Protect Blue Chip back to winning ways

Batavia, NY — Protect Blue Chip finished third in her first start back last week after returning from a five week respite. That start served her well as she bounced back with a season’s best effort in winning the $12,300 Distaff Open Handicap harness racing pace at Batavia Downs on Wednesday night (Sept. 15).

Jim Morrill Jr. hustled Protect Blue Chip to the lead and kept everyone honest through fractions of :27.4 and :57. At that point the field split — three in and three out — with the outer flow consisting of Stay Beautiful (Braxton Boyd), Wonderful World (Drew Monti) and Misty Memory N (Shawn McDonough).

Feeling the pressure, Morrill tapped the gas and Protect Blue Chip sped up the third panel to :28.2. However despite the increased tempo, Stay Beautiful continued to reel in the leader and Misty Memory N tipped three high and was full of pace. Heading for home and in the midst of attack, Protect Blue Chip stayed brave and fended off all comers under a mere line drive by Morrill and won by a 1-1/4 lengths in a 2021 personal best of 1:54.

It was the eighth win of the year for Protect Blue Chip ($3.40), a six-year-old mare by American Ideal, who is owned by Vogel & Wags Nags, Team Rice Racing and Adelphi Bloodstock. Maria Rice is the trainer.

PROTECT BLUE CHIP REPLAY

Morrill ended up as the winningest driver on Wednesday after he added scores with Willy Mouse (2:00.1, $5.40) and Hey Kobe (1:56.4, $4.20) to take home the hat trick.

A scratch shortened field of five mares started in the $9,900 Open III pace and when they hit the wire they were all only 1-1/2 lengths apart from each other.

Ellieonthemove (Kevin Cummings) got away easy and led to the half without opposition. Then Twin B Kini (Drew Monti) tipped first-over at five-eighths and drew even with the leader by the 1:27.3 three-quarters.

At the top of the stretch the entire field fanned out across the track and all five horses had a shot to win, but Twin B Kini was toughest of all and hung on by a neck in 1:56.4.

TWIN B KINI REPLAY

Twin B Kini ($5.00), who came in fresh off winning the New York Sire Stake County Fair final for 3-year-old pacing fillies at Historic Track in Goshen on Sunday (Sept. 5), increased her 2021 win total to 11 on the strength of this victory for her owners John Sixt and Judy Blaun, who also does the training.

Monti and Blaun combined to score a consecutive double after they won with Barry Hanover (1:55.3, $3.10) in the following race.

The Jackpot Hi-5 pentafecta was not hit in the last race on Wednesday so there will be a $946 carryover for that bet on Friday when live racing resumes at Batavia Downs at 5 p.m.

For full race results, click here.

By Tim Bojarski, for Batavia Downs