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Sunday, April 16, 2017

Adams, Waterstone take legs of Hambletonian GC Handicapping Contest

(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