from the Standardbred Owners Association of New York

Yonkers, NY — Peter Venaglia, harness racing fan extraordinaire and resident ace handicapper, will join Yonkers’ host Frank Drucker as the duo showcases the Fall Harvest Festival Races at Yonkers Raceway this Saturday evening (Oct. 8).

Venaglia, a longtime horse owner and breeder of both Thoroughbreds and Standardbreds, produces a much sought after handicapping sheet known as The Hilltop Helper.

Originally, Venaglia’s selections were produced just for the Standardbred Owners Association of New York and were distributed on-track by SOA of NY volunteers on Saturday evenings. Based upon the degree of success of The Hilltop Helper it is now carried on Yonkers’ website on Saturdays and has proved to be a significant aid to the racing fan.

Since its inception, it has actually turned a profit. Nassau OTB and other regional OTBs have recognized the sheet’s overall success, and have requested that the Hilltop Helper also be made available to them. Though Venaglia is a practicing and skillful commercial litigator with clients listed on the various stock exchanges, his love of the sport makes it easy for him to give back his time on a voluntary basis.

The eight Fall Harvest Races on Saturday evening’s card are exclusively for New York breds. Each carries a purse of $50,000 and can be seen via live video streaming through the Yonkers Raceway website at www.yonkersraceway.com/livevideo/ where one can also catch Venaglia’s Hilltop Helper under the “Watch Races Online” link or follow it on Twitter.

We wish Pete well and the best of racing luck to all participants and backers on Saturday night.