Cold and damp weather. No problem. Assigned the outside post. Not an issue. There's nothing that currently can stop What The Sheik these days as he continues to impress.
With Jim Morrill Jr. in the sulky, What The Sheik toyed with the field of eight and took the $9,000 Open Pace at Batavia Downs Saturday night (Nov. 3) for the third time in four weeks, scoring a one and three-quarter length victory over Le Reina Road (Dave McNeight III) in 1:55.2. Golden Terror (John Cummings Jr.) took third.
Going three-wide around the final turn, What The Sheik ($4.80) passed the dull cover of Arterosa and the tiring pacesetter King Otra, who set fractions of :27.1, :56.4 and 1:25.3. Down the stretch, What The Sheik needed no encouragement from Morrill Jr. as he pulled away from the field, using a :29.4 final panel to hold off any threats.
What The Sheik, owned by JML Stables Inc. of Heathrow, Florida and Michael Torcello of Hamburg, New York, has now finished either first or second in his past seven appearances. He was claimed earlier during the summer-fall for $12,500 and has notched six victories.
Like Big Baller, the winner of the Friday night feature, What the Sheik is a serious candidate for local Horse of the Year honours.
The victory sent What The Sheik's 2012 earnings to $42,846. The five-year-old son of Western Terror is trained by Gerry Sarama.
After three dark days, the action at Batavia Downs will resume on Wednesday evening with a 12-race card scheduled to begin at 6:25 p.m. The feature will be the $9,000 Fillies and Mares Open Pace along with five divisions of the Henry Tojj Pacing Series with each race carrying a $7,000 purse.
(With files from Batavia Downs)