National Horseplayers Championship

Edited Press Release Paul Calia, a retired disability advisor for Social Security from Kansas City, Missouri, toppled a field of 779 entries to take home the grand prize of $800,000, in addition to finishing in fourth place with his second entry--good for another $150,000-- to earn an Eclipse Award and Horseplayer of the Year honors during the NTRA National Horseplayers' Championship which concluded Sunday in Las Vegas. This is the first contest that Calia has ever won. Calia amassed winnings of $362.50 on his first entry, and $305.50 on his...

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association announced that Jose Arias, Dennis Decauwer, Jim Goodman, and Bill Shurman have been voted by their peers for induction into the NTRA National Horseplayers Championship's Hall of Fame. The handicappers represent the ninth class of NHC Hall of Fame inductees and will be recognized during the NHC Champions Dinner Sunday, Mar. 12, 2023 at the conclusion of the NTRA National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) at the Horseshoe Las Vegas. For more information on the latest inductees, click here.

Jay Johns of Meridian, Idaho, amassed 22,370 over the course of 34 contests in 2022 to take home the $75,000 first prize for winning the National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) Tour. The president of IHOP Restaurants (formerly International House of Pancakes) is now in the running for a $5-million bonus should he be able to add the NHC at the newly rebranded Horseshoe Las Vegas Mar. 10-12. "It's such an honor coming out on top in this year-long tour against arguably the absolute best handicappers out there. It's quite a mind...

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) and Caesars Entertainment have announced an agreement which establishes Bally's--the soon-to-be renamed Horseshoe Las Vegas--as the host site of the National Horseplayers' Championship through 2026. This year's event will take place Mar. 10-12, 2023. "We are delighted to secure a multi-year extension and continue our partnership with two iconic brands--Caesars and Horseshoe Las Vegas--to host hundreds of horseplayers in the heart of the Las Vegas strip at the world's most prestigious horse racing handicapping contest," said NTRA President and CEO Tom Rooney. "We're pleased...

Jonathon Kinchen, winner of the 2015 NHC Tour (National Horseplayers Championship) and widely recognized from duties at NYRA and FOX television, has been suspended from the NHC and NHC Tour for a period of two years, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) announced Tuesday. Kinchen was disqualified from the NHC after it was learned that he was not in Las Vegas in person for the competition, as required by rule. "Maintaining the integrity of the NHC is of the utmost importance," said NTRA President and CEO Tom Rooney. "We look...

Justin Mustari, a 26-year-old horseplayer from Des Plaines, Ill., won the 2021 National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) presented by Racetrack Television Network, Caesars Entertainment, and Bally's Las Vegas. Mustari became the youngest winner in 22 editions of the NHC. He competed against a field of 563 entries over the three-day tournament from Aug. 27-29, winning the $725,000 first-place prize and an Eclipse Award as Horseplayer of the Year. He also earns an exemption into next year's NHC finals and a berth to the 2021 Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge worth $10,000. Mustari's...

The 22nd Annual National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) will have 25 official partners and sponsors. Held Aug. 27-29 at Bally's Las Vegas, the NHC will be presented by Racetrack Television Network (RTN), Caesars Entertainment, and Bally's Las Vegas with another 22 entities named as official partners. The NHC is the culmination of a year-long series of NTRA-sanctioned local tournaments and features approximately 450 horseplayers competing for more than $2 million in cash prizes.

A total of seven North American tracks have been selected for the 2021 NTRA National Horseplayers Championship (NHC), to be held Aug. 27-29. All mandatory and optional races will be from Del Mar, Ellis Park, Golden Gate Fields, Gulfstream Park, Monmouth Park, Saratoga Race Course, or Woodbine Racetrack. The NHC is the world's richest and most prestigious handicapping tournament. "The menu of racetracks represents the best possible mix of quality racing and geographical diversity," said NTRA COO and NHC tournament director Keith Chamblin. "Del Mar and Saratoga, which on Saturday,...

Registration for the two-day Belmont Stakes Challenge presented by Jackpocket, offering cash prizes along with seats to the National Horseplayers' Championship (NHC) and Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge (BCBC) is now open. The event takes place over Belmont S. weekend, Friday and Saturday, June 4 and 5. Entrants for the challenge will compete for cash prizes down to fourth place as well as one seat to the 2022 Belmont Stakes Challenge, four seats to the NHC and two BCBC berths. The 2021 Belmont Stakes Challenge has an entry fee of $10,000,...

For years a top player on the National Horseplayers' Championship (NHC) tour, Sally Goodall claimed her first NHC title in 2020, earning 22,330 points to just edge Dylan Donnelly. Goodall's early-season surge--she had secured two spots in the NHC by March--and consistency throughout 2020 saw her outfinish Donnelly, a five-time contest winner, by just 54 points. Goodall's husband Richard won the NHC title in 2008 and was inducted to the NHC Hall of Fame last February. The couple freely admits that they schedule their year around the NHC, held annually...

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) has rescheduled the upcoming 2021 National Horseplayers Championship (NHC), originally slated for Feb. 12-14, to Aug. 27-29 due to the ongoing impacts of COVID-19. The NHC, a culmination of a year-long series of tournaments of which the winner is honored at the Eclipse Awards, will be held at Bally's Las Vegas. "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...

Playing in the NTRA National Horseplayers' Championship (NHC) for just the second time, Thomas Goldsmith of Montgomery, CA, amassed a total mythical bankroll of $404.10--second largest in tournament history--to take home the $800,000 first prize Sunday afternoon at Bally's in Las Vegas. Goldsmith, 57, defeated a field that totaled 694 entries from 564 individual players and a final table that included NHC Hall of Famer Trey Stiles, Ashley Taylor and Day 2 leader John Vail of Lyndhurst, NJ. The latter held on for second ($250,000), just shy of $30 behind...