Batavia Downs will celebrate the opening night of its 2019 live racing season on Wednesday (July 24) by welcoming the New York Sire Stakes. A pair of $53,000 divisions for two-year-old trotting fillies will be on the docket.
The first split (Race 5) will feature the undefeated Love A Good Story (Chapter Seven-Celebrity Lovin), who has been listed as the 6-5 morning choice from Post 6 for ‘Team Orange Crush’: Andy and Julie Miller. The filly took her 1:55.1 lifetime mark at Tioga Downs in her second career start (she has won all three of all her races by open lengths). The filly is currently the top point earner in her bracket and has banked $52,600 in purses thus far.
The second division (Race 6) will feature a pair or performers from the Ake Svanstedt Stable that were made the morning line choice at 2-1 (stable entry). Seventimesalady (Chapter Seven-Ava Marion) and Destiny Blue Chip (Chapter Seven-Chasin Clouds Away) will start from Post 1 and 7, respectively.
Seventimesalady is winless after two starts, but not for lack of performance. She chased Love A Good Story in a fast 1:55.1 at Tioga to finish second in her first lifetime start. She then got parked out for the majority of her mile from Post 7 at Yonkers last week before finishing third. She will be looking to get a good trip from the pylons with her trainer Svandstedt in the bike.
Destiny Blue Chip is also winless after two starts, but has put in two solid races where she trotted close to the leaders and garnered a couple of thirds for her work. She will move out in post from those starts, but will pick up driver Jim Morrill Jr. this week.
A trio of $15,000 Excelsior ‘A’ divisions have been carded as races three, four and seven, while two $6,700 Excelsior ‘B’ divisions have been programmed as races eight and nine.
The first race of the evening will head to post at 6 p.m.
(With files from Batavia Downs)