

9-Sep

Sheets Handicapping

29

16-Sep

Pedigree Handicapping

30

23-Sep

Layoffs

31

30-Sep

Handicapping Stakes Races

32

7-Oct

Racing’s Town Hall Meeting

33

14-Oct

AQHA Challenge Handicapping *

34

21-Oct

Identifying Key Races

35

28-Oct

Breeders’ Cup Handicapping *

36

4-Nov

Election Night – Horseplayers Polling

37

11-Nov

Handicapping Tournaments/Contests

38

18-Nov

Slumps & Bad Beats

39

25-Nov

Betting Online

40

2-Dec

Fan’s Choice

 *-denotes live chat lessons with no radio component.