Playing in the NTRA National Horseplayers' Championship (NHC) for just the second time, Thomas Goldsmith of Montgomery, CA, amassed a total mythical bankroll of $404.10–second largest in tournament history–to take home the $800,000 first prize Sunday afternoon at Bally's in Las Vegas.
Goldsmith, 57, defeated a field that totaled 694 entries from 564 individual players and a final table that included NHC Hall of Famer Trey Stiles, Ashley Taylor and Day 2 leader John Vail of Lyndhurst, NJ. The latter held on for second ($250,000), just shy of $30 behind Goldsmith after drawing to within $2 of Goldsmith with four mandatory races to play Sunday afternoon. Ray Arsenault finished with $362, while Taylor, competing in her first NHC, finished with $350.40 in fourth place.
“I'm just like in shock,” said Goldsmith, who couldn't even bring himself to stand in middle stage during the Final Table proceedings. “This is it. I'm never going to top this, right? $800,000? How am I going to top that?”
Goldsmith qualified for the NHC in a live-money tournament at Lone Star Park on his birthday weekend last July. He was off to a slow beginning on Day 1, collecting just $69, but sprung to life Saturday, aided by his selection of 21-1 Admiralty Pier (English Channel) in the GIII Tampa Bay S. He entered Sunday's Final Table in fourth position and selected three winners and a 24-1 place horse in his first five plays.
“I was just trying to find something that's going to win, like anything else. I'm not a numbers guy,” Goldsmith explained. “I look for horses that are in trouble…whatever. Bad break. Excuse trips. Bad trips. And in this place you've got to bet long shots. Most of these are horses I'm not going to easily play. It's hard. You've got to find winners at all different race tracks.
He added, “Some of it is just searching for and looking…because you're not going to win this thing betting a chalk. I was feeling good (after cashing the first three at the Final Table) but I was still sweating.”
With a near $20 advantage entering Sunday's eighth and final mandatory, Goldsmith allowed himself to celebrate midway through, knowing that none of the challengers had selected either of the top two finishers.
“I got lucky for two, three days. Two big days I got lucky. Those days come,” he said.
The 2020 NHC finals awarded cash to the top 10% overall from a total purse of $2,997,500. Of that total, $50,000 went to the top 20 in today's Consolation Tournament, which was won by former turf writer Dick Jerardi.
WATCH: Thomas Goldsmith talks about his NHC championship
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