Pair of six-horse fields highlight opening night at Batavia Downs

Batavia Downs opened its 2024 summer/fall meet on Saturday night. The 3-year-old pacing filly division of the New York Sire Stakes was in town, featuring two six-horse fields that vied for $58,100 each.

The first division was won by A Few Choice Words (Courtly Choice-Top Choice Hanover), who made every station a winning one.

Jim Marohn Jr. put A Few Choice Words on the point off the gate and skated through fractions of :28.2, :57.2 and 1:25.3 before Stepabovetherest (Braxton Boyd) pulled from third and tried to advance. But the closest she would get to the leader would be second, next to the pocket-sitting Leanne’s Choice (Marcus Miller) because A Few Choice Words turned for home and paced with authority to the line where she won in 1:54.

It was the third win in a row and sixth out of the last seven for A Few Choice Words, who is owned by Clancy Farms and trained by Blake Macintosh.

Then there was an upset in the second division when She’s Epic (American Ideal-Booya Beach) shook loose and flew home late at 15-1.

Camerican (Jim Morrill Jr.) grabbed the lead from Peace Talks (Jim Marohn Jr.) just before the quarter and then tempered the pace to the half in :57.4. Camerican continued her easy lead around the third turn and up the backstretch until She’s Epic (Tyler Buter) pulled from fourth and made her way to second by three-quarters in 1:26.4. She’s Epic pulled alongside Camerican and the pace got decidedly more intense as the fillies matched strides around the final bend and into the stretch. Despite their best efforts, neither girl could get ahead until three pylons from the wire where She’s Epic lived up to her name and rode a :26.4 final panel to a one-half length victory in 1:54.

It was the third win of the year for She’s Epic ($33.40) who is owned by John Cummins and trained by Travis Alexander.

Buter got the hat trick on Saturday after winning two $20,000 Excelsior legs with Hurricaneaphrodite (1:54, $3.90) for trainer John McDermott and Tempville (1:56.1, $4.90) for trainer George Ducharme. Ducharme also trained the winner of the third Excelsior leg, Villannah (1:55.2, $13.80) driven by Jim Morrill Jr. who also had a hat trick on Saturday night.

Live racing resumes at Batavia Downs on Tuesday (July 30) at 6 p.m.

Photos by Nick Serrata.