Jerome Linderman had qualified for the last five editions of the NHC. This past March, he had even landed two entries to the big dance…but as far as the 2026 event was concerned, he was on the outside looking in. 

Not anymore.

Sometimes you need to be great, and sometimes you need a little luck to make the NHC. Linderman got a little bit of both in Friday’s three-seat, $75 qualifier at HorsePlayers.

Linderman picked 4 winners, including the biggest price of the day in Jessica’s Eyes ($20.60, $8.00) in race 8 at Laurel. A 3-1 winner in the contest nightcap edged him (by 76 cents) into 5th place—not normally good enough. However, the top two positions were both filled by Gregory Lewis, who was already double-qualified and, thus, playing strictly for NHC Tour points. That meant the three available Vegas berths went to the 3rd-, 4th and 5th-place contestants. Linderman would be going to Vegas for a sixth consecutive time! Also at the Horseshoe in March will be Allan Weston (3 wins, 3 places), who came in third and “The People’s CFO” Joe “JK” Koury (5W, 1P), who reported home in fourth place. Weston and Koury both had Jessica’s Eyes as well.

That Friday NHC qualifier attracted 420 entrants. On Saturday, Linderman went looking for an opportunity that was a little less crowded…a little more intimate.

He found it—and made the most of it—in Saturday’s 21-entry, Low Ratio NHC qualifier at HorsePlayers. Linderman led the way with a score of $63.40 that was built on 3 firsts and 2 seconds. Among his collections was the horse that every single grand-prize winner on Saturday came up with—Full Disclosure ($28.60, $10.60) in the 10th at Gulfstream. And that’s how Linderman went from empty-handed to double-qualified in 24 hours.

Another multiple-day victor was Kevin Engelhard, who got his featured-tourney week off to a good start with a triumph in Wednesday’s Pick & Pray Classic qualifier.

Engelhard (3 wins, 1 place) and Jimmy “Country” Rhodes (2W, 1P) were the top two scholars in this one. They both connected on Little Vaquero ($43.60, $9.40) in race 8 at Mahoning Valley.

Two days later, Engelhard added a $3,000 Del Mar Fall Challenge entry to his hefty future-contest portfolio.

Engelhard hit Mizoula ($17.60, $8.80) in the 7th at Laurel plus 3 other winners and 3 runners up to secure the $3,000 berth in this coming Saturday’s Southern California test.

Hopping back to Wednesday action, Karol Mannarino exited with the up-top money of $2,737 in the day’s $5,000 Guaranteed cash game, which closed with a final purse of $6,083..

Like Engelhard and Rhodes, Mannarino (4 firsts, 1 second) smoked out 20-1 Little Vaquero.

Thursday belonged to James Lisowsky.

Lisowsky’s 3 wins and 2 places included Pens Street ($28.38, $10.42) in the 8th at Aqueduct. His final score of $91.12 got him the $3,515 top prize in Thursday’s $6,000 Gtd. Pick & Pray, which closed with a pot of $7,811.

The same Pick & Pray selections also landed Lisowsky atop the leaderboard in Thursday’s qualifier to the $250,000 Gtd. Pick & Pray Classic—final leg of the 2025 HT Champions Series— here on December 6-7.

“Pistol” Pete Acocella (3 wins, 0 places) was also a Pens Street picker, and he got the other available $1,500 seat here for finishing second to Lisowsky.

On Friday, Lisowsky made it two Pick & Pray Classic seats in as many days.

Lisowsky (4 wins, 1 place) finished third in this “3-seater”, behind Rick Bruton (3W, 2P) and “The Admiral” Steve Nemetz (3W, 2P). Bruton’s best pick was Mizoula. Nemetz and Lisowsky both scored best with Jessica’s Eyes.

Jessica’s Eyes wound up being the apple of Clifford Gregory’s eye on Friday.

Gregory (3 firsts, 2 seconds) captured Friday’s HT Tour event, our $15,000 Gtd. Pick & Pray. He pocketed $8,528 from what was a final prize pool of $18,952. 

Nick “48 Hrs.” Noce came up with both Jessica’s Eyes and Mizoula.

Noce (4 firsts, 2 seconds) got the $10,000 seat in Friday’s Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge Low Ratio qualifier at HorsePlayers. He is already now double-qualified for the 2026 BCBC and will undoubtedly be spending the next 11 1/2 months scrutinizing European turf form.

G.T. Nixon was the one in Friday’s Santa Anita Opening Day Challenge qualifier.

Nixon’s most lucrative running mate among 4 wins and a place was Jessica’s Eyes at Laurel. 

Saturday was a considerably bigger day for Nixon.

Nixon amassed the day’s highest total ($103.60), and he scored a landslide victory in Saturday’s $179 Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge qualifier at HorsePlayers. His biggest win came in the state of Florida (30 electoral votes), where Full Disclosure ($28.60, $10.60) took the 10th at Gulfstream.

The same unrivaled selections also delivered Nixon a $1,500 Pick & Pray Classic berth.

This one was a “4-seater”. Also up on the podium flashing victory signs when this convention was complete were Shawn Turner (4 wins, 1 place after whiffing on the first six races), 2023 Spa & Surf Showdown champion Anthony Spinazzola (4W, 1P) and Terrence Frank (3W, 2P). In the interest of full disclosure, they all had Full Disclosure.

Saturday was also a doubly good day for Craig Siedler.

Siedler had Full Disclosure plus 2 other winners and 3 runners up to capture both the Pegasus World Cup Betting Championship and Del Mar Fall Challenge qualifiers (total value for the pair: $9,500).

Saturday was clearly rewarding not just for Siedler—but Sadler too.

Thanks to 5 wins and a place, Paul Sadler took home the $13,305 grand prize in the richest tourney of the week, our $25,000 Gtd. Pick & Pray (an HT Tour event) that paid out a total of $29,568. 

Like Paul Sadler and all of the other Saturday winners, Cesar Alvarez (2 wins, 2 places) profited from his decision to go with Full Disclosure.

Alvarez earned a $1,500 spot in the December 26 Santa Anita Opening Day Challenge.

Howard Welsh (3 winners) was also a steadfast believer in Full Disclosure.

Welsh bagged the $3,562 first prize in Saturday’s $5,088 Big Bucks Pick & Pray.

Neither Mike Langthorne (4 wins, 1 place) nor Ernest “Say” Hey Jr. (2W, 2P) concealed their interest in Full Disclosure.

They got the Vegas packages in Saturday’s $165 NHC qualifier here at HorseTourneys. (Hey benefited from the fact that second-place finisher William Claunch was already double qualified.) Similar to Shawn Turner in the Pick & Pray Classic play-in, Langthorne got the job done despite blanking on the first six contest races.

Noel Pink didn’t get blanked very often on Sunday.

Pink picked 8 winners on Saturday—including 6 in a row at one point—to show the way in Sunday’s $165 NHC Pick & Pray at HorsePlayers. His top return came from Crazy Cavalier ($14.80, $7.00) in race 3 at Del Mar. Basil DeVito (5 wins, 1 place) was actually ahead of Pink early on, having swept the first four races. DeVito ended up in second, which got him the other available Vegas berth.

“Captain” Jason Albano got off to a flying start with Gamebread ($26.60, $10.80) in the first contest heat, the 7th at Aqueduct, and he later added five more winners and two runners up.

Albano made off with the $10,631 winner’s share in Sunday’s HT Tour battle, our $20,000 Gtd. Pick & Pray, which closed with a pot of $23.625.

The same picks also put Albano in first-place in Sunday’s four-seat Pick & Pray Classic qualifier.

Joining Albano in the field for the $250,000 Guaranteed competition will be the 2nd-, 3rd- and 4th-place contestants Cheryl McIntyre (5 wins, 2 places), Brian “BC” Chenvert (2W, 5P) and Michael Guadagno (4W, 1P). Gamebread was the heavy lifter for Albano and Chenvert, while Nafisa ($18.60, $6.40) in the 6th at Del Mar was the top producer for 2016 NHC Tour champ McIntyre and Guadagno.

Gamebread was the big horse on Sunday for Evan Trommer (3 firsts, 3 seconds).

Trommer used the same dozen selections to win seats in both the Del Mar Fall Challenge qualifier at HorseTourneys and the Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge Low Ratio play-in at HorsePlayers. In the Del Mar qualifier, Trommer was only outdone by Michael Karalis (4 wins, 2 places). Like Trommer, Karalis also used Gamebread as an early springboard to success.

Krik Tesar was another Gamebread fan.

Tesar (3 wins, 4 places) captured the $1,500 scholarship in Sunday’s entrance exam to the December 26 Santa Anita Opening Day Challenge. 

Remember that this coming weekend is the final one in which to qualify for the Pick & Pray Classic. This one will decide who wins bonus prizes via the year-long points standings. (Top finisher wins entries into all five HT Champions Series races in 2026!) Here are the players who are still mathematically alive for one of the three prizes:

We wish good luck to all of the HorseTourneys qualifiers who will be competing in Saturday’s Del Mar Fall Challenge.

Even more than that, we wish you and your loved ones a Happy Thanksgiving and safe, uneventful travels. We at HorseTourneys are thankful for you.