End-of-season tournaments stirring interest

Horseplayers are scrambling to qualify for two end-of-season handicapping tournaments: the Daily Racing Form/National Thoroughbred Racing Association National Handicapping Championship and the Horseplayer World Series.

Both are the weekend of Jan. 24-26. The NHC will be at Red Rock Resort, and the HWS is set for The Orleans. Many players I know are focusing on qualifying for both first and worrying about the logistics of attending later.

The NHC will offer a $1 million prize pool, with $500,000 going to the winner. That’s the most prize money ever offered in a handicapping tournament. Seventeen qualifying tournaments are left on the schedule, including two here in Las Vegas.

A one-day contest will be at Green Valley Ranch on Dec. 1. The top two finishers will qualify for the NHC. The Last Chance qualifier will be at Red Rock Resort on Jan. 23.

For those eligible to play through TVG, two one-day contests are set for Saturday and Nov. 24. The top three finishers of each contest will qualify for the NHC.

The HWS allows players to buy an entry for $1,000. That’s pricey for some, so earning a free berth through a qualifier is a good way to go. The first prize for the HWS has been nearly $400,000.

A one-day contest will be Nov. 29 at the Orleans race book. The top 10 finishers will qualify for the HWS. Entries cost $100, and interested individuals can buy two.

• GOMEZ RULES? — Marquee players in pro sports, such as Michael Jordan, Barry Bonds and Wayne Gretzky, often receive preferential treatment from officials. It’s called protecting your superstars for the good of the game.

I hope I didn’t see Hollywood Park stewards afford such treatment to Garrett Gomez last Sunday.

Gomez rode winner Dee Dee’s Legacy in Race 6. In the upper stretch, he angled his horse out two paths for racing room while taking the running lane away from Fernando Jara on Stretchin the Take. Jara was forced to steady and move to avoid a collision. In that split second, his mount clipped heels and fell, forcing Jose Valdivia on Dewey’s Special to go down, too.

After a stewards’ inquiry, Gomez was held blameless and Jara was cited for causing his own trouble.

Is this the start of the Gomez Rules?

• MONDAY RACING — Santa Anita has received permission for its upcoming meet to race Mondays and be dark Wednesdays. I like the idea because there is nothing to lose by trying it. If the four months’ worth of Mondays don’t pan out, you always can go back to the old schedule.

Racing is competing for entertainment dollars, and more fans take a day off on Monday than Wednesday.

• PLANET HOLLYWOOD — The newly remodeled Planet Hollywood is having its grand opening this weekend. Giveaway items will be available in its state-of-the-art race and sports book.

Richard Eng’s horse racing column is published Friday. He can be reached at rich_eng@hotmail.com.