In an abbreviated contest week, Gordon Waterstone won Leg 76 of the Hambletonian Society Grand Circuit Handicapping Challenge, which allowed him to close the gap on contest leader Rusty Nash by 40 points with three legs remaining.
While Jay Hochstetler had three winners for the week, he had to settle for second place for the week, as Waterstone’s two winners included Springsteen ($15.20) in the Matron Stakes for two-year colt and gelding pacers, which allowed him to earn a net profit of $16.20 for the day. Hochstetler’s three winners were chalk, as he netted a profit of $2.40. Finishing third for the week was Megan Maccario whose lone winner resulted in a net loss of $2.40.
With three contest dates remaining, Nash holds on to first place for the fifth week in a row with a total of 1,453.20 points, 23.70 points ahead of Waterstone (1,429.50 pts.). On the periphery but not out of it is Anne Stepien (1,342.82 pts.) and Megan Maccario (1,327.90 pts.), both within 125 points of the contest leader.
Next Up: This week sophomore trotters and pacers of both sexes head to Dover Downs for the Matron stakes on November 16.
November 25 is the final Saturday night of the handicapping challenge with the Final Four and TVG series finals being contested at the Meadowlands. On November 30, the contest concludes with the Progress Stakes at Dover Downs.
(HANA)