After not having started from an inside post since July 1, Elegant Woman A took full advantage of her pylon position and easily handled her peers in the $18,750 Fillies and Mares Open Handicap Pace at Batavia Downs over a sloppy track during a rainy Wednesday, Sept. 9 card.
Rightfully Mine (Leon Bailey) shot right to the front, but Elegant Woman A (Drew Monti) immediately left the pocket to take control before reaching the quarter in :27.3. Elegant Woman A paced on the point as she made her way to the half in :56.3, where Windsun Charlotte (Dave McNeight III) made a first-over move and got to within a length of the leader at the 1:25 three-quarters.
As they made their way around turn four, Windsun Charlotte hung on as best she could, but Elegant Woman A had changed gears and was charging away from the group. The pacesetter had a two-length advantage at the top of the lane and was a wrapped-up 1-1/2-length winner in 1:55.1. Utopia Blue Chip (Dale Spence) rallied for second over Windsun Charlotte.
The win was the fifth of the year in 20 outings for Elegant Woman A ($2.66), who races for Vogel and Wags Nags LLC, Jack Rice, Maria Rice and her driver, Drew Monti. Maria Rice trains the six-year-old daughter of Bettors Delight-Versace Woman, who is now 15-for-50 lifetime.
Elegant Woman A wasn’t the only horse taking advantage of pylon position on Wednesday, as six consecutive races (five through 10) were won by the number one. That included the two conditioned claiming sub-features, which went for $11,111 apiece.
The pace was won by Caviart Val (Ray Fisher Jr.), who tripped out and then closed late to win by a quarter-length in 1:55.3. Caviart Val ($14.90) is owned by Chelsea Prescott and trained by Luis Porfilio.
In the trot, My One Percent (Kyle Cummings) led at every station while incrementally extending his lead before crossing the wire ahead by 4-1/4 lengths in 1:59. My One Percent ($3.18) is owned by his trainer-driver Kyle Cummings in partnership with Matthew Miller.
Brett MacDonald was the big man in the bike on Wednesday as he posted a grand slam during the 12-race program. MacDonald won with Four finger Floyd (1:57, $17.88), Andrews Ideal (1:56.4, $50.56), Run Around John (1:57.2, $7.94) and Great Unknown (2:01.1, $4.30).
Dave Russo led all trainers after sending out two winners from his barn.
Live racing will resume at Batavia on Saturday at 5 p.m. There will be a guaranteed pool of $3,000 (with a $538 carryover) in the Pick-5 wager in the first race, made possible through the United States Trotting Association’s Strategic Wagering Program. Free program pages for the Pick-5 races will be available at ustrotting.com under the “Handicapping” tab.
There will also be a $2,652 carryover in the Jackpot Hi-5 pentafecta wager in the 13th race.
(Batavia Downs)