Anne Stepien continues to ride her recent streak to be the top handicapper for the week in the Hambletonian Society Grand Circuit Handicapping Challenge.
Stepien has moved from sixth to third place overall thanks to her 103.67-point tally for the period of September 13-15. In the overall contest, Rusty Nash currently holds the lead for the second straight week, albeit with a shrinking lead of 0.80 points.
On Wednesday (9/13) six handicappers dead-heated for the night, as they selected Blazin Britches ($3.80) in the Nadia Lobell at Hoosier Park. Each handicapper selecting Blazin Britches, including Stepien, earned 21.67 points for the evening.
Friday (9/15) was another Kindergarten Night at the Meadowlands where ten of the 11 races were divisions of the Kindergarten Classic. Gordon Waterstone was best with six winners for the evening, besting Ray Cotolo (second) and Steve Horoky (third) based on net profit. Stepien ran out of the money, but still earned 22 points with four winners for the evening.
Saturday (9/16) was a big stakes night at Mohawk Racetrack, and eight handicappers had two out of four races tabbed, so it came to net profit in determining placing points awarded. Stepien bested the octet by selecting Blue Moon Stride ($14.30). While Terry Wilson had no winners for the evening, he finished second by cashing in all four races with Dream Together ($3.40; second in Elegantimage), Long Tom ($4.20; third in Canadian Trotting Classic), L A Delight ($8.50 and $4.60; second in Milton), and JL Cruze ($7.50 and $3.90; second in Maple Leaf Trot).
In the year to date contest, Nash leads with 905.70 points, ahead of Megan Maccario’s 904.90. Stepien now sits in third with a total of 848.82.
Next Up: Grand Circuit activity continues every day this week with racing from the Delaware County Fair, Harrah’s Philadelphia, Hoosier Park, and Mohawk Racetrack. Following this week, stakes action moves to Dayton Raceway and the Red Mile in addition to continuing at Harrah’s.
(HANA)