Nathan Bain is looking to take a stranglehold on the $500 Hiawatha Horse Park Handicapping Challenge. He outscored rival Nicholas “Ace” Barnsdale 78 points to 63 in Saturday (July 17) action at the Sarnia, Ont. oval.

Bain clicked with five of his 12 top selections on the day, including Best Bet Pickles On Top ($2.80), who took race seven in a sparkling 1:55.2f for leading driver Marc St Louis. Last year's Leamington Youth Handicapping Challenge champ tallied points in 10 of the 12 races. Barnsdale, who selected the most winners in the New Year's Eve USHWA Youth Handicapping Challenge, correctly forecasted four Hiawatha winners Saturday, also going with Pickles On Top as his Best Bet.

Bain now holds a 49-point lead with five weeks of the contest completed. He has tallied 368 points to Barnsdale’s 319.

The contest – for which the $300 first prize and $200 second prize is supplied by Hiawatha Horse Park – runs every Saturday and concludes when the last race is run on closing day, Sept. 18. Follow Bain's (@NBainracing) and Barnsdale's (@AceBarnsdale) weekly Hiawatha selections on Twitter every Saturday afternoon. Barnsdale's selections also appear on the Ontario Racing "Tips from the Pros" page.

How do your handicapping skills stack up against theirs? Find out next Saturday: Hiawatha Horse Park is available for online wagering on Horseplayer Interactive and other ADWs.

(USHWA Canada)