Batavia, NY — Batavia Downs opened their 2024 summer-fall meet on Saturday (July 27) with two $58,100 divisions of the New York Sire Stakes for 3-year-old pacing fillies.
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 (Braxten 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) — before A Few Choice Words turned for home and paced with authority to the line to win 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.
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 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 a 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.