Seth Morris. (NHC Photo)
NTRA/NHC Release
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Seth Morris, from Long Island, New York, leads the 25th NTRA National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) field with a bankroll of $286.78 at the conclusion of Sunday morning’s Semifinal round. The top 10 players will continue on to compete in this afternoon’s Final Table, where the ultimate winner will earn a coveted Eclipse Award as the Horseplayer of the Year and take home the $800,000 prize. Bankrolls from previous rounds carry over to the Final Table, where players must select one horse for a mythical $2 Win-Place wager on each of the same seven races.
The Final Table players, in descending order by bankroll:
1. Seth Morris, $286.78
2. Matthew Blanchet, $275.02
3. Nicholas Shirilla, $267.20
4. TJ Sonde, $263.30
5. Scott Cavalieri, $256.72
6. Lawrence Kahlden, $255.26
7. Rob Henie, $254.74
8. Mike Gillum, $253.60
9. Daniel Kaplan, $252.58
10. GT Nixon, $252.56
The Final Table mandatory races are (all times PT): Laurel Race 8, 1:08 pm; Tampa Bay Race 9, 1:21 pm; Gulfstream Park Race 8, 1:38 pm, Oaklawn Park Race 7, 1:50pm; Aqueduct Race 8, 2:02 pm; Oaklawn Race 8, 2:22 pm; and Santa Anita Race 5, 3:02 pm.
New to the 25th NHC program is the Silver Sunday Contest, available to all individuals competing in the tournament with no entry fee. 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 percent will receive on-track 2024 NHC Tour points. A “First Five” free-to-play online contest will be available to non-NHC participants and will offer five berths to the 2025 NHC. Full contest rules can be found on ntra.com.
Also, new to the 25th NHC will be a Final Table livestream, co-hosted by Steve Byk and Rick Hammerle, that will be streamed on NTRA’s Website for the final seven races of the Championship on Sunday beginning at noon. Interested spectators will have the ability to watch and listen to the action unfurling all weekend long at the NHC. Rachel McLaughlin, Racing Analyst at Horseshoe Indianapolis, will be providing coverage throughout the weekend on all NTRA social media platforms.
For the complete Caesar’s Race and Sports Book NHC Leaderboard and other contest information, please visit NTRA.com.
More on This Year’s NHC
The NHC, the world’s richest and most prestigious handicapping contest, features more than 600 top horseplayers (including approximately 150 individuals with two entries) will be awarded nearly $4.5 million in cash and prizes at the conclusion of the contest. Now in its 25th year, over the past 24 years, nearly 4,000 people have filled more than 10,000 NHC entries and have been awarded nearly $50,000,000 in prizes. All qualifiers will receive a complimentary four-night stay at the Horseshoe Las Vegas and travel reimbursements which total more than $1 million.
The 25th NHC is presented by Caesars Entertainment, Horseshoe Las Vegas, and RTN and is supported by official partners Daily Racing Form, EquinEdge, Crown’s Way Racing, and Race Lens.
The tournament format for the NHC is meant to be the best possible test of picking winners. Players attempt to earn the highest possible bankroll based on mythical $2 Win/Place wagers. Assigned “mandatory” races – six per day on Day 1, eight per day on Day 2, and seven at the Final Table – are announced at least 24 hours prior to each contest day via direct e-mail to players and publicly on Twitter (@NTRA) and NTRA.com.
The NHC field will be reduced to the top 10 percent of players after the first two days. The highest 10 cumulative scores after the Semifinal round on Sunday morning will fill out the Final Table. Bankrolls amassed during Day 1, Day 2 and the Semifinals round will roll over to the Final Table, with the 10 finalists settling the NHC score in seven “mandatory” assigned races.
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.
