Jaime Ortiz of Staten Island, New York captured 2022 World Harness Handicapping Championship (WHHC) on Saturday, Sept. 10 at Meadowlands Racing & Entertainment.
Ortiz finished the tournament with a $757.60 bankroll to top the field of 41 players from across North America who competed for $38,700 in prize money. Ortiz walked away with $13,545 in prize money. He won his WHHC seat via the January Meadowlands $400 Qualifier.
The WHHC contest format required contestants to bet 10 Meadowlands races of their choice. Bets had to meet a $30 minimum, $100 maximum per race. Contestants could only bet one horse per race and wagers could either be win, place, show or a combination of the three.
Ortiz cashed on four of his 10 bets and steadily moved up the leaderboard through the night. He cashed on the fourth race for $190 with a $100 Win wager on #2 Uptown Lady N and again on the fifth race at the Meadowlands for $72 with $20 to Win & Place on #2 JL Cruze. Ortiz then hit for $327.60 with a $26 Win & Place bet on Scirocco Rob in the 10th race. His biggest score came in race 11 with a $100 win wager on #4 Trashytonguetalker, which paid $560.
Anthony Mancini of Clifton, New Jersey was the runner-up with a $716 bankroll and Todd Slembarski of Swoyersville, Pennsylvania rounded out the top three finishers with a bankroll totalling $549.10.
(With files from The Meadowlands)