Handicapping finals purse $500K

The Daily Racing Form/ National Thoroughbred Racing Association once again be held at Bally's Las Vegas, on Jan. 27-28, 2006, with a record purse for the event of $500,000.

The championship is the final event for qualifiers from handicapping tournaments held at racetracks, offtrack betting outlets, casinos, and Internet sites. The only person who doesn't have to qualify is the defending champion, James Michelson Jr., who won this year's $200,000 first-place prize and the Eclipse Award as Handicapper of the Year that goes with it.

The $500,000 purse is an increase of $100,000 from the previous finals and $300,000 more than the championship before that.

This will be the fourth straight year that Bally's is hosting the finals.