The Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Championship takes place this Friday through Sunday, January 23-25, at Treasure Island Casino in Las Vegas. The NHC is the culmination of a year’s worth of qualifying contests held at racetracks, casinos, and internet sites sending more than 500 players to the championship. Total NHC prize money will exceed $2.3 million. There are no buy-in entries, players must earn a berth in a qualifying event.
Each day players must make selections in eight mandatory races and seven races selected by the player. Scores are determined by the Win Place payouts of selections.
The top 50 entries – not individuals as players can have two entries – as ranked by cumulative bankroll from Day 1 and Day 2 will advance to the Day 3 Final 50 Contest. The Final 50 Contest will consist of 10 optional races. The top 10 players advance to the final table where those players make selections in seven mandatory races.
Follow the action this weekend at www.drf.com as well as on Twitter @NTRA and @loomsboldly (the handle of Peter Fornatale who covers NHC for DRF)
Canterbury Park held NHC qualifying contests last September sending four players to the NHC. Two locals, Dan Flanigan and Kelly Frost, join John Fisher from Texas and Steven Wells from North Dakota. Other Minnesotans have also qualified including Mike Ferrozzo, Brian Herrity and Paul Mahre.
For the first time, future wagering is allowed on individual NHC contestants at Treasure Island.
Flanigan and Ferrozzo both opened at 40 to 1, while Herrity is 80 to 1. The odds for all players are HERE.
