let's try one last time
10 Gpx -2
11 Gpx-8
8 Oak-7
9 Oak-3
7 Sax-7
8 Ggx-3
9 Sax-1

I was there. Here are my selections/results:
FRIDAY:
Mandatory:
OP2:5: Place $3.80
TB7:2: Unplaced
GP9:8: Show $0
GP11:7: Unplaced
OP9:9: Unplaced
GG7:5: WIN $9.80 $5.60
SA8:2: WIN $10.60 $5.20
SA9:6: WIN $5.20 $3.60
Optional
GP1:5: Show $0
GP6:6: Unplaced
FG3:5: Show $0
FG5:5: Unplaced
TB8:4: Unplaced
OP5:3: Unplaced
TB9:7: Unplaced
OP7:6: Unplaced
GP12:9: Unplaced
OP8:2: WIN $12.00 $5.00

SATURDAY:
Mandatory:
TB6:9: WIN $8.60 $4.60
AQ6:5: Unplaced
SA3:5: Unplaced
GP10:3: Unplaced
GP11:8: Unplaced
GP12:3: Unplaced
GG7:9: Show $0
SA9:2: Unplaced
Optional
AQ1:1: Unplaced
GP5:9: Place $15.60
GP6:6: Unplaced
OP2:1: Unplaced
GP7:7: Show $0
OP4:5: WIN $18.40 $6.80
GP8:12: Unplaced
OP5:3: Unplaced
OP6:9: Unplaced
OP9:6: Unplaced

TOTAL $114.80

CUT OFF = $173.40

I finished 119th out of 695 entries with $151.60

The race that made all the difference for me was the 12th at Gulfstream on Friday. Cryogenic, the 8 horse, burst through on the rail, took the lead by half a length with probably 100 yards to go and for some reason slowed up, losing by a nose at 23-1. If I hit that race and you assume I bet the same horses I bet after that race (just to make a point) I'd have had $193 and been in 30th place at the end of Saturday and I'd have been in the finals.

I'll say this. If you are a first-timer, the Friday session can be overwhelming. I made one stupid mistake. You have to bet 18 races, 8 of which are mandatory and 10 of which are optional. I had a horse I liked quite a bit, went to bet it and found out I had already used up my 10 optional bets. Of course, the horse won.

There was one guy who missed getting to the finals by 20 cents. Imagine how he felt.

119th doesn't sound brilliant, but considering 70th place gets into the finals, I wasn't that far away, something like $20.

I'm not sure I'll do it again. Handicapping, then nine hours at the races, then more handicapping, then not much sleep and then do it again.

I'll give NTRA a lot of credit--it was a well run operation.

I was there a couple of years ago and that room is full of distractions. Two guys at my table essentially played from their rooms (and I know a few others played from the sportsbook). I would probably do that if I ever get back.

It is a lot of fun, when I went it was Thurs-Sat, how did you like Fri-sun?

I actually liked Fri-Sun. Thursday and Monday turned out to be good days to travel. The cards were best on Saturday. One thing I learned is that it is ok to bet favorites, but not as a steady diet.

One of the guys at my table disappeared almost right away. One guy at the table never said a word. One guy at our table made it to the finals.

That's pretty impressive, IMHO. Good job. Both you and Baron Star Greg made out all right, considering the competition. Did they have a consolation tourney on Sunday?

Last year when I was there a guy from my table finished up high enough in that to get a check. Another guy at my table was a former winner of the NHC, who didn't qualify, and hung around his buddy at the table. I did okay on Friday with the mandatory races, but was totally wiped out and tanked most of Saturday. It's hard to manually 'cap so many races.

Since you learned a lot this year, you might want to give it one more shot. Last year was my first time qualifying, but the State of Washington shut us out of online tournaments last fall, so I didn't get as many chances to get in. If I move to a more horse racing friendly state, I'll try again.

It's a lot of fun, though I think it would have been easier to win for us wildly erratic handicappers back when it was a two day format. This year there was tons of chalk on Sunday - hard to make a move except downwards.

There were a ton of first timers in the NHC this year, and quite a few names in the finals I didn't recognize. Perhaps there's still hope for us geezers.

They did have a consolation tournament on Sunday. I think a lot of people were gassed by then and only put in a half-hearted effort. If I remember, the guy who won the consolation had a bit over $100 in 10 races.

There was almost no way to beat the leader, Chris Littlemore, given the prices on Sunday. One of the really tough things is potentially having to bet races at tracks you don't often play. For me that was Fair Grounds, Laurel, Oaklawn and Gulfstream. I did a lot of work watching repays before the tournament, and that definitely helped.

I might do it again. I'll make a decision once I recover from last weekend. At least I didn't embarrass myself.