Horseplayers to Compete in National Handicapping Championship

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(Edited press release)
Defending champion Ron Rippey of Wayne, N.J., heads a field of 255 horseplayers who will gather at Bally's Las Vegas Jan. 26-27 to vie for horse racing’s official title of "Handicapper of the Year" and a first-place prize of $400,000 in the Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Championship.

This year's championship will be the richest in the event's eight-year history, offering estimated total prize money of $850,000, which is $350,000 more than last year. The winner’s share of $400,000 is also an NHC record, eclipsing last year’s mark of $225,000.

"The purse money for the DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Championship has grown tremendously in recent years, which speaks to the tournament’s immense popularity among both horseplayers and qualifying sites," said Keith Chamblin, senior vice president of communications and industry relations for the NTRA. "We are confident that this year’s event will be the best ever."

As the 2006 winner, Ron Rippey received a special exemption into the tournament to defend the title he won last January when he bested 225 other horseplayers in the two-day competition. The 66-year-old Rippey, a public handicapper for the Newark Star-Ledger, won by amassing a mythical bankroll of $237.20 from a total of 30 $2 win-and-place wagers pared from a menu of more than 120 races run at six different tracks. 

This year’s finalists advanced from one of 93 local tournaments held at 54 different sites across North America from February-December 2006. So far, more than 100,000 people have participated in these local tournaments. In addition, a "last chance" tournament will be held at Bally's Jan. 24 in order to fill the remaining five starting berths in the field of 255.

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 including Daily Racing Form national handicapper Mike Watchmaker, along with representatives from the NTRA and Bally's.

The remaining seven races each day are optional plays to be made on races at one of six designated NHC tournament tracks: Aqueduct, Fair Grounds, Golden Gate Fields, Gulfstream Park, Oaklawn Park, and Santa Anita Park.

In addition to the individual prize pool, there will also be a separate team competition with the top-finishing trio splitting $15,000. There is also an additional $10,000 in prize money to be awarded incrementally to the three best finishers on each day.

Regular updates will be posted on the Internet throughout the two-day contest at both www.ntra.com and www.drf.com.

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