Steve Horoky was the top handicapper for the weekend of July 21-22 in the Hambletonian Grand Circuit Handicapping Challenge by earning 67 points, besting Anne Stepien by five points with her 62 points. Rusty Nash finished third for the week with 50, which allowed him to retake the overall lead by the largest margin of the season.
Horoky owes his victory thanks to a trio of winners (Seven Iron, $6; Grand Teton, $6.20; Kissin In The Sand, $3.20) and a couple of second-place finishes in the Kindergarten Classic series at the Meadowlands Friday evening, which gave him first-place for the evening with an $18.00 net profit.
Saturday evening, the Joe Gerrity Jr. Memorial Pace from Saratoga Raceway was the sole race on the card and the victory by Bit Of Legend N ($32.20) was a surprise to all but handicapper Anne Stepien, who took down the longshot for first place honours for the night. A quintet of handicappers dead-heated for second, as Boston Red Rocks took show honours to salvage the card for them.
Nash’s overall performance the weekend places him in first with 591.95 points, approximately 40 points ahead of Matt Rose’s 552,13 pts. Megan Maccario remains in third place with 525.48 points, while Russ Adams completes the superfecta with 499.12.
Next Up: The Handicapping Challenge heads to western Pennsylvania with Friday’s slate of Arden Downs races for two-year-old trotters. In addition, the Grand Circuit Challenge visits Plainridge Park for their inaugural Spirit of Massachusetts for Open Trotters. Saturday afternoon, the series returns to the Meadows for the Adios and Adioo Volo for three-year-old trotters, plus the Arden Downs for two-year-old pacers; while the Meadowlands will take centre stage during the evening, as it will host the Reynolds for three-year-old trotters, plus the Hambletonian Oaks eliminations. The following week, the Meadowlands Hambletonian Day card will take centre stage.
(HANA)