One of the toughest horses to ever race in upstate New York continued his dominance at Batavia Downs by winning his third consecutive start in the $9,500 Open pacing feature on an 85 degree, late-summer Saturday night in front of a full house of race-goers.
It was a battle from the start as Closing Credits (Dave McNeight III) pushed hard for the lead, parking Cobble Beach (Jack Flanigen) and Pocono Downs invader Scott Rocks (Kevin Cummings) two and three-wide to the quarter in :26.4. Scott Rocks eventually cleared the front, but didn’t slow the pace as the group rambled to the half in :55.1. At that point, Fireyourguns (Mike Caprio) was sitting last.
Scott Rocks continued his unfettered lead past three-quarters in 1:23.2 when his immediate pursuers started to fan three-across the track at the top of the stretch, forming a wall in front of the trailing Fireyourguns. But undaunted, Caprio ducked inside one horse and ducked around another, finding just enough room to allow Fireyourguns to turn on the afterburners and make up about two lengths in the final 20 yards and score a breathtaking victory in 1:52.3.
The win was the 11th in 14 starts for the gelded son of American Ideal and it pushed his 2015 earnings to $68,625 for owners Jennifer and Robert Lowe and Terry McClory, who also trains the horse. The winner paid $9.20.
Saturday was also Drew Monti bobblehead night and the promotion seemed to have a decided effect on the attendance and handle. Not only were all the bobbleheads distributed to anxiously waiting fans, the on-track handle was up 16 percent, making it the second best live wagering night of the season. The overall handle was likewise up 11 percent.
The track also catered to a sold-out crowd in the clubhouse and was encouraged to see a solid group fans on the apron and at the fence. Attendance was estimated at 3,000.
Live racing resumes at Batavia Downs on Monday afternoon (Sept. 7) for the annual Labor Day matinee with post time set for 1:15 p.m.
(Batavia Downs)