Dan Piazza emerged victorious at the 26th NTRA National Horseplayers Championship, taking home $825,000 after competing against 800 entries from 623 players. The event took place at Horseshoe Las Vegas, where Piazza, a 64-year-old financial adviser from Chicago, secured the title of 2025 Horseplayer of the Year along with an Eclipse Award.
Piazza’s win was achieved by building a mythical bankroll of $356.52 over the course of the three-day tournament, which involved players making hypothetical $2 win/place wagers on mandatory assigned races. Runner-up Tom Boyd, from New Providence, New Jersey, finished with $342.22, earning $250,000. Ray Hassan from Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, secured third place with a bankroll of $328.36, winning $200,000.
The final day saw Boyd narrowing the gap with a late surge, gaining $36.20 on Tampa Bay’s ninth race and an additional $22 on Gulfstream’s eighth race. However, in the final race at Santa Anita, both Piazza and Boyd’s wagers did not succeed, as their choice, Commander, did not place, allowing Piazza to maintain his lead.
The championship began on Friday, narrowing entries from 800 to 80 after the second day. The finalists competed in seven assigned races at the final table, with bankrolls from the previous rounds carrying over. Over the three days, the tournament awarded a total of $4.9 million in cash and prizes, with more than $3 million distributed in cash. Further details and results are available on the NTRA website.