"June $50,000 GTD" (Flight 1A): A Little Interest In The Race, As They Come Down The Stretch

"June $50,000 GTD"
$75 No Limit Hold'em
Level 18 (Blinds 4,000/8,000/1,000)
Flight 1A Players Remaining: 21/121

Francois Gagne (Hillsboro Beach, FL) 

As was expected, the few short stacks that are remaining at this point are picking their spots to try and double, but they've been unsuccessful in doing so.  One recipient of some later staged "run good" has been Francois Gagne (Hillsboro Beach, FL), a tournament veteran who now has a shot at the $500 chip lead bonus.  Gagne has trended steadily upward since the most recent break, and now sits with just over 150,000.  

While Francois is the only other player beside Bernardo and Mancuso that seems to be "in the race," there are those in the field that are only one double away from assuming the chip lead (Robert Slater - 95,000, David Becker - 90,000).