Nathan Bain drew first blood in the $500 Hiawatha Horse Park Handicapping Challenge, edging rival Nicholas “Ace” Barnsdale by scoring 76 points to Barnsdale’s 71 points on Sunday, June 20.
Both USHWA Youth members had an excellent day, each scoring with six of their top picks in 11 races contested over the Sarnia, Ontario oval. Those winners represented 60 points of their totals. The scoring system awards 10 points for a top-choice winner, five points for second, and three points for third.
The handicappers both scored with their Best Bets, which awards each handicapper an extra 5 points. Bain’s Best Bet, Kissinbythebeaches, kicked off the card with a sharp wire-to-wire win in 1:57.3f, pulling driver Marc St Louis to a 5 ½ length score. That win was one of five on the afternoon for last year’s leading teamster. He also steered Barnsdale’s Best Bet, Dinner At The Met, to an easy win as the 10-year-old Metropolitan gelding took race 5 by 7 1/2 lengths despite finishing the race with a broken headpole.
The contest – for which the $300 first prize and $200 second prize is supplied by Hiawatha Horse Park – runs every Saturday and concludes when the last race is run on closing day, September 18th. Follow Bain's (@NBainracing) and Barnsdale's (@AceBarnsdale) weekly Hiawatha selections on Twitter every Saturday afternoon. Barnsdale's selections also appear on the Ontario Racing "Tips from the Pros" page. Try your luck as well: Hiawatha Horse Park is available for online wagering via Horseplayer Interactive and other ADWs.
(USHWA)