With four months of the meet in the books and two months left to go, there is still a lot of action on tap at Batavia Downs for 2021 and this weekend is one not to be missed as betting and entertainment options will abound at the Genesee County oval.
The next night of live racing at Batavia Downs is Saturday, Nov. 6 as this Friday, Nov. 5 and Friday, Nov. 12 have been cancelled due to a lack of entries. But that doesn’t mean there will be a lack of action this weekend.
The Breeders' Cup races will be front and center at Batavia on Saturday and in order to conduct all live races at the track without conflicting with the Breeders' Cup broadcast, live post time will be moved from 5 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. to accommodate the simulcast.
With the altered post time for racing at the Downs Saturday, horsemen are advised to check the Lasix schedule and plan accordingly so as not to be late for your race. The schedule can be viewed at bataviadownsgaming.com.
Also, Batavia Downs is hosting its annual Breeders' Cup party that gives fans an all-in-one package that will keep them fed and entertained all night. For $20, the package includes a chicken bar-b-que dinner with sides and a beverage from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., a Breeders' Cup program, a Batavia Downs program, $15 in gaming free play on the gaming floor (must earn one base point) and a $5 horse wager for Batavia Downs. Reservations are recommended and can be made by calling 585-343-3750. Walk-ups will be accommodated based on availability.
Besides all the Breeders' Cup action available to bet, there are also two big carryover pools available for the live harness card. First in the Jackpot Pick-6 -- that starts in race six and runs through race 12 -- there is a carryover of $1,206 and then in race 12, the Jackpot Super Hi-5 pentafecta has a carryover of $15,298.
In addition to the two carryover wagers, the free to play Pick-6 Contest pool has grown to $1,200 and sign-up for that begins at 2:45 p.m. Saturday at Players Club. The contest runs from race four through nine. And last but not least, the popular Match Play promotion continues. Guests that wager $25 on any Batavia Downs race at the same time will receive $25 back in free play on the gaming floor that can be redeemed after earning just five points. Free full past performance program pages are available at bataviadownsgaming.com.
One of the horsemen competing in all those carryover races is Jim Morrill Jr., who has been the hottest driver on the grounds all year. Morrill has already registered 100 wins during the meet so far since July, 54 wins ahead of his nearest competitor Kevin Cummings (46). But what he has done recently is nearly unprecedented. Over the past 30 days, Morrill has won 42 races in only 101 starts with 19 seconds and 6 thirds and has a UDR of .536. Morrill is currently seventh overall in North America for the year with an overall UDR of .388.
After this weekend, there are only 11 racing nights left at Batavia Downs that will be contested on a Wednesday-Saturday schedule with all post times at 5 p.m.
(With files from Batavia Downs)