Record field set to assemble for NHC

by Brisnet.com

Defending champion John Doyle of Scottsdale, Arizona, heads a record field of

482 horseplayers who will gather at Treasure Island Las Vegas on January 27-28

to vie for horse racing's official title of "Handicapper of the Year" and a

first-place prize of $1 million in the $1.6 million Daily Racing Form/NTRA

National Handicapping Championship (NHC).

The total estimated purse, which will be adjusted on Wednesday pending

turnout at Treasure Island's Last Chance tournament, represents an NHC record.

This will be the first year in the event's 13-year history that Treasure Island

will host the NHC.

Including money already won by top finishers in the 2011 Daily Racing Form

NHC Tour, free travel and accommodations provided to contestants, and other

awards, the overall value of the NHC totals an estimated $1,847,940.

The NHC has enjoyed outstanding growth since its inception. By way of

comparison, the first NHC in January 2000 carried a total prize pool of $200,000

and a winner's share of $100,000.

"We are delighted to bring the NHC to Treasure Island where, for the first

time, we will be awarding a million-dollar grand prize," said Keith Chamblin,

senior vice president of the NTRA. "The NHC is the most anticipated tournament

in the world among horseplayers, and not only do we have a record purse, this

year's field of 482 is by far our biggest ever.

"We thank all of the horseplayers who competed in NHC-sanctioned tournaments

throughout 2011. Thanks to their support, all the ingredients are in place for

the most exciting NHC in the event's history."

As the 2011 DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Championship winner, Doyle

received a special exemption into the tournament to defend the title he won last

January when he bested 301 other horseplayers in the two-day competition. The

50-year-old former IBM account manager -- and current full-time horseplayer --

won by amassing a mythical bankroll of $234.80 from a total of 30 $2

win-and-place wagers pared from a mind-numbing menu of more than 150 races run

at eight different tracks.

Doyle, who never had the lead last year until the final race of the contest

was complete, will look to become the first ever two-time winner of the NHC. He

will face six other past champions who qualified for the finals this year. Judy

Wagner, Steve Wolfson Jr., Ron Rippey, Stanley Bavlish, Richard Goodall and

Brian Troop -- the winners of NHC II, NHC IV, NHC VII, NHC VIII, NHC IX and NHC

XI, respectively -- will all be in the field with the same goal of a historic

win in Las Vegas.

Contestant Paul Shurman of Dix Hills, New York, will be hoping to make NHC

history of a different kind. As the winner of the fourth annual DRF NHC

Tour in 2011, Shurman not only won a $75,000 bonus for his top scores in the

year's NHC qualifying events, he is eligible to receive a $2 million bonus

should he emerge victorious in the January 27-28 competition. So a win by

Shurman in Las Vegas would result in a payday of $3 million ($1 million

first-place NHC purse + $2 million NHC Tour bonus).

In its 13th year, the Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping

Championship is the most important tournament of the year for horseplayers.

There are no "buy-in" entries at the NHC. It is the culmination of a year-long

series of NTRA-sanctioned local tournaments conducted by racetracks, casino

racebooks, off-track betting facilities and horse racing and handicapping web

sites, each of which sends its top qualifiers to the national finals.

More than 4,500 people signed up for the 2011 NHC Tour and participated in

these local tournaments, hoping to win a coveted spot in the NHC Finals. For

those who did not succeed, a "last chance" tournament will be held at Treasure

Island on January 25 in order to fill the remaining five starting berths in the

field of 482.

Treasure Island will also host the "Wager to Win" tournament on January 29.

That contest is a qualifying event offering two berths to the January 2013 NHC.

The tournament format for the NHC is meant to be the best possible test of

overall handicapping ability. Players attempt to earn the highest possible

bankroll based on 15 mythical $2 win-and-place wagers on each day of the two-day

tournament. Eight of those wagers will be on mandatory races as selected by a

panel comprised of Daily Racing Form National Handicapper Mike

Watchmaker, NTRA Senior Director of Media Relations Eric Wing and Treasure

Island Director of Race and Sports Tony Nevill.

The remaining seven races each day are optional plays to be made on races at

one of seven designated NHC tournament tracks: Aqueduct, Fair Grounds, Golden

Gate Fields, Gulfstream Park, Oaklawn Park, Santa Anita Park and Tampa Bay

Downs.

Regular Championship updates will be posted throughout the two-day contest at

both www.ntra.com and

www.drf.com.