(October 29,
2017) – In perhaps the busiest three-day (10/26-10/28)
week in the Hambletonian Society Grand Circuit Handicapping Challenge,
twenty-one races were contested; the Breeders Crown Finals at Hoosier Park plus
the final preliminary leg of the Kindergarten Classic at Vernon Downs as a warm
up. When the results were tabulated,
Sally Hinckley nosed out Steve Horoky by three points, 115.0 to 112.0.
Horoky
drew first blood on Thursday night with his selection of Points North ($14.80)
in the 2yo pacing colt division of the Kindergarten Classic. The selection of Points North and four others
allowed Horoky to earn 70 points for the day.
Dennis O’Hara had the same longshot but only a total of three winners
which was good for second place for the evening.
Friday
night was Hinckley’s turn to draw blood and she blew the other handicappers away
for the evening with her selection of Pure Country ($31.00) in the Breeders
Crown Final for pacing mares which with four additional winners earned her 75
points. While two other handicappers had
five winners, Hinckley’s net profit of $43.50 was far ahead of her closest
competitor.
With
a seven-point lead going into the final night of the week’s racing, Horoky was looking
to put the week away on Saturday but it was not to be as Ray Cotolo took the
checkered flag with a net profit of $57.80 thanks to selecting a trio of
longshots; Stay Hungry ($11.00), Breeders Crown 2yo Colt and Gelding pace; Beckhams
Z Tam ($11.20), Breeders Crown 3yo Colts and Gelding pace; Split The House
($18.40), Breeders Crown Open pace.
Hinckley managed to pull out the victory for the week with her four
winners for Saturday versus Horoky’s double.
For
the third week in a row, Rusty Nash leads in the overall standings, just under
48 points ahead of Anne Stepien. Gordon
Waterstone is roughly 4 points further behind in third. Megan Maccario is in fourth while Sally
Hinckley moved up from seventh to fifth place, still in contention with five
legs remaining in the contest.
|
Standings thru Saturday, October 28, 2017 -
Leg #74
|
|
|||||
|
Pos
|
Handicapper
|
Total Points Earned
|
Legs Won
|
Points Back
|
Last Week
|
Streak
|
|
1st
|
Rusty Nash
|
1,376.20
|
6
|
|
1st
|
3
|
|
2nd
|
Anne Stepien
|
1,328.82
|
9
|
47.38
|
2nd
|
|
|
3rd
|
Gordon Waterstone
|
1,324.50
|
10
|
51.70
|
3rd
|
|
|
4th
|
Megan Maccario
|
1,310.90
|
9
|
65.30
|
4th
|
|
|
5th
|
Sally Hinckley
|
1,295.98
|
9
|
80.22
|
7th
|
|
|
6th
|
Matt Rose
|
1,278.88
|
10
|
97.32
|
5th
|
|
|
7th
|
Dennis O’Hara
|
1,278.85
|
10
|
97.35
|
6th
|
|
|
8th
|
Steve Horoky
|
1,222.83
|
5
|
153.37
|
9th
|
|
|
9th
|
Russ Adams
|
1,182.54
|
8
|
193.66
|
8th
|
|
|
10th
|
Ray Garnett
|
1,074.11
|
6
|
302.09
|
10th
|
|
|
11th
|
Bryan Owen
|
1,041.90
|
9
|
334.30
|
11th
|
|
|
12th
|
Jay Hochstetler
|
924.50
|
4
|
451.70
|
12th
|
|
|
13th
|
Michael Carter
|
868.03
|
3
|
508.17
|
14h
|
|
|
14th
|
Ray Cotolo
|
834.33
|
5
|
541.87
|
15th
|
|
|
15th
|
Terry Wilson
|
807.47
|
5
|
568.73
|
13th
|
|
|
16th
|
Rich Mattei
|
644.30
|
2
|
731.90
|
16th
|
|
Next Up: This week ten stakes
races will comprise Saturday’s leg, made up from the finals of the Kindergarten
Classic from the Meadowlands and the Carl Erskine, Crossroads of America, USS
Indianapolis, and Monument Circle finals at Hoosier Park.
The following week, Dover Downs hosts the Matron Stakes for
2yo and 3yo trotters and pacers of both sexes.
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.
