The National Thoroughbred Racing Association June 2 announced that the Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Championship presented by Racetrack Television Network and Treasure Island Las Vegas, will be held Jan. 28-30, 2016.
The NTRA also announced that the purse for NHC 17, which will once again be held at the Treasure Island Las Vegas is estimated at $2.5 million.
The rules for the NHC championship have been updated and posted here.
The most significant changes to the rules from the January 2015 final are:
—The first two days of competition will include eight mandatory races and 10 optional races (up from seven in previous years);
—The purse will be scaled to pay to the top 10% of entries and the same number of individuals will advance to the semi-final round leading to the Final Table.
—A participant with two entries in the NHC will be able to carry both entries into the "final table." In 2015, Jonathan Kinchen finished the final 50 with two entries among the top 10,\; however, the rules allowed him to carry only one entry into the final table while the other earned 11th-place purse money. Kinchen eventually finished seventh and 11th overall.
The NTRA also announced that a last chance tournament, offering the final seats to NHC, will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2016. A first chance tournament, which will kick off the 2016-17 NHC Tour and road to the 2017 NHC, will be held on the morning of Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016.
"The changes to the rules and modifications to the purse structure were made following research and input from the participants competing at this year's contest, which by many accounts and measurements was the best in the event's 16-year history," said NTRA chief operating officer Keith Chamblin.
