After 63 race cards consisting of 808 races handicapped, 'Pen Handicapper' Mark McKelvie of Milton, Ont. was crowned champion of HANA Harness’ The Pen vs. The Chip Handicapping Challenge on Saturday night at Woodbine Racetrack on Breeders Crown Night.

It was not an easy victory. McKelvie, who was cruising on the lead for most of the contest, was under pressure from 'Chip Handicapper' Earl the Pearl in the final leg, as Earl had surged from sixth place to start the evening in second place, just $37.90 behind McKelvie. When Earl scored in the seventh race with Rockin Amadeus who paid $37.00 to win, it seemed like an upset was in the making, but it was not to be as Mark finished in front, a mere 0.012 ahead in the ROI with a difference of $19.90 separating the top two. Pen Handicapper Bobby Z finished third for the competition.

In the final leg, Pandy finished on top with a Win ROI of 2.554, grossing $61.30 with five winners selected on the 12-race program. Finishing second was Trackmaster’s Chatsworth Consortium with a ROI of 1.688 ($40.50) while Earl the Pearl took the show spot with a 1.542 rating ($37.00). While falling short, Earl managed to cash in big Saturday evening as besides having Rockin Amadeus to win, Earl also had the $304.60 exacta and $586.20 trifecta nailed cold in the seventh race.

The final standings (63 legs) for the competition are as follows:

As a result of Mark’s accomplishment, Horse Rescue United (HRU), McKelvie’s designated standardbred rescue, will be the recipient of donations of totaling $2,100 from the four sponsors and the Horseplayers Association of North America. In addition, other donations in Mark’s name will be made to HRU and local rescues by the associate sponsors. In Canada, donations will be made to the Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society or local rescues of the track’s choice. A total of $4,250 in donations has been pledged to various standardbred rescues as a result of the handicapping challenge.

With respect to the Exacta Key side competition, Earl the Pearl won the evening with an Exacta ROI of 6.622, grossing $304.60 for the evening. Pandy took the place spot with a ROI of 1.450 ($69.60) with Bobby Z taking the final placing with a rating of 1.146 ($55.00). McKelvie was the overall winner for exactas as well, this time with a much more comfortable lead, finishing with an impressive 0.989 ROI. The final exacta standings are:

On Friday night, the final leg of The Pen vs. The Chip Challenge at Vernon Downs was contested and as a result, Earl the Pearl was the handicapper who finished the best overall at Vernon Downs. As a result of Earl’s accomplishments, Vernon Downs is making a donation to the Standardbred Rescue Foundation in Earl’s name.

(With files from HANA Harness)