(May 22, 2016) – Anne Stepien and
Russ Adams surged from mid-pack to move into second and third place
respectively in week nine of the 2016 Hambletonian Society Grand Circuit
Handicapping Challenge sponsored by DRF
Harness, Green Acquisition Corporation, The Hambletonian Society, Hoosier
Park Racing and Casino, Meadowlands Racing and Entertainment, Northfield Park,
The Raceway at Western Fair District, Red Shores Charlottetown Driving Park,
Tioga Downs, and Vernon Downs. Stepien
was the top handicapper for the week, earning 101.55 (339.15 total) points
while Adams was just off the pace, finishing second with 94.25 (320.85) points. Jay Hochstetler remains the overall leader
with 339.15 points, his lead shrinking slightly to 92.6 points. This makes it nine weeks straight with Hochstetler
in the lead.
Stepien managed
to win three of the four races for the evening, winning the first division of
the Graduate Trot with Crazshana ($17.20), the Graduate Pace with Artistic
Major ($20.40), and Wiggle It Jiggleit ($3.00) in the Battle of Lake Erie; her
only miss was in the second division of the Graduate Trot when Pinkman finished
third. Adams also had Crazshana and
Artistic Major but his selection of Crescent Fashion finished second in the
second division of the Graduate Trot while Foiled Again ran out of the money in
the Battle of Lake Erie. It was far back
to Dennis O’Hara who finished third for the week with 50.08 points.
Following Saturday
night’s action, the standings are as follows:
|
May 21, 2016 - Leg #15
|
||||||
|
Pos
|
Handicapper
|
Total Points
Prior Week |
Points Earned
This Week |
Overall
Total Points |
Position
Last Week |
Points
Back |
|
1st
|
Jay Hochstetler
|
420.05
|
11.70
|
431.75
|
1st
|
-
|
|
2nd
|
Anne Stepien
|
237.60
|
101.55
|
339.15
|
10th
|
92.60
|
|
3rd
|
Russ Adams
|
226.60
|
94.25
|
320.85
|
11th
|
110.90
|
|
4th
|
Matt Rose
|
302.13
|
17.90
|
320.03
|
3rd
|
111.73
|
|
5th
|
Dennis O'Hara
|
269.28
|
50.08
|
319.35
|
6th
|
112.40
|
|
6th
|
Mark Deutsch
|
311.75
|
4.20
|
315.95
|
2nd
|
115.80
|
|
7th
|
Adam Friedland
|
242.03
|
42.10
|
284.13
|
9th
|
147.63
|
|
8th
|
Ray Cotolo
|
284.08
|
0.00
|
284.08
|
4th
|
147.68
|
|
9th
|
Gordon Waterstone
|
249.13
|
14.10
|
263.23
|
7th
|
168.53
|
|
10th
|
Rusty Nash
|
251.43
|
11.70
|
263.13
|
5th
|
168.63
|
|
11th
|
Ray Garnett
|
242.83
|
6.30
|
249.13
|
8th
|
182.63
|
|
12th
|
Michael Carter
|
195.10
|
25.20
|
220.30
|
14th
|
211.45
|
|
13th
|
Joe Bengston
|
188.10
|
29.40
|
217.50
|
15th
|
214.25
|
|
14th
|
Sally Hinckley
|
197.08
|
14.10
|
211.18
|
13th
|
220.58
|
|
15th
|
Bryan Owen
|
199.75
|
8.70
|
208.45
|
12th
|
223.30
|
This week is a busy week for the handicapping
team. The week begins Monday, with two
divisions of the Miss Versatility Trot at Mohawk Raceway. The the Memorial Day weekend is busy with the
Molson Pace on Friday, May 27 at The Raceway at Western Fair District followed by
Saturday, May 28’s Art Rooney and Lismore stakes at Yonkers Raceway. The contest weekend concludes on Sunday, May
28 with a trio of races, the Betsy Ross Mares Invitational, Dorothy Mullen Invitational,
and Maxie Lee Memorial at Harrah’s Philadelphia.
As a reminder, visit http://hanaharnesscontest.blogspot.com, where you can find the handicappers’ selections and results,
updated standings, as well as see what upcoming stakes are coming up.
