On the heels of a Nor'easter that dumped significant amounts of snow, sleet and rain in western New York, the track at Batavia Downs was swampy at best. But that didn’t deter Lougazi from flexing his muscle in winning the $11,000 Open Handicap trot on Friday night (November 16).
Southern Palms (Kevin Cummings) out-dueled Empire Earl N (Drew Monti) for the lead and paid the price with a :28.4 quarter. Cummings then grabbed leather to give his horse a breather to the half in 1:00.1. But the party ended there as rolling up on the outside when they hit that second fraction was Lougazi (Ray Fisher Jr.) and he wasn’t fooling around.
Lougazi hooked up with Southern Palms as they motored up the backside and the two trotted in tandem past the three-quarters and around the last turn. At the head of the stretch, Fisher gave Lougazi his head and then sat chilly in the bike as Lougazi simply trotted away from the field to win by two in 2:00.1.
Definitely the hottest trotter in western New York, Lougazi ($3.90) scored his 10th win of 2018 for owner Mary Warriner, who has now benefited the amount of $54,570 as a result of his performances.
The $8,800 Open II Trot went to Crystal Sphere (Billy Davis Jr.) who went gate-to-wire, pulling away in a romp and winning by six lengths in 2:00.1. It was the 12th win of the year for Crystal Sphere ($15.80), who is trained by James Clouser Jr. for owner William Emmons.
Billy Davis Jr. and Ray Fisher Jr. were the top reinsmen on Friday, each winning three races on the card.
Racing resumes at Batavia Downs on Saturday evening (November 17) at 6 p.m.
(Batavia Downs)