By Noel Michaels
The 22nd NTRA National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) is set to re-convene in Las Vegas after a monthslong delay due to COVID-19.
The tournament, originally scheduled for February, runs Friday-Sunday (Aug. 27-29) at Bally’s. The NHC is the culmination of a series of qualifying contests with the winner earning an Eclipse Award for Outstanding Handicapper.
The prize money isn’t bad, either: about $3 million, with about $800,000 to winner.
“With the support of our partners at Bally’s and Caesars Entertainment, we have secured dates that provide us with a great opportunity to host a world-class event in the safest possible environment for our participants, guests and employees,” NTRA chief operating officer Keith Chamblin said.
The 2021 date change does not impact the current 2021-22 NHC Tour, which concludes Jan. 23. The next NHC has already been scheduled in its usual early year timeslot for Jan. 28-30 at Bally’s.
Thomas Goldsmith winner 2020 National Horseplayers Championship at Bally’s Hotel and Casino – Photo Courtesy of NTRA
The top prize in thoroughbred handicapping is up for grabs among a field of about 600 qualifiers from North America. The NHC finalists earned their trip to Vegas by qualifying through contests held in 2020 on tournament websites, at tracks, and off-track sites in the U.S. and Canada.
Players will try to compile the highest earnings based on mythical win-and-place wagers the first two days on races from the season’s top simulcast signals. The lineup in tracks is a bit different than in the past since the tournament was rescheduled – the tracks this time include Del Mar, Ellis Park, Golden Gate, Gulfstream, Monmouth, Saratoga, and Woodbine.
The top 10% of the players after Friday and Saturday’s action will make the cut, advancing to the final day of play Sunday. The Sunday finalists – about 60 based on 600 qualifiers – all earn a share of the prize money. To the winner? About $800,000. Not a bad day at the races.
Thomas Goldsmith is back to defend the championship he won in 2020. The 57-year-old from Montgomery, California, faces challenges from several other past winners.
The 2020 NHC Tour championship itself was decided months ago. The top prize went to veteran player Sally Wang Goodall of Las Vegas, who earned the Tour’s $100,000 top prize. Goodall is also eligible for a $5 million bonus if she becomes the first NHC Tour winner to go on to win the NHC main event the same year. Goodall is one of the most prolific players in the history of the NHC, having qualified for the finals in Las Vegas a record-tying 19 times.
Handicappers cannot buy an entry fee to play in the NHC. You must join the NTRA’s NHC Tour and win a spot. Qualifying for the next NHC finals in January 2022 is ongoing
Noel Michaels has been involved in many aspects of thoroughbred racing for more than two decades, as a Breeders’ Cup-winning owner and as a writer, author, handicapper, editor, manager and promoter of the sport for a wide range of companies including Daily Racing Form and Nassau County Off-Track Betting.
He also is regarded as the leading source of news and information for handicapping tournaments and the author of the “Handicapping Contest Handbook: A Horseplayer’s Guide to Handicapping Tournaments”, which made his name virtually synonymous with the increasingly-popular tournament scene.
In addition to contributing to US Racing, he is also an analyst on the Arlington Park broadcast team.
