A pair of $18,493 Opens topped the card at Batavia Downs on Saturday night, Aug. 17 and the victorious parties of each event were no strangers to the winner's circle.
First, in the Open Trot, Treasured Tee (pictured above) tripped out to his second consecutive score at this level with Joe Chindano Jr. driving.
Crazy Ritz (Jim McNeight Jr.) was the leader through fractions of :28.3, :59 and 1:28.1 while Treasured Tee followed each step from the pocket and nobody from behind made any aggressive moves. At three-quarters, Chindano pulled Treasured Tee and matched strides with Crazy Ritz around the last turn and into the stretch. Then, five pylons in, Treasured Tee bolted and won by a length in 1:57. Favourite R Royal Port (Jim Morrill Jr.) finished second and Gracious Triumph (Shawn McDonough) was third.
The win was the eighth win of the year in 29 starts for Treasured Tee, who is owned by Ontario-based trainer Francis Guillemette in partnership with Stephane Geoffroy of St-Jerome, Que. Sent off as the 3-1 third choice, the nine-year-old Yankee Glide gelding paid $8.80 to win.
Two races later, in the Open Handicap Pace, The Longest Yard went to the front and hung on in a squeaker.
With Jim Morrill Jr. catch-driving, The Longest Yard took control off the gate while favoured Lip Reader A (Drew Monti) dropped in second for the mile. The Longest Yard set solid fractions of :28, :57.2 and 1:26 with Lip Reader A breathing down his neck and the rest of the field trying to keep pace. Lip Reader A tipped coming off the last turn and drew even with The Longest Yard as the pair hooked up in a duel to the wire. Lip Reader A tried hard, but The Longest Yard refused to lose and hung on by a neck in 1:54.1. It was four lengths back to third-place finisher Stranger Things (Shawn McDonough).
The Longest Yard recorded his fifth victory of the season from 23 starts, returning $4.30 to win as the second choice. Sam Smith trains the five-year-old Rockin Image gelding for owner Mike Torcello of Hamburg, New York.
Chindano and Morrill each had a grand slam in the bike while Smith and James Rothfuss both trained three winners on the card.
Live harness racing resumes at Batavia Downs on Wednesday, Aug. 21 at 6 p.m.
(With files from Batavia Downs)