By Kevin Oklobzija
Weekend Spot Play Hot Plays for Batavia Downs
Friday
Race 2
No. 1 Pilgrims All In (7/2 morning line). Draws the rail, which he had last week, but now Jim Morrill Jr. gets the drive. Expect a short price. Expect a win.
Race 4
No. 5 Fleet Bumblebee (3-1 morning line). Drops in class and comes off an impressive win in the slop at Northfield. In his previous two starts at Batavia, he was first-over as the favorite on Oct. 13, and the week before he lost by a head to the Ron Burke millionaire DWs NY Yank. Will need to hold off Fox Valley Veto late.
Race 8
No. 3 Dragon the Wagon (5/2 morning line). Locked in until the lane or he might have reeled in BZ Glide. Now he gets the big advantage in post positions and he should be powerful tonight.
Race 10
A little exacta box special: No. 1 Chelseas Chance and No. 3 Studio City. They both drop in class. They both, on a regular basis, trot faster than this field. As easy as 1-3.
Saturday
Race 1
No. 1 Montezuma Bluechip (8-1 morning line). Makes his second start back after a three-month freshening. Soared home last week. Paced a sub-1:53 mile at Buffalo this summer and his two return qualifiers were very strong. He should trip out from the cones.
Race 2
No. 5 Big Ricky (9/2 morning line). He moves up in class again but he’s simply too sharp to not use. Maybe Lasix has enabled him to turn the corner. His brush-and-crush last week was ultra impressive in a 1:53.3 mile.
Race 3
No. 3 China Dream (7/2 morning line). When’s the last time this guy was in this cheap? Gets the jump on Teo Enteo A.
Race 6
No. 4 Little Man Cam (3-1 morning line). After a 7- and 8-hole the past two weeks, he draws a perfect post and drops into a bottom level condition. But the biggest reason to like him: he faces a lot of horses that simply aren’t close to sharp. Billy Davis Jr. gets the drive, and he chose off the 1 and the 2 to drive this guy.
Recapping Wednesday’s SPHPs
Race 1
Bad Glamour Girl. Fourth. The complexion of the race changed at the start when the 1, Time Clock Hanover, broke stride. Instead of being in position to get second-over cover, Bad Glamour Girl was forced to pull first over. She ended up fourth.
Race 3
Fie Fy Foe. Winner. Got the expected dream second-over trip and roared home, paying $12.00.
Race 6
Diamond J. Sixth. This was a flier, no doubt, with the hope he could land second or third in the trifecta. But the pace was deathly slow for the first half, and after that no one had a chance to close.
Race 8
Sarah Cola. Winner. Scarlet N Silk, who didn’t look good on the track last week, went off stride well before the start. That enabled Billy Davis Jr. to put Sarah Cola on the lead and she held off Quicksilvercandy A to win by a neck. Paid $6.
Race 11
Story Book. Winner. There really was little chance he could lose, which is why he was 1/20 and returned $2.10. But because of Story Brook, I said the Pick 3 was really a Pick 3. It paid $46.20 with a 4-1 winning the ninth race and a 2-1 winning the 10th.
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