(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 harness racing 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 |
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Pos |
Handicapper |
Total Points Earned |
Legs Won |
Points Back |
Last Week |
Streak |
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1st |
Rusty Nash |
1,376.20 |
6 |
|
1st |
3 |
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2nd |
Anne Stepien |
1,328.82 |
9 |
47.38 |
2nd |
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3rd |
Gordon Waterstone |
1,324.50 |
10 |
51.70 |
3rd |
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4th |
Megan Maccario |
1,310.90 |
9 |
65.30 |
4th |
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5th |
Sally Hinckley |
1,295.98 |
9 |
80.22 |
7th |
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6th |
Matt Rose |
1,278.88 |
10 |
97.32 |
5th |
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7th |
Dennis O’Hara |
1,278.85 |
10 |
97.35 |
6th |
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8th |
Steve Horoky |
1,222.83 |
5 |
153.37 |
9th |
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9th |
Russ Adams |
1,182.54 |
8 |
193.66 |
8th |
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10th |
Ray Garnett |
1,074.11 |
6 |
302.09 |
10th |
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11th |
Bryan Owen |
1,041.90 |
9 |
334.30 |
11th |
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12th |
Jay Hochstetler |
924.50 |
4 |
451.70 |
12th |
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13th |
Michael Carter |
868.03 |
3 |
508.17 |
14h |
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14th |
Ray Cotolo |
834.33 |
5 |
541.87 |
15th |
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15th |
Terry Wilson |
807.47 |
5 |
568.73 |
13th |
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16th |
Rich Mattei |
644.30 |
2 |
731.90 |
16th |
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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.
Allan Schott
HANA Harness Racing Coordinator
Check out the HANA Grand Circuit Handicapping Challenge