Jaime Ortiz of Staten Island, New York captured 2022 World Harness Handicapping Championship (WHHC) on Saturday, Sept. 10 at Meadowlands Racing & Entertainment.  

Ortiz finished the tournament with a $757.60 bankroll to top the field of 41 players from across North America who competed for $38,700 in prize money.  Ortiz walked away with $13,545 in prize money. He won his WHHC seat via the January Meadowlands $400 Qualifier.

The WHHC contest format required contestants to bet 10 Meadowlands races of their choice.  Bets had to meet a $30 minimum, $100 maximum per race.  Contestants could only bet one horse per race and wagers could either be win, place, show or a combination of the three.  

Ortiz cashed on four of his 10 bets and steadily moved up the leaderboard through the night.  He cashed on the fourth race for $190 with a $100 Win wager on #2 Uptown Lady N and again on the fifth race at the Meadowlands for $72 with $20 to Win & Place on #2 JL Cruze.  Ortiz then hit for $327.60 with a $26 Win & Place bet on Scirocco Rob in the 10th race. His biggest score came in race 11 with a $100 win wager on #4 Trashytonguetalker, which paid $560.  

Anthony Mancini of Clifton, New Jersey was the runner-up with a $716 bankroll and Todd Slembarski of Swoyersville, Pennsylvania rounded out the top three finishers with a bankroll totalling $549.10.

(With files from The Meadowlands)