By Tim Bojarski, for Batavia Downs
Keystone Apache was a dominant force in the $10,500 Open II trot at Batavia Downs on Friday night (Sept. 13) and scored his eighth win of the year in the easiest of fashion.
Keystone Apache (Billy Davis Jr.) left slowly and made a gradual attack at the lead. He got there by the quarter in :28.4 and from that point on, the race was over. With a two-length gap for the next half mile, Keystone Apache stopped the timer in :57.3 and 1:27.3.
With the plugs having already been pulled before that the station, Keystone Apache extended his lead to four-lengths heading into the final turn and maintained it into the stretch. Davis had little left to do as his horse was off and gone; Keystone Apache jogged across the wire by three lengths in 1:58.2.
Keystone Apache ($6.40) upped his 2019 income to $62,092 for owners Vogel and Wags Nags Stable, Jack Rice and Adelphi Bloodstock. Maria Rice trains the winner.
Several horsemen had multiple wins on Friday. Dave McNeight III and Shawn McDonough led the way with three driving wins apiece while Jim Morrill Jr. and Billy Davis Jr. each had two. Trainer Maria Rice also had two winners.
The $1.8 million New York Sire Stakes Night of Champions that are comprised of eight $225,000 races will be held at Batavia Downs on tonight (Sept. 14) with a first race post time of 6 o'clock.
Peter Kleinhans will be the track’s guest host and handicapper for the in-house and simulcast broadcast and Heather Wilder will be in the Purple Haze winner’s circle interviewing the winners and all their connections after each stakes race.
There will be two $7,500 guaranteed pools in both the early and late Pick-4 wagers that night and both will be all-stake Pick-4s (races 3-6 and races 7-10). The pools are part of the United States Trotting Association’s Strategic Wagering Program and free program pages will be available on the USTA’s website and through links on the Batavia Downs Facebook page when they become available.
Free full card programs are now available for download from the Daily Racing Form Harness.
There will be a T-shirt giveaway courtesy of the NYSS on Saturday night as well. Fans attending the races live only need to swipe their Player’s Club card at guest services starting at 4:30 p.m. to receive a ticket to get their shirt after the seventh race.
