Last week, Fireyourguns looked home free down the stretch in the $8,500 Open Pace at Batavia Downs, but a costly bobble erased his hopes of a sure victory. Saturday night, Fireyourguns ($9.80) had a clean slate and made amends, easily blowing away the field in the Open in 1:54.2 over the fast track.
Sitting last in the field of seven past the half in a blistering :56.4 posted by Fire Up The Mach (Mickey Holliday), driver Mike Caprio put Fireyourguns in overdrive three-wide down the backstretch and with little effort cruised past the front six. He hit the three-quarter marker in 1:25.4 and it was all over but the shouting from there as Fireyourguns exploded away from the field. There were no issues down the lane this time around and Fireyourguns paced home to an impressive three length win over runner-up All My Friends Say (Elliott Deaton). Cactus Jack (Shawn McDonough) showed a mild rally to finish third.
The win was the fourth in 15 starts for Fireyourguns, owned by Terence McClory along with Jennifer and Robert Lowe. McClory trains the four-year-old, a winner of $31,810 this season.
A great 13-race card is set Sunday afternoon starting at 1:15 p.m. The New York Sire Stakes rolls into town again with two $65,220 divisions scheduled for the three-year-old colt and gelding trotters. E L Rocket, a fourth place finisher in a Hambletonian elimination earlier this season, highlights the second division which will go as the eighth race. There will also be five $12,700 Excelsior Series events for the three-year-old trotting colts and geldings on the program. The first Excelsior will be a non-betting affair at 12:50 p.m.
Sunday will also be Dollar Days with $1 Sahlen's hot dogs, sodas and draft beer.
(Batavia Downs)