When asked why the National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) Hall of Fame is regarded so highly by so many tournament players, the answer is almost always the same. Time after time, Hall of Fame inductees say it’s such a high honor for handicappers because it’s voted on by their peers.

The 11th annual NHC Hall of Fame induction class will receive their plaques when the finals of the NHC reconvene in Las Vegas for the 26th time March 14-16. The Hall of Fame is an increasingly important part of the NHC, which ranks as the richest and most important handicapping tournament of the year. The total purse of the 2025 National Horseplayers Championship tournament is expected to exceed $4 million. The winner of the NHC finals also receives an Eclipse Award as Horseplayer of the Year.

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) has announced the NHC Hall of Fame’s newest inductees for 2025 will be Jim Benes of La Grange, Ill., Cheryl McIntyre of Massillon, Ohio, and Rich Nilsen of Tarpon Springs, Fla.

The trio was among a select group of tournament handicappers nominated by an NTRA panel that includes NHC Players Committee members, past NHC Champions, tournament directors, and current NHC Hall of Famers based on the nominees’ outstanding accomplishments throughout the 26-year history of the NHC. They were judged on several criteria, including past tournament success and consistency over an extended period of time, the respect of their peers, and their contributions to the growth and success of the NHC. Ballots came back from a group of nearly 1,000 experienced NHC players, and Benes, McIntyre, and Nilsen garnered the most votes resulting in their inductions.

Nilsen right at home at the racetrack. (Courtesy of Rich Nilsen)

“It's very humbling to be voted in by my peers, so many of whom are elite handicappers,” said new NHC Hall of Famer Nilsen. “My dad taught me how to handicap and took me to the races as a youngster in New York. He would have gotten a big thrill out of me receiving this award. Anything I receive like this is a tribute to him.”

Nilsen, 54, is already a 30-year racing industry veteran, who has both frontside and backside racetrack experience. He’s done everything from work in the barns of trainers like King Leatherbury and John Forbes to later holding marketing director jobs at Brisnet and TwinSpires, where he created the first-ever online NHC qualifier contests. More recently, he was the founder of AGameofSkill.com, a website devoted to horse racing education and promotion.

“My first experience at the NHC was at the very first event at Bally’s. I was working for Brisnet,” Nilsen said. “Honestly, I felt as though I could compete in the event, so I made a point the following year to try to qualify. I did, and two years later I nearly won the tournament.” 

Since then, Nilsen has gone on to qualify 19 years for the NHC finals in Las Vegas, won eight major tournaments, and is one of a select few players to have finished in the NHC Top 10 twice.

For Nilsen, success has not come by accident. He has worked hard at it.

“I have always been big on pedigree analysis and trainer stats. With my years of working at Brisnet, I learned to use pace and speed figures and incorporate them into an all-encompassing approach,” he said. “I weigh different factors based on the type of race, so I am not going to handicap a maiden turf route the same as a six-furlong dirt race for claimers.”

Like so many young horseplayers, Nilsen is raising a family and can no longer spend excessive hours handicapping races. He has an answer for that, too.

“Years ago, I had a software program developed that outputs information based on the way I handicap the races,” Nilsen said. “The software program speeds up the process and allows me to ’cap cards more efficiently.”

Jim Benes and Cheryl McIntyre haven’t been at the tournament game quite as long as Nilsen — not many others have — but both have now excelled in tournaments for more than a decade and have racked up numerous accomplishments.

McIntyre is a 13-time NHC qualifier who was the champion of the NHC Tour in 2016. The NHC Tour is a year-round points series revolving around the many NHC qualifying feeder contests. Along with her husband, Mike, she has long been among the NHC Tour’s most committed players, traveling to as many on-track contests as possible while also competing in online qualifiers.

“If there are three or four contests every weekend, multiply that by however many weekends there are in a year and that’s how many we played in,” McIntyre said.

“When I received the notification that I was receiving the honor of induction, I actually shed a few tears because I was completely shocked that I was being inducted,” McIntyre continued. “There are so many other members that are worthy of this honor. It’s truly a privilege to be voted in by your peers and I truly am grateful for it.”

McIntyre will become the third woman inducted into the NHC Hall of Fame following 2001 NHC winner Judy Wagner and Sally Goodall, a 23-year NHC qualifier who won the Tour Championship in 2020.

“I was the first woman horseplayer to win the Tour and I was very proud of that achievement,” McIntyre said. “I enjoy every minute of playing in the NHC in Las Vegas and, hopefully, can continue to do so for another few years. It’s hard work sometimes, but I enjoy every minute of the journey.”

Benes, 62, is a longtime fixture on the Chicago racing circuit. He was the winner of the 2013 NHC when he took home a first-place prize of $750,000. He has qualified for the NHC a total of 11 years and continues to factor into tournament outcomes wherever he is entered, including tournament wins at Woodbine and Indiana Grand in 2023, Hawthorne in 2020, and the Ultimate Betting Challenge at Santa Anita in 2018.

“[The Hall of Fame] is a huge honor,” Benes said. “The Hall of Fame didn’t exist when I started betting horses, so it was never a thought. Now that I’m in it, it is unbelievable. The NHC has to be on any horseplayer’s bucket list.”

Celebrating a win among friends at 2024 NHC. (NTRA photo)

Inductees to the NHC Hall of Fame (in chronological order):

The late Mike Mayo, an early tournament-play pioneer and first chairman of the NHC Players Committee.

The late Ron Rippey, the 2006 NHC winner and longtime handicapper of the Newark Star-Ledger.

Judy Wagner, the 2001 NHC winner who later served as horseplayers’ representative on the NTRA Board of Directors.

Steven Crist, the former racetrack executive and Daily Racing Form publisher who conceived of the NHC as the way form a new Eclipse Awards category for handicappers.

Paul Shurman, the 2011 NHC Tour champion who has qualified for the NHC a record-tying 23 consecutive years.

Steve Wolfson Sr., an 11-time NHC qualifier sometimes referred to as the “Godfather of handicapping contests.”

Chris Larmey, a 19-year NHC qualifier who is the current chairman of the NHC Players Committee.

Steve Wolfson Jr., the winner of the 2003 NHC whose grandfather Louis Wolfson owned 1978 Triple Crown winner Affirmed.

The late Bryan Wagner, a 14-year NHC qualifier and NHC Tour champion in 2009.

Trey Stiles, the 23-year NHC qualifier is co-record holder of the longest qualifying streak in NHC history.

Roger Cettina, a 15-year NHC qualifier and two-time national runner-up in 2013 and 2015.

Richard Goodall, a 17-year NHC qualifier and winner of the 2008 NHC whose history as a multiple tournament title winner dates to the pre-NHC era.

Sally Goodall, the winner of the 2020 NHC Tour and co-holder of the record for most NHC appearances (non-consecutive) at 23 years and counting.

Ray Arsenault, the NHC winner in 2017 and also the third-place finisher in the 2020 NHC (there has yet to be a repeat NHC champion).

Stanley Bavlish, the winner of the 2007 NHC has qualified for the NHC finals 18 years and finished in the Top 10 again in 2016.

Michael Beychok, “Mr. Million” became the first, and so far only, player to win a $1 million grand prize at the NHC when he won it in 2012.

The late J. Randy Gallo, a unanimous Hall of Fame addition was posthumously inducted for his contributions as a tournament host and player in the formative years of the NHC.

David Gutfreund, “the Maven” won the 2018 NHC Tour title as a part of a long career as one of the most successful tournament players dating to the pre-NHC era.

Paul Matties Jr., winner of the 2016 NHC and 17-year NHC qualifier was an original member of the Beyer Associates team, creators of the famous Daily Racing Form speed figures.

The late Jose Arias, the winner of the 2014 NHC came closer than anyone ever has to becoming the first-ever two-time NHC champion when he finished second in 2021.

Dennis Decauwer, the NHC runner-up in 2009 is the vice chairman of the NHC Players Committee and an 18-year NHC qualifier.

Jim Goodman, a multiple-year NHC qualifier as a player, he was inducted primarily due to his role as tournament director at places like Keeneland.

William “Bill” Shurman, owns a current streak of 22 consecutive years qualifying to the NHC finals.

Kevin “Duke” Matties, once a New York State bowling champion, Duke has since qualified for the NHC 18 years and has finished in the money eight times.

Jim Meeks, the NHC runner-up in 2019 has qualified for the NHC more than 10 times and has cashed three times. He won the (non-NHC affiliated) Horseplayer World Series in 2015.

Brett Wiener, a 15-year qualifier to the NHC has won dozens of on track and online contests capped-off by a victory on the NHC Tour in 2024.