Hambletonian weekend provided plenty of races for the handicappers to digest, and when the weekend was over, Bryan Owen was a runaway winner for the week with a total of 103.75 points, 48 points ahead of his nearest competitor. Meanwhile, Megan Maccario’s 55.75 points for the week were enough to take the overall lead from Rusty Nash.
Owen won the 11-race Hambletonian (August 5) slate with only three winners on the card, but only needed Sam McKee Memorial Winner Check Six ($79) which credited his tally with $111.40, which netted him a net profit of $72.40 for the day. Jay Hochstetler and Nash both earned honourable mention by selecting four winners for the day.
On Monday (August 7), which was designated as a ‘special stakes day,’ the handicappers took on the inaugural Lady Luck and Ralph Klein Memorial at Century Downs; and with a duo of favourites winning, a quartet of handicappers (Russ Adams, Jay Hochstetler, Maccario, and Nash) dead-heated by tabbing the two winners.
With regard to the overall contest lead, Maccario’s tally of 55.75 points for the week gives her a total of 678.23, which puts her in first place. Nash’s 34 points (654.95 points) was good to place him second, while Matt Rose’s 29 points (610.3 points overall) allowed him to remain in third. Thanks to his performance this week, Owen advanced from fourteenth to eleventh place.
Next Up: A light weekend is ahead for the HANA Handicappers, as the Dan Patch Invitational will be contested Friday evening (August 11) at Hoosier Park, while the Carl Milstein Memorial will be contested Saturday (August 12) at Northfield Park.
The following week will see the contest head north for the Zweig Memorial for three-year-old trotters of both sexes at Vernon Downs on the Friday, while Tioga Downs will host the Roll With Joe for Open pacers and the Miss Versatility for older trotting mares. In addition, Hippodrome 3R will present the Prix d’Ete for four-year-old pacers.
(HANA)