The NTRA National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) is just around the corner, with the 25th-anniversary event scheduled for March 15-17 at the Horseshoe Las Vegas. The NHC is a $3 million handicapping tournament that is open only to players who have qualified with a win or high finish in a feeder contest online or at various racetracks throughout the year.

If you are a tournament player still on the outside looking in and in search for an NHC qualifying spot in the 2024 NHC as the date of tournament quickly approaches, you will be happy to know that there is still one “Last Chance” remaining to earn in a seat in the NHC finals in Las Vegas.

The NTRA National Horseplayers Championship Last Chance/First Chance Contest is scheduled to take place on the eve of the NHC on Thursday, March 14 at the NHC venue at Horseshoe Las Vegas Events Center.

Not only will the NHC Last Chance/First Chance offer handicappers one final opportunity to qualify for the NHC, but the event now has gotten so big that if it were a stand-alone tournament, it would be one of the biggest tournaments of the entire year both in terms of purse money and the amount of entries. The 2023 NHC Last Chance drew a field of 752 entries, which marked a 40% increase from the previous year’s record of 532 entries in 2022. This year's tournament could be even bigger. As of March 6, the Last Chance/First Chance has already attracted 551 entries according to the NTRA website. This does not include walk-up cash entries that will be taken on site in Las Vegas the week of the tournament.

The NHC Last Chance/First Chance Contest costs $500 to enter and is a direct qualifier for the NHC, with 66.7% of the money paid as entry fees getting transferred into the purse of the NHC main event. The remaining 33.3% of the entry fee money will be distributed to the top 10 finishers in the Last Chance contest. Based on an estimated field of 750 entries, that will result in a purse of $123,750 for the Last Chance tournament alone.

In reality, however, most of the players who attend the Last Chance will not be there for the Thursday prize money. They will be there to chase the roughly $3 million in purse money up for grabs over the weekend in the National Horseplayers Championship. In order to play for all the marbles, you have to qualify, and if you are not already in the field, there is no other place remaining where you can qualify for the NHC.

Based on a repeat of last year’s 750+ entries in the Last Chance, the tournament probably will award a staggering 28 qualifying berths into the 2024 NHC, plus six more seats to the 2025 NHC finals (players who are already maximum qualified to the upcoming NHC can still enter the Last Chance and instead opt to play it as a First Chance to qualify for the next NHC main event in 2025). If the number of entries exceeds 750, which seems very likely to happen, the amount of NHC berths and prize money that will be awarded in the Last Chance will grow even higher. Last year, a retired history teacher named George Novick won the 2023 Last Chance Contest and not only qualified for the NHC but also took home $56,400 in prize money.

One of the reasons for the NHC Last Chance/First Chance Contest’s popularity is its format. It is one of the few remaining tournaments using the traditional $2 Win and Place mythical money tournament format. Mirroring the format of the NHC finals, players will make a total of 11 mythical $2 Win-Place bets, including four mandatory and seven optional bets on Thursday simulcast races from Aqueduct, Fair Grounds, Gulfstream Park, and Oaklawn Park. The players who accumulate the highest earnings qualify to advance to play in the NHC main event beginning the following day.

All players must have an NTRA Tour membership in order to participate (a $50 fee). Go to the NTRA’s tournament section for all the information, and best of luck in your Last Chance.