The week off in HANA Harness’ Grand Circuit Shoot-Out Handicapping Contest gave the handicappers the opportunity to think over their handicapping strategy and by doing so, they came out guns a blazing with five instances of handicappers scoring net profits of over $1,000 on any given day.
When the dust settled, Mark McKelvie was the big winner for the week, showing a net profit of $2,586, leapfrogging from eighth to third place. While McKelvie won the week, Bob Zanakis regained the lead over Brandon Valvo with a swing a $2,919.25 thanks to his weekly net profit of $2,094.75. Gordon Waterstone’s weekly net profit of $2,103 moved him from 12th place to sixth.
On Thursday, August 28, Bob Zanakis started the hit parade, playing a $6 price part wheel trifecta ($144 total) in the first division of the Champlain and it paid off handsomely as he received a dividend of $2,408.40. Other key hits on Thursday were Sally Hinckley’s $10 trifecta key ($120l) in the third division of the Champlain which paid $301, Dennis O’Hara’s $50 cold exacta in the same race which returned $260, and Ann Stepien’s $2 four-horse trifecta box ($48) earned $143.60. On a typical day, Gordon Waterstone’s $20 trifecta key ($120) in the third division would normally have been the talk of the town with its $602 return but alas, Zanakis’ play overshadowed this accomplishment.
On Friday, August 2, the handicappers gathered their collective breaths with no particular breakouts. While the day’s action was sedate, there were some individual bets worth noting. Derick Giwner’s $150 exacta in the Zweig Memorial returned $405 while in the same race, Hinckley’s $25 trifecta key ($150) paid $307.50.
Saturday saw three players with big nights. Mark McKelvie led the trio with a net profit of $3,226 thanks to a $20 trifecta part-wheel ($60) in the Shes A Great Lady. Waterstone earned $1,403 as a result of a $10 trifecta part wheel ($200) in the same race and O’Hara’s $1,097 evening was attributable to a $30 trifecta key ($360) in the Metro which grossed $1,497. Other solid plays were Ray Garnett’s $14 trifecta key ($280) in the Metro paid a $698.60 dividend as was Hinckley’s $10 trifecta key play, returning $499. In the first division of the Simcoe, Josi Verlingieri had two winning tickets, a $25 exacta box ($150) paid $317.50 and a $125 win, place wager which returned $943.75.
With a one-day break, the handicappers returned for a Labour Day stanza which belonged to Garnet Barnsdale with his hit in the Shady Daisy. While Barnsdale had listed a $1 superfecta part wheel ($42), his ticket was reduced to a $.30 ticket ($12.60) which paid
$2,561.90, reflecting the size of the superfecta pool. Waterstone was the only other player who won on Sunday as his $30 exacta box ($180) paid $438.
The current standings after the completion of four legs are:
This week, one leg of the contest will be held on Saturday (September 6) at Mohawk Racetrack with a trio of races scheduled, the Simcoe for three-year-old open pacers and the Champlain for two-year-old open pacers and two-year-old filly pacers will be contested.
(HANA)