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Trainer Mertkan Kantarmaci, previous winner of the Under 20 s Claiming Challenge
Trainer Mertkan Kantarmaci has won three consecutive titles in NYRA s “Under 20s Claiming Challenge” and is on track to continue that success during the current winter meet at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y.
The “Under 20s Claiming Challenge,” launched in 2018, is open to local trainers with 20 or fewer horses nationwide. The current challenge launched on December 10, Opening Day of the 56-day winter meet, and will continue through the end of the 11-day Big A spring meet set to run April 1 to April 18
In the unique contest, trainers earn points based on their horses performances in winners claiming races on the main track. Through January 7, the 29-year-old Kantarmaci leads all trainers with 34 points, with Antonio Arriaga and A.C. Avila tied for second with 14 points.