Horse racing and 2024 National Horseplayers Championship from Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan)
Sports bettors are convening in Las Vegas the next two weekends for full court press action of college basketball and betting on conference tournaments and March Madness. The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) joins them for the second straight year March 15-17 for the 25th National Horseplayers Championship (NHC). Heading into Day 2 of the tournament, a newcomer to the NHC is leading the field of 765 entries.
“It’s the best day I’ve ever had, hands down,” TJ Sonde said following Day 1 of the NHC. “Everything went well.”
Presented by Caesars Entertainment, the NHC is held at the Horseshoe Las Vegas for the fifth straight year at the center of the famed Las Vegas Strip. This year’s horse handicapping tournament includes more than 600 horse players and 765 entries (some double qualifyers) playing in a record $4.5 million prize pool. Along with a huge cash prize to first place, the winner also receives an Eclipse Award as Horse Player of the Year.
The top 5 places pay $800,000, $250,000, $200,000, $150,000, $125,000. The top 77 finishers are paid starting at $10,150.
All qualifiers also receive a complimentary four-night stay at the Horseshoe Las Vegas and travel reimbursements.
FanDuel Racing and its video streaming service are covering select races for the tournament, and provide betting tools and tips for horse racing fans from the starting gate to the winners circle. You can follow the select ‘mandatory’ races and additional optional races for the tournament along with the leaderboard through the NTRA online and social updates, along with live racing coverage and results.
Follow along as horseplayers try to pick winners on Day 2, which has 8 mandatory and 12 optional races.
Mandatory races on Saturday, March 16 (All times Pacific)
The NHC field will be reduced to the top 10 percent of players after the first two days. The highest 10 cumulative scores after the Semifinal round on Sunday morning will fill out the Final Table.
This year the Final Table will be live streamed on NTRA’s X, YouTube and website for the final seven races of the championship. All the races will be broadcast live on SirusXM satellite radio (Sirius 219, XM 201.
The NHC won’t produce a FanDuel Racing -NTRA Moment of the Year without major stakes and Road to the Kentucky Derby races on the weekend tournament card. However, it will provide some fast and exciting finishes with horseplayers screaming as horses gallop down the stretch. More memorable moments for the National Horseplayers Championship contestants watching and wagering on live, simulcast horse racing from the Las Vegas Strip.
Tournament players will provide mythical win-and-place wagers on select races and tracks from across the country. Players earn the payouts for a horses first or second place finishes based on the odds, and accumulate points. Bankrolls amassed during Day 1, Day 2 and the Semifinals round will roll over to the Final Table, with the 10 finalists settling the NHC score in seven “mandatory” assigned races. The top 10% of players after Friday and Saturday’s action make the cut and earn a share of the prize money (minimum $10,000).
NTRA Presents More About The 2024 HHC Field
Many contestants and tournament players return annually to the National Horseplayers Championship. Some include those involved in the horse racing industry and media.
The NHC 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 websites, each of which sends its top qualifiers to the national finals. There are no bye-ins to the NHC, and the competition builds excitment across the country leading into the National Horseplayers Championship.
Day 2 Saturday is the most exciting day as horseplayers strategize and take more risks betting bigger longshots as they try to make a move to secure an in-the-money spot with the top-10% of the field advancing to Sunday. Then it’s a full sprint to the finish for a bigger payoff and the semifinals culminating with the Final Table and key races determing top finishers and a winner.
You can bet on it.
