With only a few race dates left on the 2020 calendar, the battle for supremacy in the 2020 TROT Magazine Fantasy Stable contest appears to boil down to a pair of drivers: Tim Tetrick and Andy McCarthy.
Under $2,000 separates the top two on the Fantasy Stable Leaderboard, with James Ling of Springboro, OH and his Luck Of The Irsish stable holding a slight lead over Nancy Takter of Allentown, NJ. With most of the stakes horses shut down for the winter and going into the final four days of the 2020 season, the battle for the top spot will be at Dover Downs, where Tim Tetrick—drafted by James Ling—and Andrew McCarthy—drafted for Nancy Takter—will race up until the new year. Tetrick will drive on the Monday (Dec. 28), Tuesday (Dec. 29) and Wednesday (Dec. 30) cards while McCarthy is only listed on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Thursday (Dec. 31) card is yet to be drawn.
Tom Baryluk and his Bristol Aces has handily moved into third on the standings with Holli Gardner moving into fourth, just about $25,000 behind. The margin likely will not budge much between Baryluk and Gardner, as both also drafted Andrew McCarthy for their stables with few active competitors on their rosters. Bill Smellie of Arthur, ON—sitting third at the start of the month—has dropped to fifth, just about another $25,000 behind Holli Gardner and also with little room to make up ground.
The TROT Fantasy Stable Contest is based on total earnings of selected horses and five per cent of the earnings of selected trainers and drivers between June 19 and Dec. 31, 2020.
For the purposes of the fantasy bankroll, the winners (horses only) of the 2020 Breeders Crown Finals each received a $200,000 contest bankroll bonus. In the event of a dead heat in a Breeders Crown Final, the $200,000 is divided among the dead heating horse(s).
At the end of the year, the winner of the contest will receive entry into and travel to the 2021 World Harness Handicapping Championship, a prize valued at (approx.) $1,300.
Click the Fantasy tab near the top right hand side of the Standardbred Canada homepage to follow along with the contest all year long. Contest totals are updated daily at 11:00 a.m. (EST).
The top 10 stables as of Dec. 27, 2020, are featured below. To see the full list of results, click the following link: 2020 TROT Magazine Fantasy Stable Standings.
| Rank | Stable | Name | City, Province/State | Total Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LUCK OF THE IRSISH | James Ling | Springboro, OH | $7,337,661 |
| 2 | NANCY TAKTER | Nancy Takter | Allentown, NJ | $7,335,679 |
| 3 | BRISTOL ACES | Tom Baryluk | Sydney, NS | $7,297,419 |
| 4 | HOLLI | Holli Gardner | Sheridan, MI | $7,273,078 |
| 5 | BILLABOOGIE | Bill Smellie | Arthur, ON | $7,250,548 |
| 6 | JC NEWFIEBOUND | Jamie Lefave | Swift Current, SK | $7,218,008 |
| 7 | HOLDEMACE007 | Kenneth Sizer | Calgary, AB | $7,209,696 |
| 8 | COURBIER RACING | Shane Courbier | Grand Rapids, MI | $7,159,751 |
| 9 | JENN'S JETS | Jenn Jacoby | Charlotte, NC | $7,139,912 |
| 10 | FOUR K STABLES | Grant King | Bedford, NS | $7,130,242 |