National handicapping finals find home at Red Rock Resort

The new home for the 2008 Daily Racing Form/National Thoroughbred Racing Association National Handicapping Championship will be the Red Rock Resort.

Station Casinos stepped in after negotiations to return the NHC to Bally’s stalled.

“I wanted to get us into the handicapping-contest business,” said Art Manteris, vice president of race and sports for Station. “We feel we are jumping in right at the top of the heap.”

The total purse for the Jan. 24-26 NHC is expected to be around $1 million. More than 230 NHC contestants will qualify in satellite tournaments nationwide, with the finals taking place here.

“This takes us right to the pinnacle of the contest business without taking a lot of time building a tournament up to that level,” Manteris said. “I’m very anxious to expose the new Red Rock race and sports book to new race fans from around the country.”

Station is a highly respected Nevada casino company. However, the brand is not as well-known nationally. The NHC deal is a shortcut for Station to reach valued out-of-town horseplayers.

Station has spent millions upgrading its race and sports facilities in places such as Red Rock, Green Valley Ranch, Santa Fe Station and Fiesta Henderson. With hotel room rates on the Strip going through the roof, Station offers a good alternative.

The NHC will be in the Red Rock race book. Manteris said displaced local race and sports bettors will be invited to play in another part of the casino and “will be taken care of” for any inconvenience.

The NTRA was in an awkward position of promoting the 2008 NHC without a signed contract with a Las Vegas casino to host the year-end event. It knew the event was coming here in January but didn’t know where.

Under the circumstances, things worked out well. I suspect that NHC visitors will be pleasantly surprised by the Red Rock.

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