Local battlers Crazy Ritz and Livonjaxandqueens both added to their seasonal tallies with victories in the $17,606 Opens at Batavia Downs on Saturday, Oct. 25 over a track rated good.
In the Open Handicap Trot, Crazy Ritz (Jim McNeight Jr.) went right to the front and set fractions of :28.1, :58.2, and 1:27.4, followed closely into the last turn by Dougadougadew (Kyle Cummings) and Valentine Express (Joe Chindano Jr.), as the rest of the field had made breaks at this point. That top three went around the bend and into the stretch where Dougadougadew went inside and Valentine Express went out to form a two-pronged attack against the leader. But Crazy Ritz was unfazed as he outlasted the duo and won by a neck in 1:57.3. Dougadougadew was second over Valentine Express.
Crazy Ritz ($14.54) is now a five-time winner this season in 25 starts for trainer Jeff Martin and owner James Palladino. The five-year-old Crazy Wow-Bubblesnritz stallion improved his record to 17-for-78 and his earnings to $271,928.
In the Open Handicap Pace, Livonjaxandqueens (Denny Bucceri) sat fourth as Lip Reader A (Drew Monti) and Villiam (Chindano) traded leads to the :27.3 quarter before Villiam finally settled on the point and took the troops to the half in :56.4. Deebo Hanover (Kyle Cummings) then pulled out and led the outer flow with Livonjaxandqueens on his back. Halfway up the backstretch, Livonjaxandqueens went three-wide around Deebo Hanover and drew alongside Villiam at three-quarters in 1:25, and the two battled into the stretch. As Chindano and Bucceri bounced up and down in their respective sulkies, Livonjaxandqueens chipped away at Villiam, and when they crossed the line, Livonjaxandqueens had forged to the front by a neck in 1:54.1. Lip Reader A was third.
The win was the eighth of the year in 25 starts for Livonjaxandqueens ($4.12), who is owned by Howard Ouriel and trained by Jim Rothfuss. The five-year-old intact son of American Ideal-Its De Lovely is now 22-for-82 lifetime with $293,869 in the bank.
Kyle Cummings and Kyle Swift both had three driving wins, with Swift adding a training tally. Trainers Jeff Martin and Chris Petrelli led all conditioners on Saturday with two wins apiece.
Live racing resumes at Batavia Downs on Wednesday, Oct. 29 with post time at 6 p.m.
(Batavia Downs; photo of Crazy Ritz winning on Oct. 25)