(April 16, 2017) – With
the final legs of the Matchmaker and Levy pacing series being contested on
April 14 and 15, Russ Adams and Gordon Waterstone scored their first victories
of the season in the Hambletonian Society Grand Circuit Handicapping Challenge by
taking down individual contest cards.
With the help of their victories, Adams moved up from fifth to third
while Waterstone jumped from ninth to fourth place in the standings.
Despite a lackluster week,
Matt Rose remains in front with a total of 242.63 points while Rusty Nash
remains in second with 224 points on the ledger. The previously mentioned Adams (196.14 pts)
and Waterstone (136.14) round out the top four.
In the overall net-profit
competition, Rose’s $54.30 net profit is tops with Nash’s $51.10 good for second. While Ray Garnett fell to fifth place, he
stands in third place based on a net profit of $11.10.
Adams was the star of
the weekend, scoring a trifecta Saturday night by tabbing all three winners of
the Levy tilts (McWicked, $4.30; Bit Of A Legend N, $4.40; Somewhere In LA,
$4.10) to earn a net profit of $11.60 for the night. Waterstone topped Friday by picking the second
division winner Regil Elektra ($5.50), and having his first split selection Hidden
Land finish second to earn a net profit of $6.00 (no show wagering in either of
the two divisions).
The standings through
the first ten legs are:
|
Pos
|
HiddHandicapper
|
Total Points Earned
|
Legs Won
|
|
1st
|
Matt Rose
|
242.63
|
3
|
|
2nd
|
Rusty Nash
|
224.00
|
3
|
|
3rd
|
Russ Adams
|
196.14
|
1
|
|
4th
|
Gordon Waterstone
|
136.13
|
1
|
|
5th
|
Ray Garnett
|
135.27
|
1
|
|
6th
|
Bryan Owen
|
134.14
|
1
|
|
7th
|
Steve Horoky
|
115.63
|
0
|
|
8th
|
Megan Maccario
|
113.14
|
0
|
|
9th
|
Adam Friedland
|
88.77
|
0
|
|
10th
|
Dennis O’Hara
|
87.14
|
0
|
|
11th
|
Jay Hochstetler
|
84.13
|
0
|
|
12th
|
Ray Cotolo
|
78.00
|
0
|
|
13th
|
Michael Carter
|
76.27
|
0
|
|
14th
|
Sally Hinckley
|
71.50
|
0
|
|
15th
|
Anne Stepien
|
68.00
|
0
|
|
16th
|
Terry Wilson
|
56.13
|
0
|
Next Up: After the first five weeks at the Old Hiltop,
the Challenge does take a detour to British Columbia for two special additions,
Fraser Downs’ Kenny Linton Memorial (4/21) and the Penny Bath Memorial (4/22),
the only two non-restricted stakes races of the entire year in this Western
Canadian Province. In addition to these
two tilts, the Matchmaker and Levy Series finals and consolations will be
contested at Yonkers Raceway Saturday night.
After the Yonkers finals, there will be a week off before the Grand
Circuit begins traveling in earnest, starting at Freehold Raceway and the
Meadowlands.
The 2017
Hambletonian Society Grand Circuit Handicapping Challenge is
sponsored by Adam Friedland, DRF Harness, Green Acquisition
Corporation, The Hambletonian Society, Hoosier Park Racing and Casino,
Meadowlands Racing and Entertainment, Northfield Park, Ontario Harness Horse
Association, Red Shores Charlottetown/Summerside, Tioga Downs, Vernon Downs,
Wellbourne Farms, and WEG Entertainment.
The contest is administered by HANA Harness, the harness racing division
of HANA, the Horseplayers Association of North America. Fans may follow the challenge by visiting the
contest site at http;//hanaharnesscontest.blogspot.com.
