Weekly Race Lens Handicapping Contests Return

The "Race to the National Horseplayers Championship," a series of 25 free handicapping contests exclusively for subscribers of Race Lens, Equibase's interactive past performance product, is returning in 2025. The series of contests will be hosted by Equibase, the industry's official database for racing, and the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, founder and operator of the NHC. The weekly series of contests are free to Race Lens customers and will lead to the "Race Lens Final 50," an end-of-season qualifier that will send two Race Lens subscribers to the 2026 National Horseplayers Championship in Las Vegas from March 13-15, 2026. All contests will be hosted on Horseplayers.com, the official online qualifying site of the NHC and Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge. "Last year's first Race to the NHC was a big success, and Race Lens user Dan Piazza was the ultimate NHC champion," said Equibase President and COO Kyle McDoniel. "We hope not only our active customers, but people who have never tried Race Lens or currently aren't active subscribers, will take advantage of this opportunity." The Race to the NHC kicks off on July 5, 2025, on Horseplayers.com and continues through February 2026. The top two contestants from each weekly contest will qualify for the Race Lens Final 50 on February 21. The top two finishers of the Race Lens Final 50 will earn a qualifying berth to the NHC, a four-night stay at the Horseshoe Las Vegas, and a $500 travel voucher, courtesy of Race Lens. The third through seventh finishers will win entries into the Last Chance / First Chance contest to be held prior to the NHC, also at the Horseshoe Casino in Las Vegas. The complete Race Lens schedule of qualifiers can be found here. The weekly Race to the NHC contests are free for Race Lens customers who hold a monthly, quarterly, or annual Race Lens subscription. Special pricing on all Race Lens subscriptions is available. Participants in the Race Lens Final 50 must be members of the NHC Tour to win the entry berth into the NHC. "We are thrilled to once again partner with Equibase on this exciting contest series to engage Race Lens customers in NHC contest play," said NTRA President and CEO Tom Rooney. "The NTRA is always looking to provide horseplayers with additional avenues to qualify for the NHC. Together with Race Lens, we hope that new and experienced horseplayers will take advantage of this opportunity to potentially win a seat to NHC 2026 in Las Vegas."