By Tim Bojarski, for Batavia Downs
A pair of $9,000 claiming/conditioned trots topped the card at Batavia Downs on Friday night (Oct. 4) and the winner of each took a different route to victory.
Call My Broker (Jim Morrill Jr.) took full advantage of his pylon post position and seated the field off the gate. Then, after cutting moderate fractions of :28.4, :59.3 and 1:29.1, Morrill kept Call My Broker rolling down the lane and held off the pocket-sitting Barn Winner (Ray Fisher Jr.) to win by three quarters of a length in 1:58.3.
Call My Broker ($3.60) scored his fourth win of the year for owner Frank Meier and trainer Angelo Nappo.
Later in the other division, Alert Hanover (Shawn McDonough) started from post two and opted to stay there, taking the garden spot trip behind Golden Tate (Jim Morrill Jr.) from the start to the top of the lane where Golden Tate made a break he did not recover from. McDonough directed his horse around the off-stride trotter and cruised home on top by a length, also in 1:58.3.
Winning his fourth race of the year as well, Alert Hanover ($6.80) was owned by Carl Kuepfer and trained by Patrick Shepherd until the race ended when he was claimed.
Racing resumes at Batavia Downs on today (Oct. 5) with post time at 6 p.m.
