Rhonda Sylvester, a 50-year-old former American Airlines employee from North
Little Rock, Arkansas, rode the strength of two tournament victories, plus
third- and fifth-place finishes in two other tournaments, to capture the top
prize of $15,000 for topping the first-half leader board of the 2012 Daily
Racing Form National Handicapping Championship Tour. The Tour’s first half
concluded on July 31, with the second half of the Tour year running from August
1-December 31.
A total of $50,000 was paid to the top 10 first-half finishers, ranging from
Sylvester’s top prize of $15,000, to $1,000 to the 10th place finisher. Another
$50,000 will be awarded to the top 10 finishers in the Tour’s second-half
standings. And an additional $150,000 will be paid on a graduated scale to the
cumulative top 20 finishers throughout the entire contest year. The full-year
2012 NHC Tour leader will receive $75,000. The total NHC Tour prize structure of
at least $265,000 (first-half plus second-half plus overall monies, plus
multiple-win bonuses) is more than double last year’s then-record NHC Tour
payout of $125,000.
By virtue of her first-half success, the retired Sylvester is one of 166
competitors who have already qualified for the the January 25-26, 2013, Daily
Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Championship presented by Sovereign
Stable and Treasure Island. To be held for the second consecutive year at
Treasure Island Las Vegas, next January’s NHC Finals will offer a total purse of
at least $1.5 million, with first-place worth a guaranteed minimum of $750,000.
This is Rhonda’s first year as an NHC Tour member, though her husband Mike
Sylvester, a major in the Pulaski (Ark.) County Sheriff’s Department, has
participated for the last several years. Rhonda and Mike frequently traveled
together to tournaments and when Mike qualified last year for the NHC Finals at
Treasure Island, that taste of the NHC excitement last January helped convince
Rhonda to give it a go herself this year.
“I’ve been very lucky and, being relatively new, have definitely been
learning a lot as I go along,” Rhonda said. “I’ve gone with Mike to many
tournaments, but now that I’m participating, I realize it’s a lot more
high-stress than I used to think.”
With the first-half crown safely secured, Rhonda now looks forward to the
second-half of the Tour year and the prospect of a $75,000 prize if she can
secure the full-year Tour lead.
“I think we’re up to the challenge,” said Rhonda, speaking from Wynn Las
Vegas, while participating in yet another NHC qualifying event. “I may get worn
down a little from all of the traveling, but as long as I’m still in contention,
we’ll give it everything we have.”
Mark McGuire of Newbury Park, California, finished second during the first
half and received bonus money of $10,000. Mark Streiff ($7,250), Christopher
Larmey ($5,000) and Edmund Teicht ($4,000) rounded out the first-half top five.
Sylvester, McGuire and Streiff also received an additional $5,000 each for
capitalizing on a new NHC Tour bonus provision that pays an extra $5,000 to
anyone who finishes first in more than one qualifying tournament. A player may
earn up to three such bonuses during the Tour year.
The NHC Tour is a yearlong bonus series offering additional prize money and
qualifying berths to the DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Championship. Tour
members receive NHC Tour points for top finishes in NHC qualifying events held
during the year.
Membership in the 2012 Daily Racing Form NHC Tour is open to adults 21 years
of age or older and requires a one-time membership fee of $50. Membership in the
2012 Daily Racing Form NHC Tour is mandatory in order for top finishers of
sanctioned NHC qualifying events to be eligible to compete in the January 2013
NHC Finals in Las Vegas. The NHC Tour membership must be in place prior to the
start of any given qualifying tournament in order for one to qualify for the NHC
Finals at that qualifying tournament.
In addition to potential prize money and berths in the NHC, benefits for NHC
Tour members include automatic enrollment in the Horseplayers’ Coalition. The
Coalition seeks legislative and regulatory solutions to tax and business issues
that impact pari-mutuel racetracks and their customers and provides grass roots
support for the NTRA’s lobbying efforts on Capitol Hill. Tour members also are
automatically eligible to participate in NTRA Advantage, offering preferred
pricing on products and services from leading suppliers, including John Deere,
Sherwin-Williams, UPS and OfficeMax.
In just its 14th year, the Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping
Championship is the most important tournament of the year for horseplayers and
is the culmination of a year-long series of NTRA-sanctioned local tournaments
conducted by racetracks, casino race books, off-track betting facilities and
horse racing and handicapping websites, each of which sends its top qualifiers
to the national finals. There is no option to “buy in” to the NHC Finals — all
competitors must have earned the right to compete.
Each year, the NHC winner joins other human and equine champions as an
honoree at the Eclipse Awards. In addition to the founding title sponsor, the
NHC is presented by Treasure Island Las Vegas and Sovereign Stable. The 13 NHC
Champions since the event’s inception, in chronological order, are Steven
Walker, Judy Wagner, Herman Miller, Steve Wolfson Jr., Kent Meyer, Jamie
Michelson, Ron Rippey, Stanley Bavlish, Richard Goodall, John Conte, Brian
Troop, John Doyle and Michael Beychok.
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