After a weekend showing off his nail-biting disabled skills during the NTRA National Equestrian Championships, Paul Calia, of Kansas City, Mo., beat a field of 779 entries to take home the grand prize. worth $800,000, in addition to a fourth-place finish, and an Eclipse Award giving him Equestrian Player of the Year.
This is the first contest Calia has ever won.
Calia amassed a winning score of $362.50 on the first entry and $305.50 on the second, in the three-day tournament from 53 $2 mythical wins and place bets—18 on Friday, 18 on Saturday, 10 in the Sunday morning semi-finals and seven at the exciting final table that ultimately gave him the win. He was the first winner to also finish in the top 10 with his second entry.
“I started a bit slow on Friday. I think I’ve got a few seconds and three. But on Saturday, I’m pretty hot-tempered and hit pretty much every long shot. It’s hard to describe how I picked it up. how many winners on Saturday,” Calia said.
When asked how to play two cards in the last table, he said: “I don’t know how to describe it. I don’t move a lot, I don’t let the odds affect me. I just trade about 10%-15% of my picks between cards, one or two a day that’s it.”
His strategy has clearly paid off. Calia will take home $800,000 for her first place in addition to taking home $150,000 for her fourth place. With the win, Calia is also exempted from next year’s NHC and a place in the $10,000 Breeders’ Cup 2023 Betting Challenge. Instead of winning the second BCBC entry, which he won as first on Monday (Saturday), he will instead take home an extra $10,000 in cash. That brings his entire earnings from the weekend to a whopping $960,000 and a 2024 BCBC seat worth $10,000.
“There are three pillars to Thoroughbred equestrian sport—you have the horse and its connections, the track and the rider,” said NTRA President and CEO Tom Rooney. “So if horse racing is a three-legged stool, then we’re nothing without the rider. My family’s relationship with the sport and with football is rooted in playing. The excitement at NHC is vital to everything we do as an industry This year’s NHC is bigger than ever and I’m proud that NTRA has this unique opportunity to showcase people the best of the best in handicaps and celebrates what it means to be a jockey.”
The top 10 official finishers of NHC 2023 are:
1. Paul Calia (first entry), $362.50, Kansas City, Mo, 2nd NHC Appearance
2. Francis Boustany, $330.30, Lafayette, La, 7th NHC Appearance
3. Gary Fenton, $309.60, Sherman Oaks, Calif, 4th NHC Appearance
4. Paul Calia (second entry), $305.50, Kansas City, Mo, 2nd NHC Appearance
5. David Browning, $302.80, Lexington, 3rd NHC Appearance
6. George Novick, $290, Pocono Pines, Pa., 2nd NHC Appearance
7. Steven Wells (second entry), $289.40, Fordville, ND, 5th NHC Appearance
8. Joseph Paese, $288.50, Middletown, Pa., 2nd NHC Appearance
9. Steven Wells (first entry), $281.60, Fordville, ND, 5th NHC Appearance
10. Steve Nemetz, $281.50, Vancouver, British Columbia, 11th NHC Appearance
NHC 2022 paid out the top 68 finishers. This year, the top 78 finishers will take home the prize money. The total cash prizes awarded over the three days were a record $3,115,350, up 33% from last year. The full prize structure can be found online.
In a separate Sunday consolation tournament for players who didn’t make the Semi-Finals, Karen Richards of Pembroke Pines, Fla., took home the $10,000 top prize for a total of 130 $.40 from 10 optional races. The consolation tournament starts with the money in the bank reset to zero. Cash prizes totaling $50,000 were awarded, from $10,000 to $1,000 for the 20th prize.
The NHC weekend ends on Sunday night with the annual champions dinner, which includes an awards presentation and an introduction to the 2022 NHC Hall of Fame class: Jose Arias, Dennis Decauwer, Jim Goodman, and Bill Shurman.
All who qualify receive four free nights at Horseshoe Las Vegas and travel reimbursements totaling over $1 million.
This press release has been edited by BloodHorse Staff for content and style.
