Placing a Bet on Horse Racing’s Best Bettors
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All photos courtesy of NTRA/Horsephotos.com
If you love horse racing and you love gambling but you’re tired of losing your money betting on horses, you’re in luck — now you can bet on the people who bet on horses instead.
“Do what?” you might ask. You read that right. You don’t have to throw your money away betting on horses that can’t win anymore. You can go to Treasure Island’s Race & Sports Book and place a future bet on which gambler you think will win the 2016 Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Championship.
There are nearly 300 different named entries listed with odds at Treasure Island, ranging from 40-1 to 175-1 odds. Or you can bet the field, which opened at 4-1. The field bet gives you every human on earth that isn’t listed on the board at the time. Last year’s NHC final table of 10 players had five players who were in the field, including eventual winner John O’Neil. Last year, the field closed at 5-2.
“But that’s weird, betting on people betting on horses,” you might say. And yes, it is weird … but not much weirder than betting on poker players.
The World Series of Poker’s main event regularly has odds posted on top players. And the field wins that bet more often than not as well. If betting on horse races is a skill game, then why not handicap the ones doing the handicapping? Also, for those of us not fortunate enough to qualify for or afford a buy in to the NHC, it’s a way to be in on the action on the big day.
Among the listed players, here are the top contenders:
Roger Cettina, 2013 NHC runner-up and 8-time qualifier - 40-1
Richard Goodall, 2008 NHC Champion - 40-1
Duke Matties, 13-time NHC qualifier - 40-1
Sean Nolan, 10-time NHC qualifer, multiple top-10 finisher - 40-1
Joe Pettit, one of the hottest tournament players of 2015 - 40-1
Jim Benes - 2013 NHC Champion - 60-1
Jose Arias, 2014 NHC Champion - 75-1
Jonathon Kinchen, current NHC Tour points leader - 60-1
The best longshot on the board might be the reigning champion, John O’Neil, who paid 5-2 last year as a member of the field but this year is listed alongside the longest shots on the board at 175-1. Perhaps that’s because not only has there never been a back-to-back winner at the NHC, there has never been a repeat champion. But the NHC is only 16 years old. Just like with the WSOP, eventually there will be not only one but multiple repeat champions. Could O’Neil be horse racing’s Johnny Chan? At 175-1, I’ll take that bet.
2015 WINNER JOHN O'NEIL