Three suspended for collusion at NTRA’s National Horseplayers Championship
A betting scandal has hit the National Thoroughbred Racing Association’s National Horseplayers Championship.
The NTRA has announced that three players have been suspended from the NHC and NHC Tour for two years for collusion during this year’s $3.1 million event in Las Vegas.
Jordan Jayne, James Pauly and Ryan Patrick Scully are suspended from the horseplayer handicapping tournament, which features a yearlong series of NTRA-sanctioned local tournaments conducted by tracks, casinos, off-track betting facilities and handicapping websites.
“Protecting the integrity of the NHC against wrongdoing is the highest priority for the NTRA. This includes collusion to gain an unfair advantage over the rest of the field,” said NTRA President and CEO Tom Rooney in a statement released Thursday.
The NTRA did not initially release the names of those involved, but reversed course on Friday.
“Protecting the integrity of the NTRA and the NHC tournament is among my highest priorities in this job,” said Rooney in a statement Friday. “By not initially releasing the names of the players involved, even though our rules give us broad discretion to do so for all prize winners, I believed I was doing what was best for the NHC. The demand from the public we have received far outweighs my personal beliefs. I highly value the opinion of the horseplayers’ community, without whom our sport would not be what it is and whom we work with to protect all NHC sanctioned contests throughout the year.”
According to the NTRA, the three players controlled five entries in this year’s National Horseplayers Championship, which was held March 10-12 in Las Vegas.
In its NHC rules, the NTRA states that collusion is defined as “an agreement or cooperation especially for an illegal or deceitful purpose.”
This year’s winner, Paul Calia, earned $800,000 in prize money for first place.
The event pays out to the top 78 entries. With five entries being disqualified, payouts will be made to finishers 79-83.
“Additionally, the NTRA will distribute the difference in prize money for all other entries that move up in the prize structure,” said the NTRA. “The NTRA will mail checks to all individuals involved and the official leaderboard has been updated.”
The suspensions include the 2023 and 2024 NHC Tour seasons as well as the 2024 and 2025 National Horseplayers Championship.
After two years, the players can apply for reinstatement.
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