HORSEPLAYERS Debuts Tonight on Esquire Network

In the high-stakes world of professional horse race handicapping, the only thing bigger than the bets are the characters placing them -- and the best in the business are members of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA). Esquire Network's new series HORSEPLAYERS, premiering tonight, January 21 at 10p e/p, follows the lifestyles of a diverse cast of handicappers as they compete for a chance to Face Off in the annual National Handicapping Championship (NHC). One winner will walk away with the title of America's top handicapper and nearly $1 million.

The 10-part series follows expert handicappers as they travel the country in search of instant riches. From the storied racetrack at Churchill Downs to Saratoga to Santa Anita Park; the competitors put it all on the line at the top horseracing destinations in America. Along the way, they share often wildly-different methods, their unique lifestyles and personal insider secrets to picking the perfect pony, placing the right BET and having the guts that lead to glory in the horse racing HISTORY books.

Handicappers featured in HORSEPLAYERS include:

Team Rotondo - Best friends and former currency traders Peter Rotondo Sr. and Lee Davis, along with Peter Rotondo Jr., an executive at Breeder's Cup LTD., make up this unstoppable team.

Christian Hellmers - High-earning Hellmers brings his Southern California lifestyle to the track, with a signature headband, vegan diet and a betting style that's based as much on statistics as it is on karma and essential oils.

John Conte - Holding the 2009 National Champion title, Conte has some of the most solid credentials in the business, having qualified seven times in the NHC's 13-year history.

Michael Beychok - The 2012 National Handicapping Champion and the man to beat. A political consultant traveling from Baton Rouge, Beychok grew up betting horses with political heavyweight, James Carville.

Matt Bernier - New on the scene, this 23-year-old realtor by day was the youngest qualifier in last year's National Handicappers Championship.

Kevin Cox - A retired mounted police officer for the NYPD and former jockey agent, Cox is set to make his mark in this year's championship.

HORSEPLAYERS is produced by Go Go Luckey with Julie Auerbach, Henry Capanna, Tina Gazzerro and Dennis Principe serving as executive producers.

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