New Year

So this is a brief overview of the NHC Tour:

The NHC Championship is held every January in Las Vegas. It is run by the NTRA (National Thoroughbred Racing Association) and is the Super Bowl of horse race wagers. In 2009, it will have just over 300 participants competing over two days and 30 races for a first place prize of $500,000, which, with bonuses, could be as high as $2,000,000 – Yes Two Million.

The only way to get a seat in this Championship is through qualifiers. It doesn’t matter how much money one has, as no one can buy an entry, it has to be earned through qualifying tournaments. These qualifying tournaments comprise the NHC Tour. Some are online or at casinos, but predominately they are held at thoroughbred tracks throughout the USA.

In 2009, there were approximately 100 qualifying events (I believe the number was 101). These qualifying events will have between 1 and 10 seats in play for the Championship depending on the number of participants, length of qualifying (from a single day to 8 months (Twin Spires)), entry fee, and assorted other factors. These qualifiers also pay prize money, usually $5,000 to $10,000, but can be up to $50,000 – that’ll buy momma a new pair of shoes.

In the tour, each event awards points up to 30 places (sometimes less depending on number on entrants). A contestant takes their best five finishes from all the events entered throughout the year, and the player with the most points is the Tour champ. The tour champ wins $100,000 and the top six in the tour automatically qualify for the Championship tournament as well as many Benjamins being deposited into the bank.

That in a nutshell is the NHC Tour (http://www.breederscup.com/content.aspx?id=31237).

New Years Eve came gingerly. Mr. Vodka did try to KO me, but I Duran’d and said ‘no mas’ early in the evening. Thus it was mostly mild and uneventful, and by uneventful I mean no one was afraid I’d toss my cookies on them. I’m nothing if not classy!

“So many fail because they don't get started - they don't go. They don't overcome inertia. They don't begin.” ~ W. Stone
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