A Hay Luva Paige wins stretch drive at Batavia Downs

Batavia, NY — It was a calvary charge to the finish line in the $9,000 Open Trot at Batavia Downs on Monday afternoon and when the dust settled, it was A Hay Luva Paige and driver Shawn Gray in front in 1:59.1.

After Photo Smart (Angus MacDonald) set the early fractions of :28.3, :59.1 and 1:28.4, the rest of the field was ready to pounce on the leader for the stretch drive. And pounce they did.

It was A Hay Luva Paige ($4.20) who fanned out four wide, had the best late kick to the wire, and out-trotted runner-up Serious George (Jack Flanigen) by a quarter length. Sharp Lady (Ray Fisher, Jr.) finished in third.

It was the 11th win of the season in 26 starts for A Hay Luva Paige and pushed his earnings in 2012 to $64,700 for owners Darrin Monti of and Robert Hummel. Monti, who conditioned the winner, had a training double on the day.

Besides winning the feature, Batavia Downs’ leading driver Shawn Gray had four wins on the card while Jack Flanigen and David McNeight III had doubles. Veteran trainers Gerry Sarama and Dave McNeight, Jr. each had two wins apiece.

In the annual Driver’s Bike Race, a Labor Day tradition at Batavia Downs since 1979, it was the young legs of 19-year-old reinsman Mickey Holliday who took the victory followed by Lee Dahn and Bobby Verney.

The fall schedule will kick in at Batavia Downs starting this Wednesday. The track will present programs on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday nights with post time each evening set for 6:25 p.m.

— Brian Mazurek

Harrington Raceway
Kovach Stables, George Teague and Ted Gewertz’s Windfall Blue Chip ($5.80, Montrell Teague) was victorious in the $20,000 Open at Harrington Raceway on Monday. The 5-year-old Art Major stallion settled in third out of the starting gate behind early pacesetter and favorite Lou’s Bad Yankee who set fractions of :27.1 and :56.2. Windfall Blue Chip followed Stolen Car up the backstretch to the three-quarters in 1:25.2 and started to edge three-wide, where he would eventually gather in the leaders and prevail narrowly over a hard charging Artist Point. Stolen Car was third. It was the third win of the year for Windfall Blue Chip, who is trained by George Teague. Teague, Tony Morgan, Jon Roberts and George Dennis each had driving doubles.

Vernon Downs
Top driver Rick Plano posted his 100th win of the season at Vernon Downs following a 1:52.3 journey behind his wife Maryann’s pacer Hay Goodlooking in Monday afternoon’s featured ninth race. Leaving from the outside seven post against five fast and fit rivals in the Labor Day headliner, Hay Goodlooking ($6.50) raced to the front and was never headed en route to a half-length decision over the crowd wagering choice, No Monkeys Allowed. The win also provided Plano with his 13th double of Vernon’s 64-program meeting, and his 52nd training tally. The 60-year-old horseman is currently tied with defending driving champ Jimmy Whittemore for the lead in two-score outings at the Downs in 2012, and deadlocked at 52 with Tracy Brainard, last season’s training titleist, atop the track’s conditioning chart. The game-going performance marked the second Vernon victory, fourth season’s score and 31st lifetime win for the 6-year-old son of Art Major-Monique’s Legacy, who increased his career bankroll to $460,689. Drivers Joe Nassimos and Brian Connor also earned a pair of win credits during Monday’s 11-race card.

Scioto Downs
Bettorseeitmyway and Lil Miss Alibi each took honors in the Labor Day afternoon features at Scioto Downs. Bettorseeitmyway was the even-money favorite in the fifth race for leading driver Chris Page. Page let Morningsailor and Aaron Merriman get to the front before making a second quarter move with Bettorseeitmyway that took the sophomore gelding to the front. The half-mile time clicked at :57. Page put his pacer on idle in the third quarter and had plenty left in the homestretch to gun away from his pursuers by 2-1/2 lengths in 1:55. No More Doubt was second and Joe Ken Win picked up the show dough. Mary Dawson trains and owns the son of Dontgetinmyway. It was his third win in 18 starts this season and the 1:55 time was a new mark for the young pacer. Driver Greg Grismore used similar tactics to win with Lil Miss Alibi in 1:55.2. He let Upfrontdragonswest shoot to the lead early in the mile, but then Grismore made his move with Lil Miss Alibi. With a slow second quarter, Grismore was able to position his pacer as the leader of the pack. Things got more challenging for Lil Miss Alibi in the second half. She needed to put on her pacing shoes to fashion a final half in :57.1 to hold off the homestretch charge of Memphis Babe by a neck. Upfrontdragonswest was third. Steve Livingston trains the winning mare and co-owns her in partnership with Cindy Austen. It was her third win in 27 starts this season and she took a new lifetime mark in the process.