Steve DeCaspers

Last week, I wrote about the joy of having a "wolfpack" at the National Horseplayers Championship. A group of friends you see once a year, swap stories with, and share the roller coaster of trying to beat 700 of the best horseplayers in the world. This year, our wolfpack became an "Entourage" when Dylan Donnelly achieved fame and fortune by winning the whole thing in what everyone agrees was the most dramatic finish in NHC history. I wasn't part of the final table. Not even close. Instead of taking you...

The worst part about my debut at the National Horseplayers Championship in Las Vegas 11 years ago wasn't picking 30 straight losers and finishing dead last. The worst part was agreeing to document the trip for the TDN, so the entire Thoroughbred world got to watch my horseplaying nightmare. Undeterred, I returned the following year to both the NHC and the pages of the TDN, redeeming myself with a 36th-place finish and collecting $11,200. Since then, I've posted two more in-the-money finishes in seven starts. As I celebrate my 10th...

With racing's temporary opportunity as the only game in town, the TDN's Katie Ritz took a poll of some industry insiders known to like a good bet and asked them: what is one simple way that tracks could make betting more friendly for existing horseplayers and/or more effective at bringing in new players? As you'll see, none of them could stop at just one. Number 1: Horseplayer Ombudsman Racetracks should hire a horseplayer ombudsman who would--to steal from legendary Washington Post Editor Ben Bradlee's description of the role at his...

Close to 700 handicappers will compete for a record prize pool of $2.95 million when the 21st annual National Horseplayers' Championship (NHC) gets underway Friday at Bally's Las Vegas casino,having previously been held at the Treasure Island. The three-day event, which brings together qualifiers from a variety of tournaments from coast-to-coast, offers a top prize of $800,000 and the title of Horseplayer of the Year. Including complimentary travel and hotel accommodations, cash and awards total $3.8 million. "The NHC is a true celebration of the horseplayer--the individuals who fuel every...