The 2013 World Harness Handicapping Championship, which will bring together horseplayers from across North America to compete for $100,000 in prize money, is slated for Saturday, April 13, 2013 at the Meadowlands Racetrack in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

The Meadowlands Racetrack’s 2013 WHHC qualifiers are set for January 19, February 23 and March 23.

The cost to enter January’s qualifier is $200 ($100 entry plus a $100 real-money bankroll). The format requires players to bet a minimum of $10 (Win, Place or WP wagers only) on 10 Meadowlands races. Complete rules and entry form are available at meadowlandsracetrack.com. The top two finishers will earn spots in the WHHC with prize money to be paid out to the Top 10 finishers.

The WHHC is the partnership between the Meadowlands and the United States Trotting Association formed to create the industry’s ultimate tournament experience. Standardbred Canada supports the project by facilitating the participation of Canadian racing and wagering outlets.

Limited to just 100 spots, the WHHC is a one-day tournament, with a welcome reception and warm-up event the evening prior. Players may earn a seat in the WHHC through a qualifying event at a partner wagering outlet or through direct buy-in ($1,000) should enough spots remain as of April 1, 2013.

In addition to the Meadowlands, 11 racetracks and wagering outlets are conducting WHHC qualifiers including: Balmoral Park, Maywood Park, Cal Expo, The Meadows, twinspires.com, Northville Downs, Buffalo Raceway, Pompano Park, Yonkers Raceway, Woodbine Racetrack, and Northfield Park. A complete list of participating outlets and qualifier dates can be found at meadowlandsracetrack.com

Also, the USTA, in conjunction with horsetourneys.com, will conduct a free, online, qualifying series of 10 tournaments on Friday and Saturday nights for five consecutive weekends during January and February that will feature 10 different USTA member tracks. The winner of each qualifier gains a berth ($1,000 value) into the WHHC final at the Meadowlands.

Contestants can register now for free at horsetourneys.com for the first two contests involving the Meadowlands on Friday, January 18 and Balmoral Park on Saturday, January 19, but will be required to enter each subsequent weekend’s tournaments starting on Monday at 9:00 a.m. (Eastern) that week. Entries will be limited to 1,000 for each contest on a first-come-first-serve basis.

The contest format is a $2 Win-Place wager (with an alternate horse in case of a scratch) on each race at the featured track that night. A complete listing of rules and regulations is available at horsetourneys.com.

Following is a schedule with featured racetracks for the USTA Online WHHC Qualifying
Series:

(Date - Track)
Fri., Jan. 18 - Meadowlands
Sat., Jan. 19 - Balmoral Park
Fri., Jan. 25 - Maywood Park
Sat., Jan. 26 - Cal Expo
Fri., Feb. 1 - The Meadows
Sat., Feb. 2 - Yonkers Raceway
Fri., Feb. 8 - Northfield Park
Sat., Feb. 9 - Pompano Park
Fri., Feb. 15 - Northville Downs
Sat., Feb 16 - Buffalo Raceway

For more information on how to become a WHHC partner outlet or sponsor, contact Rachel Ryan, Meadowlands Racetrack ([email protected]) or Kathy Wade Vlaar, Standardbred Canada ([email protected]).

(Meadowlands)