Congratulations to the winners of the I Love Canadian Harness Racing Fan Club’s Pick 8 Online Handicapping Contest and the Ontario Sires Stakes Pick 8 On-Track Contest at Mohawk Racetrack.

Dave Plyley, of Niagara Falls, Ontario won the Online contest and and Helen Bruder of Guelph, Ontario topped the on-track contest.

Players were tasked with selecting the winners in each of eight OSS Grassroots Championships and they would receive a mythical $2 Win and $2 Place wager on their selections.

Dave finished with a bankroll of $199.40 to top the charts from over 300 entrants. The bulk of that bankroll was thanks to Stonebridge Quest who accounted for $121.90.

Dave, a former horse owner, doesn’t get to the track as often as he would like but keeps up to date on industry news and racing via standardbredcanada.ca. He fondly remembers one of his first trips to the racetrack, a visit to Garden City Raceway over 40 years ago. He enjoys playing most of the Fan Club’s online handicapping contests. His favourite driver is Tim Tetrick and his favourite horse of all time is Foiled Again.

Second place went to Schmeling Ramlall of Waterloo, Ontario, with a bankroll of $155.70 and Mike Graham of Sarnia, Ontario took the show position with $136.90.

In the on-track Pick 8 Handicapping Contest at Mohawk, Helen Bruder finished with $153.60 in her bankroll, only $1.10 more than runner up Tom Farrell of London, Ontario. ($152.50) Reich Geiger of Harriston, Ontario took the third place position with $134 in his mythical bankroll.

Helen picked Stonebridge Quest because she “liked the name”. She is a race fan and says it’s a toss up between Randy Waples and Trevor Henry for her favourite driver. Her favourite track is Grand River and she was on track at Mohawk on Saturday night to enjoy the Grassroots Finals in the dining room with her husband, three daughters and their husbands for a family gathering.

All six winners selected longshot Stonebridge Quest in the OSS Grassroots Championship for two-year-old pacing fillies, which accounted for $121.90 of each player’s bankroll.

The winners of the Handicapping contest each will receive $300; $150 will go to each runner up and the third place finishers will receive a cheque for $50. All six winners will also receive a prize package filled with I Love CHR swag and Ontario Sires Stakes 40th anniversary swag.

The next contests will be on the Ontario Sires Stakes Super Final card, scheduled for Mohawk on Saturday, October 11. The online contest will open on Thursday, October 9. The format and prizing are the same as the Grassroots Championships contest.