After three days of competition, a familiar name is on top of the standings for the week (and year to date) in the Hambletonian Society Grand Circuit Handicapping Challenge.
Megan Maccario came out in top for the week with 75 points, just five points ahead of Ray Cotolo, whose 70 points came in one day, as he missed the first two days of the week’s competition.
For the fourth week in a row, Maccario sits on top of the standings with 779.23 points, 54 points ahead of Rusty Nash’s 745.20.
Despite not winning a race on Friday night, Maccario came out on top thanks to her selection of Dream Together in the second division of the Casual Breeze as the horse paid $8.60 for second place (no show wagering). While several handicappers selected the winner of the first division, On A Sunny Day, the payoff was not enough to beat Maccario’s tally.
Saturday there was a three-way dead heat for first place for the day’s races at Mohawk as Russ Adams, Ray Garnett, and Terry Wilson hit the trifecta selecting all three winners for the night’s races; Shadow Moon ($7.90), Percy Bluechip ($2.90), and Pedro Hanover ($5.00) were the winning horses.
Sunday at Tioga Downs, nine stakes races were on the contest slate and a trio of handicappers, Sally Hinckley, Rusty Nash, and Bryan Owen each tabbed five winners; but it was Ray Cotolo with four winners who managed to come out ahead as he earned a net profit of $40.10. While Cotolo had a quartet of winners, it was two second place finishers Frost Damage Blues ($21.60 for place and show) In the Artiscape and Cufflink Hanover ($18.60 place and show) in the Crawford Farms which made the difference.
Next Up: On Thursday night, Mohawk Racetrack will host the Champlain Stake for two-year-old filly trotters. On Friday, Mohawk will host the Champlain Stakes for two-year-old colt and gelding trotters and the Simcoe Stakes for three-year-old filly trotters. On Saturday, Mohawk will host the Simcoe for three-year-old colt and gelding trotters, the Canadian Pacing Derby, the Champlain stakes for two-year-old pacers of both sexes, while Yonkers Raceway will feature the Yonkers Trot, Messenger Pace, Lady Maud, and the Hudson Filly Trot. The following week has stakes racing from the Meadowlands, Mohawk Racetrack, and Scioto Downs.
(With files from HANA)