Mike Gillum set for NHC title defense

To Mike Gillum, the reigning National Horseplayers Champion, family always comes first, but after that horse racing is his No. 1 passion. 

The Fishers, Indiana resident has his sights firmly set on this week’s 26th NHC presented by presented by Caesars Sportsbook, Horseshoe Las Vegas, and Racetrack Television Network (RTN), March 14-16 at Horseshoe Las Vegas.

Last year, Gillum, who operates a produce company and is a regular at Horseshoe Indianapolis, became the 25th individual to take home the grand prize in the world’s most prestigious handicapping contest. After receiving a large replica of the $800,000 check for the top prize Gillum said, “I am just thinking about my family at home watching. I’m just so excited and happy. Truly, I’m at a loss for words.”

A whirlwind year culminated at the 54th annual Resolute Racing Eclipse Awards in January in Florida where Gillum was presented his Eclipse Award as the 2024 Horseplayer of the Year, paying an emotional tribute to his mother and late father for introducing him to horse racing.

“This past year has been exhilarating. I have met so many new friends in the horse industry and have been on many podcasts and radio shows just by winning the NHC,” said Gillum.

“The Eclipse Awards were so special. I was able to meet many owners and trainers and jockeys up close and personal and the event was so beautiful and prestigious.

All the goodness of winning the NHC just seems to never stop.”

This year’s NHC is sizing up to be its biggest tournament yet with some 800 entries from an estimated field of more than 600 players representing 43 states and Canada. Among those entered are 13 former champions. Gillum will attempt to become the first-ever two-time winner of the NHC.

Gillum’s journey to his NHC title began in a horse racing family. He grew up in Southport, Indiana, about two hours north of Louisville. His father, a bookmaker, “would drag me to River Downs and Churchill Downs, and would go often. I started picking up tickets off the ground when I was about five or six-years-old. I had a paper route and earned money so I could bet it at the races when I was about 12,”  Gillum recalled.

Gillum’s uncle on his mom’s side, also named Mike, owned horses with Norman Casse, Sr., and were trained by Mark Casse. Gillum recalled getting into some Winner’s Circle photos with his family at Churchill. Gillum started playing in handicapping contests in 2010, “Once the tournament scene started to get really big, I got into it,” he said.

He qualified for his first NHC in 2019 and finished in the bottom third of the competition. He qualified again in 2023 and finished 31st.  Last year, he built his way to the top with steady winners going into Sunday’s Final Table as he faced off against Day 2 leader Seth Morris. Gillum and Morris were virtually tied going into the last race of the tournament when Gillum picked Sharp Aza Tack, who won Santa Anita Park’s fifth race. Sharp Aza Tack’s $5.20 win and $3.40 place payoffs were enough to make the difference, giving Gillum a $320.10 final total that was good for nearly a $10 margin of victory over Morris, who finished with $310.28.

Gillum reflected on his victory and the overall excitement and intensity of playing in last year’s NHC. He described the atmosphere among horseplayers in the Horseshoe Las Vegas ballroom as starting out quietly with low-key conversations as players were finalizing their selections. “But once those mandatories (required races for all players to play) get going and you hear the whole room cheering and rooting on their horse it's just so electrifying. To be in the same room with everybody having the same passion for horse racing as I do was just unbelievable. You meet so many friends and once you get there one time you just want to get back there every single year.

“To me it is so special to even qualify for the tournament and be in the same room with the best handicappers in the world and then to actually top them all was just an unbelievable feeling and an accomplishment and memory of a lifetime.” 

Gillum and his wife, Amy, have two daughters: Sofia, a doctor, and Olivia, a schoolteacher.

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