Batavia, NY — The featured race at Batavia Downs on Monday (Oct. 12) was the $13,500 Open Handicapped pace for fillies and mares and for the second time in as many starts, Granny’s Watching won with a solid performance.
Granny’s Watching (Shawn McDonough) went right to the front and set quarters of :28.1, :58.2 and 1:27.1, before seeing a challenge of any kind. And that challenge came from Utopia Blue Chip (Dale Spence), who paced alongside the leader from three-quarters and around the last turn. But Granny’s Watching was up to the task as she turned back Utopia Blue Chip and then held off Gentrify (Brett MacDonald) in deep stretch to win by 1-1/4 lengths in 1:56.3.
It was the eighth win of the year for Granny’s Watching ($6.10), who is owned by her trainer, Taylor Fritz, in partnership with Hartel Maintenance.
Then in the undercard $10,500 A-B Handicap for fillies and mares, Wicked Beauty A (Ray Fisher Jr.) also made it two in a row after putting on quite a show in victory. Wicked Beauty A cut the mile in :27.4, :56.2 and 1:24.3, while extending her lead to seven open lengths. By the top of the stretch, Wicked Beauty was nine lengths clear and darted home much the best to win in 1:54.4.
Wicked Beauty A ($3.60) is owned by Adelphi Ventures and trained by Maria Rice.
Chase Russo and Brady Galliers both registered two driving wins on Monday.
Live racing will resume at Batavia Downs on Wednesday (Oct. 14) at 3:00 p.m. and there will be a $16,925 carryover in the Jackpot Super Hi-5 pentafecta wager in the 11th race.
There will also be a guaranteed pool of $3,000 in the Pick-5 wager in the day’s first race, made possible by the United States Trotting Association’s Strategic Wagering Program.
Free full card past performance programs for every live card of racing at Batavia Downs can always be downloaded at the track’s website (bataviadownsgaming.com) under the “Live Racing” tab. And you can watch all the races live as they happen for free on the Batavia Downs YouTube page.