The weather was cool, but Misty Memory N stayed hot after she won her fourth race out of five starts at Batavia Downs, taking the $12,300 distaff pacing feature on Wednesday night (Sept. 22).
Misty Memory N (Denny Bucceri) played give-and-go with Protect Blue Chip (Jim Morrill Jr.) and finally settled on the lead for good past the :28 first quarter. Upon reaching the half, Stay Beautiful (Braxten Boyd) was on a first-over rush and hastened the pace to 1:26 at three-quarters. But it was a one-shot deal for Stay Beautiful, as Misty Memory N left her — and the rest of the field — behind while she opened up a 2-1/4-length lead at the top of the stretch. From there, she paced home on her own, extending her advantage farther at the line. where she won in 1:54.3, her fastest win time at Batavia despite the off track.
Overall, it was the ninth win of the year for Misty Memory N ($5.60), who has now earned $71,976 in 2021. The eight-year-old daughter of Real Desire and Deja Vous is owned by the JP Houle Stable, who claimed her for $24,000 on Aug. 25. Gaston Lareau trains the winner.
The $11,000 Open II Pace for fillies and mares went to Queen Of Thrones (Jim Morrill Jr.), who took the lead after being parked through the first quarter in :27.4 and continued to extend her lead from there. After getting to three-quarters in 1:26 on top by 1-3/4 lengths, Queen Of Thrones gapped the field by three at the head of the stretch and paced away to a four-length win in 1:55.1.
After three consecutive second-place finishes, Queen Of Thrones ($5.50) got her fourth win of the year for owner-trainer Ryan Swift.
Driver Braxten Boyd and trainer Jennifer Giuliani teamed up to win three races on Wednesday to lead all others in their respective categories. They both had pictures taken with Ohio Prince (1:56.1, $2.30), Thedoginthefight (1:56.3, $3.30) and Rural Art (1:58.2, $2.70).
When live racing resumes at Batavia Downs on Friday (Sept. 24), there will be two carryovers featured: The Jackpot Super Hi-5 pentafecta has a carryover of $2,005 and the Jackpot Pick-6 has a carryover of $212. Post time for the first race is 5 p.m.
(Batavia Downs)