NHC to feature record prize money, entries in March

The 25th National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) will be held on March 15-17 at Horseshoe Las Vegas and promises to be bigger and better than ever before, featuring a record number of contestants and prize money. 

More than 700 entries and nearly $4 million in cash and prizes will be awarded, and the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) has added a new facet in 2024, the Silver Sunday Contest on Sunday, March 17. It replaces the Sunday Consolation Contest, where only entries that did not make the Semi-Final Round would participate in a 10-race contest for prize money.

The Silver Sunday Contest will be available to all individuals competing in the tournament with no entry fee. Every individual will receive a maximum of one entry and will have to place mythical Win/Place bets throughout Sunday, March 17 on 10 optional and seven mandatory races (the seven mandatory races will coincide with the NHC Final Table). The top 25 highest bankrolls, including ties, will receive a share of $100,000 in prize money. The top five highest finishers will win an entry into the 2025 NHC, and the top 10% will receive on track 2024 NHC Tour points. Full contest rules can be found on ntra.com.

Additionally, a separate online contest consisting of the seven mandatory races that comprise the 2024 NHC Final Table will be offered online on Sunday, March 17 to NHC non-qualifiers only and offer five berths to the 2025 NHC as well as Tour Points. Both the Silver Sunday Contest and the online contest for non-NHC qualifiers will be free-to-play contests and limited to one entry per individual. Both contests will require a 2024 NHC Tour Membership in advance of the start of the contests. The online contest will be hosted on horseplayers.com.

Known as the world’s largest handicapping tournament, the NHC had been held in late January or early February for more than two decades. It moves to mid-March in 2024, under a three-year agreement with Caesars Entertainment, the parent company of the host site, and the three-day event will take place one week before the 2024 NCAA men’s basketball tournament.

All qualifiers will receive a complimentary four-night stay at the Horseshoe Las Vegas and travel reimbursements which total more than $1 million. The complete field and total prize breakdown will be finalized following the Last Chance/First Chance Contest, held Thursday on the eve of the NHC.

All information on the 25th NHC can be found at www.ntra.com/nhc including the 2024 full schedule of events, the 2024 Official Rules, and more. To sign up for the 2024 NHC Tour and win your way to next year’s NHC visit to www.ntra.com/membership.