NHC is postponed until Aug. 27, 2021

The National Horseplayers Championship has been delayed until late August because of the coronavirus pandemic, the organizers of the tournament announced on Friday.

The new date of Aug. 27-29 at Bally’s hotel and casino in Las Vegas, Nev., is more than six months after its previously scheduled date, Feb. 12-14. The National Thoroughbred Racing Association, which organizes the tournament, said that eligibility for the re-scheduled tournament and the standings for the NHC Tour will still be based on tournament results through Jan. 23, 2021.

“We are hopeful that the delay will allow ample opportunity for us to host a successful live event that has become an annual celebration of the horseplayer,” said Keith Chamblin, a senior vice president of the NTRA who plays a leading role in organizing the tournament. “Rest assured that Bally’s and the NTRA will be doing everything within our power to ensure the safest environment possible next August.”

The National Handicapping Championship is typically held in a large ballroom in a Las Vegas casino in which players are seated at tables in close proximity to each other as they select horses for their tournament bets. The tournament is the richest handicapping tournament in the world, with nearly $3 million in total purses last year, and the winner is recognized with an annual Eclipse Award for Horseplayer of the Year.