With seven straight days of Grand Circuit racing, the potential of a handicapper getting hot and making a move came to fruition, as Gordon Waterstone and Matt Rose surged into contention in the Hambletonian Society Grand Circuit Handicapping Challenge. Waterstone won top honours for the week while Rusty Nash continued in the lead for the overall championship for the second week in a row.
While Nash remained in the top spot with 1,038.2 points for the season, when the dust settled, Rose earned 187.5 points, good for second place for the week, which allowed him to move from fourth to second with 1,025.88 points. The weekly leader, Waterstone earned 224.5 points, giving him 1,001.5 points overall, allowing him to jump from seventh to third place in the overall contest. Steve Horoky earned the show spot for the week with 158.5 points.
With twenty contest dates remaining, any handicapper has a chance to move into a cashing position with a hot streak. With six handicappers within a hundred points of the lead, the battle for number one has the potential of being fought for till the end.
Next Up: Grand Circuit action will move to the Red Mile for its eight-day Grand Circuit meet with racing this week Thursday through Sunday (September 28 through October 1) with the Bluegrass Stakes being contested for two and three-year-olds of both gaits and sexes. In addition to Red Mile racing, Friday has the Dayton Pacing and Trotting Derbies for aged horses on the slate along with the Simpson stakes for two-year-old filly trotters and pacers at Harrah’s Philadelphia. Saturday is the last date with special non-Grand Circuit races on the schedule with the Northlands Filly Stake and Western Canada Pacing Derby for three-year-old pacers at Northlands Park being contested. Sunday’s Simpson stakes for two-year-old colt pacers and trotters at Harrah’s supplements the Red Mile stakes.
The following week features Week 2 of the Red Mile meet with stakes such as the International Stallion, Allerage Farms TVG, Glen Garnsey Memorial, Tattersalls, Kentucky Futurity and Kentucky Filly Futurity to be contested.
(HANA)