TwinSpires.com, the official advance deposit wagering service for Churchill
Downs Incorporated (NASDAQ: CHDN) and its family of racetracks, will offer
horseplayers an unprecedented opportunity to qualify to compete in the 2008
Daily Racing Form/National Thoroughbred Racing Association National Handicapping
Championship IX (“NHC IX”) in the “TwinSpires.com Biggest Vegas Qualifier Ever,”
an online competition set for December 15.
The top 15 finishers in the “TwinSpires.com’s Biggest Vegas Qualifier Ever”
will be guaranteed spots in the field for NHC IX, which is scheduled for January
25-26 in Las Vegas. The winner of the qualifier will earn a first place prize of
at least $10,000 and will be eligible for a $1 million bonus if he or she also
wins NHC IX. The “TwinSpires.com Biggest Vegas Qualify Ever” will also offer
five spots to compete in the Coast Casino Horseplayer World Series, which will
be held in Las Vegas the same week as NHC IX.
The handicapping contest will be conducted online through Churchill Downs
Incorporated’s account wagering service, TwinSpires.com. Participants may
register online at www.twinspires.com. The entry fee is $250 and each contestant
in the “Biggest Vegas Qualifier Ever” will be limited to two entries.
Contestants can also register for the contest through BrisBET.com, TsnBET.com
and WinTicket.com.
“The ‘TwinSpires.com Biggest Vegas Qualifier Ever’ is a ‘can’t miss’
opportunity for players looking to earn an elusive spot in the DRF/NTRA National
Handicapping Championship,” said Jeremy Clemons, vice president of marketing for
TwinSpires.com. “We hope to show horseplayers that TwinSpires.com is the most
player-friendly account wagering site in racing. This qualifier will offer the
greatest number of spots in NHC ever awarded in a single-day contest.”
The one-day online tournament will be structured around the traditional
win/place format on a set number of mandatory races for all contestants. The
tournament director will be Brisnet Marketing Director Rich Nilsen, a veteran
handicapping contestant.
“What makes this tournament so appealing to play is the limited number of
entries and unprecedented number of qualifying spots,” Nilsen said. “As a
horseplayer, you have to like your chances when only 500 contestants are
competing for 20 qualifiers — 15 to the National Handicapping Championship and
five to the Horseplayer World Series. It is without a doubt the best proposition
of the year for tournament players.”
Players can find more information and register for the contest by visiting
www.twinspires.com. Brisnet.com will be offering special racing information
packages for the contest races beginning Thursday evening, December 13.