June 21, 2015 – After the
three latest legs of the 2015 HANA Harness Grand Circuit Handicapping Challenge
presented by the Bellino Stables, DRF Harness, Hambletonian Society,
Meadowlands Racing and Entertainment, Northfield Park, Tioga Downs, and Vernon
Downs, another handicapper stakes his claim to the top slot as Bob Zanakis trades
places with Ray Garnett, taking the lead with 610.9 points to Garnett’s 588.2.
Leg 14 was pretty
uneventful as the only race in the contest was the Battle of Lake Erie with two
handicappers maximizing the opportunity provided by the veteran Foiled Again winning
resulting in Earl Paulson and Gordon Waterstone earning 24.2 points for the leg.
In leg 15, Mark McKelvie
earned top honors, earning 51 points, the result of selecting JL Cruz and Doo
Wop Hanover to win their respective legs of the Graduate series for four year
olds. Several others correctly selected
the winner of one leg of the Graduate.
Leg 16 contained the
stakes races of North America Cup Night and with a number of favorites going
down to defeat, those who relied on the favorites to come through were
disappointed. On the other hand, Sally
Hinckley (75.8 points for the night) took advantage of the implosion of the top
two favorites in the Goodtimes Trot, earning 54.5 points with her selection of
The Bank who finished second in the race.
Due to the failure of many of the favorites, the best some handicappers
could accomplish was selecting two winners out of the six races, with Bob
Zanakis, Garnet Barnsdale, and Dennis O’Hara earning between 66 - 64.8 points
|
Standings as of June 20, 2015 - Leg 15
|
|||||
|
Total Points
|
Points Earned
|
Overall
|
Position
|
||
|
Pos
|
Handicapper
|
Prior Week
|
This Week
|
Total Points
|
Last Week
|
|
1st
|
Bob Zanakis
|
528.40
|
82.50
|
610.90
|
2nd
|
|
2nd
|
Ray Garnett
|
539.70
|
48.50
|
588.20
|
1st
|
|
3rd
|
Michael Carter
|
509.70
|
74.80
|
584.50
|
3rd
|
|
4th
|
Brandon Valvo
|
453.80
|
34.10
|
487.90
|
4th
|
|
5th
|
Gordon Waterstone
|
434.80
|
28.20
|
463.00
|
5th
|
|
6th
|
Ann Stepien
|
409.10
|
37.30
|
446.40
|
6th
|
|
7th
|
Derick Giwner
|
383.00
|
51.80
|
434.80
|
7th
|
|
8th
|
Josi Verlingieri
|
365.80
|
36.00
|
401.80
|
9th
|
|
9th
|
Jay Hochstetler
|
374.50
|
22.20
|
396.70
|
8th
|
|
10th
|
Garnet Barnsdale
|
302.30
|
81.30
|
383.60
|
13th
|
|
11th
|
Earl Paulson
|
321.00
|
45.00
|
366.00
|
12th
|
|
12th
|
Bryan Owen
|
333.30
|
29.10
|
362.40
|
10th
|
|
13th
|
Mark Dezii
|
329.80
|
24.90
|
354.70
|
11th
|
|
14th
|
Sally Hinckley
|
242.70
|
95.20
|
337.90
|
15th
|
|
15th
|
Dennis O'Hara
|
237.30
|
75.10
|
312.40
|
16th
|
|
16th
|
Rusty Nash
|
257.20
|
53.00
|
310.20
|
14th
|
|
17th
|
Mark McKelvie
|
170.20
|
51.00
|
221.20
|
17th
|
|
18th
|
Ray Cotolo
|
152.80
|
7.80
|
160.60
|
18th
|
|
19th
|
Mark Deutsch
|
152.10
|
6.10
|
158.20
|
19th
|
This week, only one event is on the contest calendar
with the Meadowlands hosting trotters for a leg of the TVG series on Friday
evening. The Fourth of July weekend
features seven races giving handicappers a chance of improving their position
in the standings. For further
information on the contest, you are invited to visit the contest website at http://hanaharnesscontest.blogspot.com.
