Sports

Press release:

After coming off an eye-popping gate to wire 1:51.3 win last week, Surfer Beach reversed strategy and won again the $10,600 Open I-II featured pace at Batavia Downs on Saturday night (Aug. 28).

Jim Morrill Jr. tucked in fourth with Surfer Beach while Black Is Back (Dave McNeight III) acted as commander of fractions. With Lord Willoughby A (Ray FIsher Jr.) parked and prompting, Black Is Back flew to the quarter in :27.3 and the half in :55.4. After that station Surfer Beach pulled and got in the outer flow, one out and one back. 

Positions remained unchanged to three-quarters where Surfer Beach tipped three-deep to circle the fading cover and continue to track down the leader. At the top of the stretch Surfer Beach hooked up with Black Is Back and the two battled all the way to the line. But despite a gallant effort by Black Is Back, Surfer Beach was just too much and he won by ¼ of a length in 1:53.1. 

It was the second straight win, fifth out of his last seven and eighth overall this year for Surfer Beach (2.90) who is owned by Vogel & Wags Nags Stable, Team Rice Racing and Adelphi Bloodstock. Maria Rice trains the royally bred 4-year-old gelded son of Somebeachsomewhere-Southwind Tempo. 

The undercard was the $9,200 Open II-III Handicap pace and Catch A Lefty A got the job done. 

Mike Baumeister put Catch A Lefty A right on the point and never looked back. He cut unchallenged tepid quarters of :28.3, :58.1 and 1:26.3 while only Silver Arrow (Jim Morrill Jr.) was able to stay close. And close was the best Silver Arrow could do as Catch A Lefty A flew off the last turn and paced home in :28.1 to win by 1-¼  lengths in 1:54.4.

Catch A Lefty A ($11.40) caught his fourth win of the year for owners Pat Galbraith and John Volkosh. Pat Galbraith also trains the winner. 

Jim Morrill Jr. and Dave McNeight III both had driving doubles on Saturday. 

Live racing resumes at Batavia Downs on Sunday (Aug. 29) with post time for the first race at 1:15 p.m. This will be the last Sunday of racing for the season and the last $1 hot dog, draft beer, and soda Sunday of the meet.

Press release:

Braxton Boyd made his now regular mid-week sojourn to Genesee County on Wednesday (Aug. 25) and this week put on quite a driving clinic at Batavia Downs. Boyd won five races on the card, finished second four more times in his 10 starts and walked away brandishing a .722 universal driver rating for the evening.

Boyd started out by winning both ends of the $114.50 daily double with Innocent Victim (1:57.4, $3.80) and Edom Up Blue Boy (2:01.1, $55.00), then won the sixth race with Rocklindarock (1:55.3, $5.50) and finally took both ends of the late $7.20 double with Atlantis (1:58, $5.20) and Cinderella Delight (1:57.3, $3.10).

Boyd has been on a roll in Upstate New York since he broadened his scope of operations beyond Tioga Downs. Over the past week alone, Boyd has won 17 races while driving between Tioga, Vernon Downs, Monticello Raceway (where he had a consecutive grand slam on Monday (Aug. 23) and Batavia. 

In the midst of clearly the best year of his young career, the 21-year-old Boyd now has 145 wins, 159 seconds and 159 thirds from 999 starts and has bankrolled $870,218 for his connections. 

The one race Boyd didn’t win on Wednesday was the featured $10,000 Fillies and Mares Open II pace which went to Misty Memory N and driver Jim Morrill Jr. 

Morrill vaulted to the front with Misty Memory N and held a commanding lead throughout the race. After cutting fractions of :28.3, :58 and 1:26.3, Morrill rounded the last turn unchallenged and at the top of the stretch, Misty Memory N simply paced away to a 4-1/2 length win in 1:54.4. 

It was the seventh win of the year for Misty Memory N ($3.00) and owners Stephen Picarazzi, Scott Petillo and her trainer Brett Derue.  

Morrill had two more wins on the night finishing with the hat trick on Wednesday. 

Trainer Jennifer Giuliani had two wins and two seconds, all of which were piloted by Boyd, who also drove one of Jerry Nugent Jr.’s two winners during the proceedings. 

Racing resumes at Batavia Downs on Saturday (Aug. 28) at 6 p.m.

Press release:

It’s been four weeks since Winning Legends made his debut at Batavia Downs when he won the top trot. After failing to repeat in two subsequent attempts, the gelding put on a convincing performance to take the $11,200 Open I Handicap at the Downs on Sunday afternoon (Aug. 22). 

Winning Legends (Justin Huckabone) went right to the front and after Frank’s Watching (Dave McNeight III) and Golden Kronos (Jim McNeight Jr.) settled in behind him, the final tote board top three had already been determined. These three followed each other through quarters of:28.2, 58.1, and 1:27.4, where Golden Kronos finally pulled and tried to advance towards the leader. He got close to Frank’s Watching but Winning Legends was untouchable. Huckabone calmly line-drove Winning Legends off the last turn and down the lane to a one-length victory in 1:56.2.

Winning Legends ($2.80) has been winning Opens all over upstate New York this year and this sixth victory pushed his earnings to $37,191 for owner Jonathan Appelbaum. Justin Huckabone also trains the winner. 

In the $9,500 Open II trot, Party Boy Hanover (Jim Morrill Jr.) got his second win in a row at Batavia after he went gate to wire on the point, holding off a pesky Lunar Credit (Jim McNeight Jr.) from the five-eighths to the wire where he won by 3/4’s of a length in a new seasonal mark of 1:58.1.

Party Boy Hanover ($3.10) is owned by Vogel & Wags Nags Stable, Team Rice Racing, and Adelphi Bloodstock. Maria Rice trains the winner. 

Jim Morrill Jr. also won the last two races of the day with Movie Star (1:57.2, $3.30) and Mr. Sideburns (1:57.1, $4.40) to get the driving hat trick. Both of those horses were trained by Lisa Mariacher who ended up the leading trainer on Sunday. 

The Jackpot Pick-6 was hit on Sunday and returned a healthy $3,043.20 for a 20-cent wager on the combination of 5-5-1,6-5-5-1. 

Racing resumes at Batavia Downs on Wednesday (Aug. 25) with post time at 5 p.m.

Press release:

In one of the most exciting races seen at Batavia Downs in some time, Surfer Beach put away all challengers in a gate to wire win in the $11,200 Open I Handicap pace on Saturday night (Aug. 21). 

Driver Jim Morrill Jr. took no prisoners off the gate as he took the lead and seated the field with the exception of Lord Willoughby A (Ray Fisher Jr,), who found himself in a real fight in the breeze. Surfer Beach kept Lord Willoughby A chasing to the quarter in:26.4 and the half in:54.4. The game effort by Lord Willoughby A continued to three-quarters before the trip and tempo finally wore him down. 

As they headed into the last turn Black Is Back (Dave McNeight III) went three-deep around the fading Lord Willoughby A and Stratosphere (Drew Monti) followed as the pair tried to reel in the front-runner. But Surfer Beach was racing on another level and he opened up two lengths heading into the stretch. From there Morrill sat chilly as Surfer Beach was on his own, pacing away to the line in 1:51.3.

The time was a new seasonal and lifetime mark for Surfer Beach and tied Racine Bell’s 1:51.3 effort set on Wednesday (Aug.4) for the fastest mile of the meet. The time is also only two-fifths of a second off the all-time track record of 1:51.1 set by Aracache Hanover in 2011. 

Surfer Beach ($3.70) scored his seventh win of the year and pushed his 2021 bank to $58,590. The 4-year-old gelded son of Somebeachsomewhere-Southwind Tempo is owned by Vogel & Wags Nags Stable, Team Rice Racing and Adelphi Bloodstock and is trained by Maria Rice. 

In the $10,000 Open II undercard, McSpidey registered his first win of the year in a lifetime best effort.

Beaten favorite American Zest (Ray Fisher Jr.) was the public’s choice again and he took the lead and dictated fractions while Ys Sunshine (Denny Bucceri) and McSpidey (Kyle Cummings) followed behind in line to the three-quarters. When they reached that station in 1:25.1, Ys Sunshine pulled the pocket and went immediately backward, forcing a charging Daylight Rush (Dave McNeight III) to go three-wide. That allowed American Zest to take off by two lengths and he looked like a lock at that point. That was until McSpidey shook loose on the pegs and paced home in lightning:27.3 to out-foot American Zest to the beam and win by 1/4 length in a new lifetime mark of 1:53. 

McSpidey ($6.60) is owned by William Emmons and is trained by Jim Clouser Jr. 

Jim Morrill Jr. and Kyle Cummings led all drivers with two wins each on Saturday. 

When live racing resumes at Batavia Downs on Sunday (Aug. 22) there will be a carryover of $2,471 in the fourth race Jackpot Pick-6 wager. Post time for the first race at 1:15 p.m.

Press release: 

Since winning the driving title there in 2017 with 134 victories during that meet, Larry Stalbaum has since only driven at Batavia Downs eight times in the last four years and, without a victory. That all changed on Wednesday (Aug. 18) when “The Bomber” shipped into Genesee County with Miss Irish Rose A who won the $9,500 Filly and Mares Open II pacing feature. 

Miss Irish Rose A left from post six and led at every station. Stalbaum set fractions of :28, :58.1 and 1:27 as Lady Dudette (Kyle Cummings) tried to track from the pocket and Stay Beautiful (Braxton Boyd) attempted to push the issue from the outside. But none of that opposition seemed to matter to Miss Irish Rose A who kept to her task, opened up a 2-1/2 length lead by the top of the stretch and cruised home a wrapped-up winner in 1:55.2. 

Miss Irish Rose A ($3.00) scored her fifth win of the year for Stalbaum, who also owns and trains the mare. 

Shawn McDonough and Drew Monti each had two consecutive driving wins on the card to lead all other drivers for the night. 

The guaranteed $12,500 Pick-5 pool on Wednesday drew a lot of interest and also provided a healthy payout. When the bell rang at the start of the first race, the final Pick-5 pool inflated to $24,832 and when the horses tripped the beam at the conclusion of race five, the combination of 4-4-4-6-1 returned a whopping $6,590 for a $1 wager.

Although the Pick-5 was hit, there are still two carryover pools available for the Jackpot wagers on Saturday (Aug. 21) when live racing resumes at Batavia Downs. The Jackpot Pick-6 which starts in race five has a $2,008 carryover and the Jackpot Super Hi-5 in race 10 has a carryover of $388. Post time for the first race is 6 p.m. 

Press release:

Perfect weather and a lightning-fast track greeted the top pacers on the grounds at Batavia Downs on Saturday evening (Aug. 14) and the winners turned out some eye-popping times. 

The $11,200 Open I feature went to Lord Willoughby A (Ray Fisher Jr.) who took the lead at the quarter and never looked back. Fisher went unchallenged to a well-rated: 56.1 half before two-time Batavia Open winner Art Scene (Jim Morrill Jr.) came calling in the breeze as the group headed to three quarters. 

Art Scene's challenge ended before the start of the final turn and Lord Willoughby A opened up a two-length lead as he headed into the stretch. With one last challenge from the pocket-sitting Thor De Vie (Kevin Cummings) to deal with, Lord Willoughby A swelled up under Fisher urging, fought off that foe, and won by one length in 1:53.2. 

It was the fifth win of the year and the 30th of his career for Lord Willoughby A ($17.40) and his owner/trainer Larry Stalbaum. 

In the $10,000 Open II secondary pacing feature, Stratosphere (Drew Monti) followed American Zest A (Ray Fisher Jr.) through quarters of :27, :55.3 and 1.23.3 before pulling the pocket at the head of the stretch to overtake the leader under a confident hand-drive by Monti to win by ¾'s of a length in a lifetime best 1:52.1. 

The time of 1:52.1 was the second-fastest mile of the current meet behind Racine Bell's 1:51.3 effort on Wednesday (Aug. 4). 

It was the second win in a row and the 25th-lifetime victory for Stratosphere ($8.20) who is driven by his owner Drew Monti. Darrin Monti trains the winner.  

The Jackpot Super Hi-5 wager in race 10 had one winner with the unique winning ticket combination of 1-3-7-5-2 and they collected $3,020.40 for the 20-cent wager. 

When live racing resumes at Batavia Downs on Sunday (Aug. 15) there will be two carryover pools available. The Pick-5 in races one through five will have a $1,153 carryover and the Jackpot Pick-6 in race four will have a $1,611 carryover. Post time for the first race is 1:15 p.m. 

Press release:

Misty Memory N made the four-hour drive from Saratoga to Batavia worth the trip after she captured the winner’s share of the $10,650 Fillies and Mares Open at Batavia Downs on Wednesday night (Aug. 11). 

Jim Morrill Jr. settled Misty Memory N behind Prairie Westerngal (Braxton Boyd) who easily led the field through fractions of :27.4, :58 and 1:27.1, encountering only one minor challenge from Xenia’s Chip (Justin Huckabone) at that third station. Coming off the far turn Prairie Westerngal got a bit rough-gaited and that’s when Morrill tipped Misty Memory N off the pegs. From there Misty Memory N was on her own as she paced away down the lane, passed Prairie Westerngal in deep stretch, and won by a length in 1:55.3.

It was the sixth win of the year for Misty Memory N ($9.70) who is owned by Stephen Picarazzi, Scott Petillo and Brett Derue, who also trains the winner.

Earlier in the $9,500 Fillies and Mares Open II, She Can Party (Dave McNeight III) sat second behind HP Sissy (Jim McNeight Jr.) until the top of the stretch when she ducked into the passing lane and lunged late to win by 1/2 length in 1:55.2, which was a new seasonal mark.    

She Can Party ($19.40) is owned and trained by Lee Dahn. 

Jim Morrill Jr. had a driving hat trick while Brett Derue led all trainers with two wins Wednesday. 

The carryovers continue at Batavia Downs as neither the Jackpot Pick-6 or Jackpot Hi-5 were hit on Wednesday. So when live racing resumes at Batavia Downs on Saturday (Aug. 14) the carryover for the Jackpot Pick-6 will be $1,335 and the carryover for the Jackpot Hi-5 will be $1,903. Post time for the first race on Saturday is 6 p.m.

Press release:

Tioga Downs transient Golden Kronos shipped into Batavia Downs on Sunday (Aug. 8) and took all the cash after winning the $11,250 Open Handicap trot and in near track record fashion. 

Drew Monti put Golden Kronos on the engine and let the big gelding take it from there. After strolling to the half in a pedestrian :59.1, Winning Legends (Justin Huckabone) left the garden spot and started to hurry Golden Kronos heading into the second circuit. The leader sped up the third quarter to 1:27.4 with the help of the rim-rider’s attack but still rounded the last turn with conviction. Turning for home Winning Legends was still alongside, but Golden Kronos had lots of leg left and out-muscled his challenger by 1/4 length at the line in 1:55.4, which was only 2/5th's of a second off the track record for aged trotting geldings set in 2015 by Lutetium (1:55.2). 

It was the fourth win in the last five starts -- three of those in Open class -- and the seventh win overall of the year for Golden Kronos ($6.80) who is owned by Michael Pozefsky, William Pozefsky and Myron Ekstein. Stanley Zombick Jr. trains the winner. 

The $10,000 Open II trot saw Loyal Fox Hanover (Jim Morrill Jr.) Take an early lead and then dictate all the fractions from there. After hitting the half in :58.1, Credit List (Justin Huckabone) pulled first up and pushed the issue beyond the three-quarters pole. But Loyal Fox Hanover eventually rebuffed that challenge along with a late one from the pocket-sitting CR Blazing Beauty (Kevin Cummings) to win by ½ length in 1:56.3, which was a new seasonal mark for the winner. 

With a win and a second in only two starts since February, Loyal Fox Hanover returned $19.40 for owners Vogel and Wags Nags Stable, Team Rice Racing and Adelphi Bloodstock. Maria Rice trains the 4-year-old gelded son of Andover Hall-Lady Luck Hanover.  

Monti and Morrill both added another win each to lead all drivers this day with two victories as did trainer Jennifer Giuliani. 

There were a plethora of pool carryovers to contend with during the card on Sunday where one got paid out, and two did not. 

The $5,000 guarantee on the Pick-5 wager brought in $6,268 of new money for a total pool of $7,870 and provided a healthy payout of $1,575.75 for a 50-cent wager on the winning combination of 2-7-1-6-3. 

On the other hand, the Jackpot Pick-6 in race five was not hit and will offer a carryover of $1,049 and the Jackpot Super Hi-5 in the 10^th race was also not hit and will have a carryover of $1,323. Both of these carryovers will be available when live racing resumes at Batavia Downs on Wednesday (Aug. 11). Post time for the first race is at 5:00 p.m. 

And as always, free full card past performance programs are available for every live race night at Batavia Downs by going to this link. https://www.bataviadownsgaming.com/live-racing/free-full-card-past-performance/

Press release:

Two divisions of New York Sire Stake 2-year-old trotting colts converged at Batavia Downs on Wednesday night (Aug. 4) to compete for a total purse of $101,700 and when the dust settled, Molotov Cocktail stole the show with eye-popping domination in a runaway win. 

Six trotters went postward for $50,400 and Scotty Zeron left hard with Molotov Cocktail (Chapter Seven-Moonlight Cocktail) from post five and got parked three-deep to the quarter in :28.4. But that difficult opening had no effect whatsoever on the colt who cleared, opened up two lengths, and then proceeded to annihilate the field. 

Zeron hit the half in :58.3 and then backed off the third quarter to 1:28.3, but had also opened up a six-length lead at that point. Circling the final bend Molotov Cocktail stretched that margin to seven and then while Zeron sat chilly down the lane, the colt swelled up and extended his lead to 11 lengths at the light where he won in 1:57.4. 

It was the second win of the year for Molotov Cocktail ($4.30) and both came in NYSS action. The colt is owned by Richard Gutnik, Thomas Pontone and Gary Cocco. Hall of Famer Linda Toscano trains the winner. 

In the first $51,300 division, Quincy Market (E L Titan-Dance To Market) was a convincing gate to wire winner in a personal best effort. 

Corey Callahan left like a rocket from post six in the field of seven with Quincy Market and took the lead three strides into the race. After settling on the pylons halfway into the turn, Grand Spa (Scott Zeron) followed in second and after two horses behind them broke at the eighth pole scattering the field, these top two were ahead by 15 lengths and it basically became a match race. The 7-5 co-favorites then continued to trot one-two in a :59.3 half and 1:29.2 three-quarters.

Quincy Market looked strong on the point and had a three-length advantage over Grand Spa in the last turn. At the top of the stretch, Grand Spa was still gapped and then made an unfortunate break, taking him out of contention. From there, Quincy Market trotted home under mild urging from Callahan and was the easiest of winners in 1:59.3, which was a new lifetime mark. 

Quincy Market’s career outing was his second lifetime win, both coming in NYSS action and he hasn’t missed the board all year. Owned by Harmony Oaks Racing Stable, James Crawford IV, Berg Bros. Stable and the Yorwollahan Racing Team, Quincy Market ($4.90) is trained by John Butenschoen. 

Jason Bartlett had another stellar night at the Downs scoring four driving wins during the evening.  

Racing resumes at Batavia Downs on Saturday (Aug. 7) with post time at 6:00 p.m.

Press release:

Racine Bell, who equaled the 4-year-old pacing mare world record of 1:48.1 at the Meadowlands in June and has been dominant in the Open class at Yonkers Raceway since spring, shipped into Batavia Downs on Wednesday night (Aug. 4) and demolished the existing track record for aged pacing mares after a dominant gate to wire victory in 1:51.3 in the $11,200 Mares Open pace.

Jason Bartlett took no prisoners off the gate and set torrid fractions of :27.2, :55.4 and 1:23.3, extending her lead at each station while the rest of the field tried to keep up. But that was not going to happen on this night as Racine Bell accelerated around the last turn and put a copious amount of real estate between her and the competition. In full flight down the stretch, Bartlett urged on Racine Bell, who responded and paced home in :28 flat to win by eight lengths in 1:51.3. 

The previous track record was 1:53 set by Xenia Hanover in 2013. The 1:51.3 clocking was also only 2/5th’s of a second off the all-time pacing track record of 1:51.1 set by Aracache Hanover in 2011. 

It was the 10th win of the year in only 16 starts for Racine Belle ($2.10) and it pushed her 2021 earnings to $174,050 for owners Chris Lawton and Dale Lawton, David Dewhurst trains the winner. 

Racing resumes at Batavia Downs on Saturday (Aug. 7) with post time at 6 p.m.

Press release:

The New York Sire Stakes will make their final visit to Batavia Downs for 2021 on Wednesday (Aug. 4) and will feature 2-year-old trotting colts competing for a total of $101,700 in purses. There will be a total of 13 going postward in two divisions and trotters from the stable of Hall of Fame trainer Linda Toscano are favored in each. 

In the first $51,300 division, Grand Spa has been tabbed the 2-1 favorite by the track handicapper and starts from post two. 

Grand Spa (E L Titan-Day At The Spa) has raced exclusively in the NYSS this year and has a win and two seconds to show for his efforts. The win was a lifetime mark of 1:57 taken at Vernon Downs where he won by 1-1/2 lengths. Last week at Tioga over a wet track he made a break off the gate and although he salvaged a second-place finish from the rough start, he futilely chased a runaway winner in Cool Papa Bell who was off by 7-1/4 lengths. He’s spotted well in here with the inside draw and looks like the one to beat. 

Scotty Zeron will be aboard Grand Spa once again this week. 

Quincy Market (E L Titan-Dance To Market) could possibly be the horse to beat Grand Spa because he did it on June 28 when he won an NYSS event at Yonkers in 2:00. Since then he has a second and third in series action but has also been trotting faster in those subsequent starts, albeit over larger tracks. Quincy Market has gate speed and likes the front and that should bode well for him here. The question that remains is can he close it out?

Corey Callahan leaves from post six with Quincy Market for trainer John Butenschoen and they have been made 3-1 morning line. 

The second division is worth $50,400 and the Toscano/Zeron tandem has Molotov Cocktail, which will start from post five and is listed as the favorite at 2-1 morning line. 

Molotov Cocktail (Chapter Seven-Moonlight Cocktail) copied his stablemate Grand Spa by taking an identical 1:57 lifetime mark at Vernon Downs on the same night but found himself up against a buzz-saw named Justice at Tioga last week who won in 1:55.4 there, which was the fastest of three splits. Molotov Cocktail raced well in that event and in fact, was race timed in an identical best 1:57, but finished fourth beaten six lengths. This field looks a bit more equal speed-wise so he should be very effective. 

The very close second choice at 5-2 is Velvet Style (Credit winner-Velvet’s Katie Bug) who tripped out behind that same Justice mile last week but couldn’t catch him either. However, Velvet Style did finish second and was race timed in 1:56.4, which was the fastest he has trotted all year. And Velvet Style is the only two-time winner in 2021 of the 13 entered in Wednesday’s stake. The horse can leave and this looks like a spot where he might. 

Jason Bartlett will drive Velvet Style from post six for trainer Mark Ford, who reached a milestone 4,000th training win on Sunday (Aug. 1). 

There are also two $15,000 Excel A races and one $6,500 Excel B race on the card Wednesday. Post time for the first race is 5 p.m.

Press release:

As a result of the heady drive by Shawn McDonough, Mugshots Bro made quick work of his competition and won the $11,200 Open Handicap trot at Batavia Downs on Sunday afternoon (Aug. 1). 

Mugshots Bro started widest in the scratch-shortened field of five and darted off the car and got the lead with no opposition at all. After scooting to the quarter in :28.3, McDonough grabbed leather and stifled the second panel to :30.3 as no one was mounting an attack. The four followers continued to do so around turn three and up the backstretch to the three-quarters where Mike Caprio finally pulled right line on All About Thechase from third and tried to advance, but Mugshots Bro had a 2-1/4 length lead at that point and maintained it around the last turn. As they headed down the lane All About Thechase and CR Blazin Beauty (Kevin Cummings) trotted sharply and did cut into the margin, but Mugshots Bro had the jump and wouldn’t be caught, crossing on top by 3/4’s of a length in 1:57.1. 

It was the first Open class victory of the year at Batavia Downs for Mugshots Bro ($3.80) and fifth Open of the year overall. With this win the 9-year-old gelded son of Jailhouse Jesse-Photo Emmy broke the quarter-million dollar mark and now boasts $252,046 in earnings for owners Herman Niedhammer Jr. and Herman Niedhammer. Shawn McDonough also trains the winner. 

McDonough ended the day with a training/driving double after winning with Best Ears (1:58, $3.00) in the 10th race. 

In the $10,000 Open II trot, Lunar Credit pulled off the upset after being a loose leader in a wire to wire win timed in 1:58.4. Trained by Jim McNeight, Lunar Credit is owned and driven by Jim McNeight Jr. and paid $14.40 to win. 

Racing resumes at Batavia Downs on Wednesday at 5 p.m. and there are several events of note for that session. 

The New York Sire Stakes will be in town with the 2-year-old trotting colts division going for a total purse of $101,700. 

And there is a $1,516 carryover in the Pick-5 wager that starts in the first race. Batavia Downs will be offering a guaranteed $5,000 pool for that wager in conjunction with the United States Trotting Association’s Strategic Wagering Program. That means free program pages for the first five races will be available starting Monday at ustrotting.com under the handicapping tab and at bataviadownsgaming.com under the live racing tab. 

And don’t forget that free full card past performance programs are always available for download for every live racing night at Batavia Downs at bataviadownsgaming.com under the live racing tab.

Press release:

Thor De Vie left a string of second-place finishes behind and got back to his winning ways after out-muscling a solid field of six in the $11,200 Open I Handicap pace at Batavia Downs on Saturday night (July 31).

It was Katy-bar-the-door horse racing in the night’s feature race as four horses left and no one would give way. It was Thor De Vie (Dave McNeight III) on the point on the pegs, Windsong Jack (Ray Fisher Jr.) one out and even, Endeavors Pride (Kevin Cummings) behind Thor De Vie and Surfer Beach (Jim Morrill Jr.) behind Windsong Jack. These four paced as a pack through fractions of: 27.4 and: 56.4 and continued the same past the five-eighths marker.

As the group headed up the backstretch, the outer flow began to lose touch and Endeavors Pride finally had room to roam. Cummings pulled Endeavors Pride approaching the three-quarters and hooked up with the leader. Endeavors Pride got as close as Thor De Vie’s wheel but getting closer was hard to do. Thor De Vie swelled up at the head of the stretch and held off the challenge as well as one from a late-closing Stranger Things (Kyle Cummings) to win by a neck in 1:54.3.

It was the fourth win of the year for Thor De Vie ($10.20) who is owned by Jim Graham, Lee Winters, Paul Tandlmayer, and Giuseppie Micchia. Jim Graham also trains the winner. 

The $10,000 Open II pace went to Lord Willoughby A who was catch-driven by Ray Fisher Jr. for owner/trainer Larry Stalbaum. Fisher sat chilly in the garden spot for seven-eighths of a mile while Catch A Lefty A (Mike Baumeister) dictated the pace, walking to the half in 59 before tapping the gas in a:27.4 third panel. But Lord Willoughby A kept uptight as the pace increased and when Fisher tipped him coming off the last turn, Lord Willoughby A paced hard down the lane and he caught Catch A Lefty A at the line to win by only a nose in 1:55.2. 

After scoring his fourth win of the year, Lord Willoughby A returned $5.40. 

Jim Morrill Jr. led all drivers on Saturday with three wins and trainers Jenn Giuliani, Gerry Sarama, and Lee Dahn all had two wins apiece.