Daily Racing Form has extended its title sponsorship of the Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Championship and the DRF National Handicapping Championship Tour through the 2012 National Championship.
Total purse of the upcoming January 2011 NHC is estimated at $1.1 million, with $500,000 to the winner. In January 2012, the NHC’s aggregate purse is expected to increase to $2 million, including a grand prize of $1 million. The NHC winner is recognized as the National Handicapper of the Year at the annual Eclipse Awards ceremony.
“We are proud to have played a role in growing the NHC from the $200,000 tournament it started out as in 2000 to the $2 million competition it will be in 2012,” said Daily Racing Form's CEO John Hartig. “Our industry must do all it can to recognize and engage the horseplayers, whose wagering dollars fuel virtually every segment of Thoroughbred racing.”
Starting in 2011 participation in the DRF NHC Tour will be mandatory for qualifying tournament contestants wishing to compete in the NHC Finals in Las Vegas. Players may join the 2011 DRF NHC Tour, which begins Jan. 2 with a free online tournament, for a one-time membership fee of $45.
Signups are now being accepted at www.ntra.com/nhctour.