Handicapping Tournaments
TwinSpires.com Caiming Crown NHC Qualifier -- Dec. 3, 2011 -- Two berths to the DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Championship in Las Vegas will be up for grabs in a tournament focusing on the Claiming Crown card at Fair Grounds. This contest will be hosted online at TwinSpires.com. Check back here for more details as they're finalized.
NHC Superqualifier -- Dec. 17, 2011 -- Fair Grounds hosts the only National Handicapping Championship Superqualifier in the South on Santa Super Saturday. The stakes will be high with an unprecedented 10 berths to the NHC in Las Vegas on the line, as well as a significant cash prize pool. This contest will be on-track at Fair Grounds in beautiful New Orleans so book your travel plans now!
Fair Grounds NHC Superqualifier Entry Form
Fair Grounds NHC Superqualifier Official Rules
Twin Spires Club Monthly VIP Handicapping Contests -- During the live Thoroughbred Racing Season, Fair Grounds offers up free monthly contests open exclusively to Platinum and Gold Twin Spires Club VIPs. Contests are held in the Gold Room and cash prizes total $250 every month. Dates for the 2011-2012 contests will be announced in the fall.
For more information on any Fair Grounds handicapping contest, contact Jim Mulvihill, communications and pari-mutuel marketing manager, at (504) 948-1233 or james.mulvihill@fgno.com.
NEW NHC SUPERQUALIFIER SCHEDULED AT FAIR GROUNDS DEC. 17
August 8, 2011 (New York, New York) -- The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) announced today that an NHC Super Qualifier—offering 10 seats at the $2 million (estimated) Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Championship Presented by Sovereign Stable (NHC)—has been added to the 2011 NHC Tour schedule. Fair Grounds in New Orleans will be the site of a Super Qualifier on Saturday, December 17, with the 10 highest finishing NHC Tour members moving on to the National Handicapping Championship, which will be held next January at Treasure Island Las Vegas.
Last week it was announced that Turfway Park in Florence, Ky., would host a 10-seat NHC Super Qualifier on September 18.
The Fair Grounds competition will carry a $300 entry fee plus $150 to be used as each player’s live bankroll.
With the recent additions to the 2011 NHC Tour qualifying schedule, the NHC is nearing its intended capacity of 500 players for the January Finals at Treasure Island. A 500-player field is expected to yield a total NHC purse of $2 million, with the winner receiving $1 million.
“These Super Qualfiers are gaining a great deal of momentum due to their ability to attract avid tournament players from all across the country,” said Keith Chamblin, Senior Vice President of the NTRA. “We are close to finalizing details on two additional Super Qualifiers. So we strongly urge any venues interested in hosting any type of NHC qualifier to contact us as soon as possible.”
Before the start of contest play, all participants in NHC qualifying tournaments must have paid a one-time, annual NHC Tour membership fee of $45 in order to be eligible to compete at the NHC Finals. Individuals may sign up for the NHC Tour at www.NTRA.com/register/NHCTour.
In just its 13th year, the Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Championship 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 Web sites, each of which sends its top qualifiers to the national finals. Each year, the NHC winner joins other human and equine champions as an honoree at the Eclipse Awards. In additional to the founding title sponsor, the NHC is presented by Treasure Island Las Vegas and Sovereign Stable.
DATES SET FOR DAILY RACING FORM/NTRA NATIONAL HANDICAPPING CHAMPIONSHIP AT TREASURE ISLAND LAS VEGAS
August 23, 2011 (New York, New York) -- The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) announced today that the 13th annual Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Championship (NHC)—to be held for the first time at Treasure Island Las Vegas—will take place on Friday and Saturday, January 27-28, 2012. Total purse for the event is estimated at a record $2 million, with the winner receiving a record $1 million grand prize and an Eclipse Award as “Handicapper of the Year”.
NHC 13 will also have a record field of approximately 525 contestants—all of whom will have qualified via NTRA-sanctioned local tournaments held at racetracks, casinos, off-track betting facilities, and at horse racing and handicapping websites. Among those who have already qualified are defending NHC champion John Doyle; previous NHC champs Judy Wagner, Stanley Bavlish and Brian Troop; 2009 NHC Tour winner Bryan Wagner; and 2010 NHC Tour victor Tom Noone.
Participation in this year’s NHC Tour also represents an all-time mark, with 3,800 members signed up thus far in 2011—a 242% increase compared to the previous high of 1,110 in 2010. NHC Tour membership in 2011 requires a one-time fee of $45 which, for the first time in 2011, is mandatory for those wishing to qualify for the NHC. Additional prize money and NHC qualifying berths are also offered as part of the NHC Tour to leading scorers.
The competition format for January’s upcoming NHC will remain unchanged. Players will be required to make mythical $2.00 win and place wagers on 15 races during each of the two days. Eight of the mythical wagers each day will be on designated mandatory races that all contestants must play. The other seven can be on any other races from the menu of contest tracks. Payoffs are capped at $42.00 to win and $22.00 to place. The contestant with the highest mythical bankroll at the conclusion of the two-day competition will be the grand prize winner.
“Thanks to our sponsors, including Daily Racing Form, tournament hosts and participating fans, everything is in place to make the upcoming NHC at Treasure Island the biggest and richest ever,” said Keith Chamblin, senior vice president of the NTRA. “The other bit of exciting news for horseplayers is that more than half of the 525 seats to the NHC are still to be filled between now and next January. So there is still ample opportunity to win a coveted spot at this unforgettable event.”
As part of the recent tradition surrounding the NHC, the final opportunity to qualify for the NHC will take place at a “Last Chance” tournament to be hosted by Treasure Island Las Vegas on Wednesday, January 25. To see the complete remaining list of NHC qualifying events around North America, visit www.ntra.com/nhctour.
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In just its 13th year, the Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Championship, presented by Treasure Island and Sovereign Stable, 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 Web sites, each of which sends its top qualifiers to the national finals. The NHC has enjoyed significant growth during its first 12 years. The inaugural event in 2000 carried an overall purse of $200,000 and a winner’s prize of $100,000.
The NTRA is a broad-based coalition of horse racing interests consisting of leading thoroughbred racetracks, owners, breeders, trainers, horseplayers and affiliated horse racing associations, charged with increasing the popularity of horse racing and improving economic conditions for industry participants. The NTRA has offices in Lexington, Ky., and New York City. NTRA press releases appear on the NTRA web site, NTRA.com.