Hochstetler on Top in 2016 Hambletonian Society Grand Circuit Contest

(March 27, 2016) – Week two is in the books 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 and Jay Hochstetler continues to be in front, expanding his lead slightly.  While Hochstetler remains ahead of the field, the top handicapper for week two was Russ Adams, whose 76.7 points for the weekend narrowly beat out the overall leader by 1.4 points, allowing him to move from 13^th to 8^th position.  Another big mover, Dennis O’Hara moved from 10^th to 5^th thanks to his 59.1 point performance.

With a trio of races on Friday night, three handicappers managed to get two thirds of the puzzle solved.  Of the three handicappers, Anne Stepien came out on top with 33.5 points followed by Matt Rose (31.3) and Joe Bengston (28.5).

While no one ran the table on Saturday’s quintet of races, Hochstetler managed to pull down four winners earning 61.6 points, missing only the seventh race longshot Melmerby Beach.  Despite Hochstetler’s handicapping acumen, the winner for the evening was Russ Adams, who despite having only one winner (the aforementioned Melmerby Beach; $27) earned 65.8 points as he had three second place finishes.  Other handicappers of note were Bryan Owen (44.9) and Dennis O’Hara (39.6) as both managed hat tricks for the evening.

The current standings are as follows:

Standings as of March 26, 2016 - Leg #4
Pos	Handicapper	Total Points Prior Week	Points Earned This Week	Overall Total Points	Position Last Week	Points Back
1st	Jay Hochstetler	164.90	75.30	240.20	1st	-
2nd	Matt Rose	78.70	67.00	145.70	2nd	94.50
3rd	Bryan Owen	71.60	52.30	123.90	4th	116.30
4th	Adam Friedland	75.40	44.88	120.28	3rd	119.93
5th	Dennis O'Hara	54.20	59.10	113.30	10th	126.90
6th	Anne Stepien	54.23	50.60	104.83	9th	135.38
7th	Rusty Nash	56.65	41.83	98.48	7th	141.73
8th	Russ Adams	21.60	76.70	98.30	13th	141.90
9th	Mark Deutsch	54.53	43.63	98.15	8th	142.05
10th	Gordon Waterstone	58.55	35.70	94.25	5th	145.95
11th	Ray Garnett	57.20	22.60	79.80	6th	160.40
12th	Sally Hinckley	44.80	30.40	75.20	11th	165.00
13th	Joe Bengston	17.70	43.70	61.40	14th	178.80
14th	Michael Carter	15.30	34.28	49.58	15th	190.63
15th	Ray Cotolo	26.80	16.50	43.30	12th	196.90

The 2016 Hambletonian Society Grand Circuit Handicapping Challenge continues with the third round of the Matchmaker and Levy Memorial series at Yonkers Raceway on Friday (4/1) and Saturday (4/2).  For further information regarding the contest, you may visit http://hanaharnesscontest.blogspot.com.

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Hochstetler Draws First Blood in 2016 Hambletonian Society Grand Circuit Contest

(March 20, 2016) - Jay Hochstetler kicked off the start 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 aided by his selection of Mach It Par ($81.00) in Friday night’s Blue Chip Matchmaker Series opener.  After the first two evenings, Hochstetler has a total of 164.90 points, 86.20 points over his nearest rival.

With the addition of another Silver Sponsor, Dr. Adam Friedland, the total prize fund for the HANA Harness-sponsored event to be donated to the lucky standardbred rescues stands at an all-time record of $6,000.

A couple of handicappers are late additions to the contest, Joe Bengston and Adam Friedland will be representing Therapeutic Riding and Off-Track Rehabilitation (TROTR) and Helping Hearts Equine Rescue respectively.  A full list of the rescues and their handicappers may be found here.

On Friday evening, while Sally Hinckley and Dennis O’Hara earned points in all three divisions of the Matchmaker earning 26.60 points, their results were overshadowed by Hochstetler who 111.40 points, of which 107.80 points came from Mach It Par. 

Saturday evening there was a quintet of handicappers (Friedland – 48.80 points; Hochstetler – 53.50; Bryan Owen – 54.20; Matt Rose – 58.30; Gordon Waterstone – 46.95) who scored three winners in the George Morton Memorial Series opener.  While trailing in the number of winners, Mark Deutsch with 2 winners, earned points in all six divisions of the Levy totaling 50.93 points allowing him to keep pace with the top scorers for the evening.

After the first two nights, here are the complete standings.

Position	Handicapper	Total Points Prior Week	Points Earned This Week	Overall Total Points	Points Back
1st	Jay Hochstetler	0.00	164.90	164.90	-
2nd	Matt Rose	0.00	78.70	78.70	86.20
3rd	Adam Friedland	0.00	75.40	75.40	89.50
4th	Bryan Owen	0.00	71.60	71.60	93.30
5th	Gordon Waterstone	0.00	58.55	58.55	106.35
6th	Ray Garnett	0.00	57.20	57.20	107.70
7th	Rusty Nash	0.00	56.65	56.65	108.25
8th	Mark Deutsch	0.00	54.53	54.53	110.38
9th	Anne Stepien	0.00	54.23	54.23	110.68
10th	Dennis O'Hara	0.00	54.20	54.20	110.70
11th	Sally Hinckley	0.00	44.80	44.80	120.10
12th	Ray Cotolo	0.00	26.80	26.80	138.10
13th	Russ Adams	0.00	21.60	21.60	143.30
14th	Joe Bengston	0.00	17.70	17.70	147.20
15th	Michael Carter	0.00	15.30	15.30	149.60

The 2016 Hambletonian Society Grand Circuit Handicapping Challenge continues with the second round of the Matchmaker and Levy Memorial series at Yonkers Raceway on Friday (3/25) and Saturday (3/26).  For further information regarding the contest, you may visit http://hanaharnesscontest.blogspot.com. 

Handicapping Challenge Prize Fund Reaches $5,750; Rescues Named

March 8, 2016 – HANA Harness is pleased to announce the addition of Hoosier Park Racing and Casino as a Gold Sponsor, raising the prize fund for 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 to a record $5,750.  With the sponsorship deadline being March 12, additional sponsorships may yet be named.

With the new year, race fan/handicapper Russ Adams and DRF Harness’ Managing Editor Matt Rose join the roster of handicappers to make a baker’s dozen with the possibility of one last handicapper joining the fray. 

As is the tradition of this contest, each handicapper chooses a rescue of their choosing and this year’s cast of handicappers have made the following selections: Russ Adams, Heart of Phoenix; Michael Carter, New Vocations; Ray Cotolo, Changing Fates Equine Rescue; Mark Deutsch, Maine State Society for the Protection of Animals; Ray Garnett, Rockin T Equine Rescue; Sally Hinckley, Rainhill Sanctuary; Jay Hochstetler, Central Virginia Horse Rescue; Rusty Nash, Racer Placers; Dennis O’Hara, Sunshine Horse Rescue; Bryan Owen, Standardbred Retirement Foundation; Matt Rose, Starting Gaits Standardbred Transition Program; Anne Stepien, Heading For Home; Gordon Waterstone, Horse Lovers United.

The Grand Circuit Handicapping Challenge begins next weekend, March 18-19 with the first legs of the Blue Chip Matchmaker and George Morton Levy Memorial Series at Yonkers Raceway.  You may follow this year’s contest at http://hanaharnesscontest.blogspot.com.

Grand Circuit Handicapping Challenge Prize Fund Reaches $5,250

February 28, 2016 – The 2016 Hambletonian Society Grand Circuit Handicapping Challenge, presented by HANA Harness is pleased to announce its prize fund this year currently stands at a record $5,250.  The prize fund, which comprises of donations by harness racing-related entities, is used for donations to standardbred rescues designated by the top three handicappers at the end of the competition or in the case of Canadian Sponsors, donated to a rescue in the name of the contest winner.  New this year is a $250 donation to the handicappers who have the best record in the first and second halves of the contest.

The Handicapping Challenge begins with the first leg of the Blue Chip Matchmaker at Yonkers Raceway on March 18 and concludes with the Progress Pace at Dover Downs on November 28.  The complete contest schedule may be found here.

HANA Harness would like to thank the following organizations for being prize fund sponsors for this year’s challenge; our Gold Sponsors DRF Harness, Green Acquisition Corporation, The Hambletonian Society, Meadowlands Racing and Entertainment, Northfield Park, The Raceway at Western Fair District, Red Shores Charlottetown Driving Park, Tioga Downs, Vernon Downs, and our Silver Sponsor Eldorado Gaming-Scioto Downs.

There is still time to become a sponsor for this year’s contest.  Tracks, horsemen associations, and companies connected to harness racing are welcome to become sponsors.  If interested in becoming a sponsor, contact allan@hanaweb.org for additional information.

Grand Circuit Handicapping Challenge Seeks Sponsors

Plans are underway for the 2016 Hambletonian Society Grand Circuit Handicapping Challenge being run by HANA Harness.  As such, HANA Harness is seeking financial sponsorship from various facets of the standardbred industry to build up the prize fund which goes to standardbred rescues.  Whether a racetrack, horseman association, breeder, racing stable, or a supplier to the industry, HANA Harness welcomes your participation.

The Grand Circuit Handicapping Challenge's goal is to promote the Grand Circuit as well as support standardbred rescues.  All funds pledged to the competition are donated to the standardbred rescues chosen by the handicappers.  Canadian sponsors will be given the right to donate 2016 funds to the standardbred rescues of their choice in honor of the winning handicapper.  Since the contest began, over $12,000 has been donated to standardbred rescues.

Sponsorship levels are available from $500 to as low as $100 with various benefits.  If interested in additional information, contact allan@hanaweb.org.