Photo of HP Sissy with driver Drew Monti.
By Tim Bojarski, for Batavia Downs
She went on tour for two weeks an won an upper class conditioned race at Yonkers Raceway in the process, but HP Sissy proved that there is no place like home and after winning her now third straight $12,500 fillies and mares Open I Handicap pace at Batavia Downs on Wednesday night (Oct. 23).
HP Sissy (Drew Monti) and Gia’s Surreal (Jim Morrill Jr.) played give and take with the lead to the :27.4 quarter before “Sissy” came back out to reclaim the lead again past that station and this time, it was for good. With the short but select field of five followers in single-file pursuit, HP Sissy cruised through fractions of :57.4 and 1:26.3 with the greatest of ease.
Coming off the far turn, Gia’s Surreal pulled the pocket she occupied throughout the mile and took her best shot at the leader. But with no more than a reminder from Monti, HP Sissy paced strong through the lane and won by a measured length in 1:55.4.
Having the year of her life, HP Sissy ($4.10) registered her 13th win of the year and boosted her earnings to $109,493 for owner Finocchario’s Dream Stable and trainer Mike Ohol.
The $11,000 fillies and mares Open II Handicap pace saw Who’s Got The Move (Dave McNeight III) turn a garden-spot trip behind Machin Marley (Billy Davis Jr.) into a neck victory at the wire over her cover in a time of 1:56.4. Although she set a lifetime mark last week and drew post one here, Who’s Got The Move returned a surprising $19.80 for the win. The 5-year-old Shadyshark Hanover mare is owned by Richard and Lynn Fisher, who also trains the winner.
Driver Jim Morrill Jr. Was red hot on Wednesday, getting the Grand Slam on the card. Morrill won with Magdalana Royalty (2:02.1, $5.40), Jus Chillin It (2:00.1, $21), Lyra (1:57.3, $5) and Southfield Spirit (2:00.4, $10).
Morrill, who is in second place in the dash win category behind Billy Davis Jr., closed the gap with those four wins and is now only 14 behind with 27 nights of racing left. Morrill has a Universal Driver Rating (UDR) of .404 for the meet and has already broken the track record for earnings by a driver in a single season at Batavia Downs with over $880,000 banked this meet.
There was no winner of the Pick-5 on Wednesday and as a result, there is a $916 carryover and a guaranteed $3,000 pool for the Pick-5 on Friday (Oct. 25) when live racing resumes at Batavia Downs. Post time on Friday is 6 p.m.
