Paul Calia Wins 2023 NHC at Horseshoe Las Vegas

Last weekend in Las Vegas, 779 horse racing handicappers gathered for the 2024 National Horseplayers Championship (NHC). By the end of Sunday, one of them walked away with a payout that would change their life.

Paul Calia, a retired disability officer from Kansas City, Mo., secured both first and fourth positions with his two entries at the Nevada gambling event. He earned a total of $960,000, of which $800,000 was the first-place prize.

How did Calia do it?

Throughout the year, horseplayers can qualify for the NHC by participating in satellite tournaments. As demonstrated by Calia, they can secure multiple entries by ranking high in several qualifying events.

At the Horseshoe Las Vegas event, every handicapper placed 18 fictional $2 win-place bets on both Friday and Saturday. After Saturday, the field was narrowed down to the top 10 percent of the leaderboard, and these handicappers progressed to the semifinal round on Sunday. Following the semifinal, the top 10 moved on to the final table.

Calia delivered a fantastic performance on Saturday, which catapulted him to the second position on the leaderboard. After the contest ended, Calia shared his thoughts on his performance:

“I began a bit sluggish on Friday, but I performed decently with a few second and third places. However, on Saturday, I was on a roll and essentially won every longshot. It’s difficult to articulate the sheer number of victories I secured on Saturday.”

After Sunday’s semifinal and final table rounds, Calia ended with a winning entry of $362.50. He will also receive the Eclipse Award as the 2024 Horseplayer of the Year, in addition to his cash prize. His fourth-place entry garnered $305.50 from a total of 53 races.

After leading on both Friday and Saturday, Francis Boustany settled for second place with $330.30. Gary Fenton took third place with $309.60. Besides Calia, there was another horseplayer, Steven Wells, who had two entries in the top 10. He secured the seventh and ninth positions with $289.40 and $281.60 respectively.

Plenty of growth at the 2024 NHC

This year’s event saw the top 78 finishers cashing, an increase from 68 in 2022. The total purse for the 2024 event exceeded $3.1 million, marking a 33% increase from the previous year.

Tom Rooney, the President and CEO of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, was present at the NHC. He was in awe of the event’s impressive progress.

“If we think of horse racing as a three-legged stool, then without the horseplayer, we’re nothing. My family’s connection to this sport, along with football, originates from horse playing. The thrill at the NHC is essential to all our industry efforts. This year’s NHC is the largest it’s ever been and I take pride in the unique chance NTRA has to highlight the top performers in handicapping and to celebrate the essence of being a horseplayer.”