Batavia, NY – The weather was bad, the track was off, and the competition came to play. But Natameri had all the answers on Saturday (Oct. 11) and won the featured $12,500 Open Handicap pace in spite of it all.
Natameri (Kevin Cummings) left three-wide around the first turn and crossed-over to the lead at the quarter in :27.3 as I Aint No Mack (John Cummings Jr.) got the ticket to ride second. The field settled for only a few strides before Melanion N (Drew Monti) tipped from fifth and started the long trek toward the leader as they passed in front of the stands.
Heading up the backstretch, Natameri and Melanion N matched strides through the slop in a quick :28.4 panel. That battle continued into the turn and when they straightened for home, I Aint No Mack dipped into the passing lane to join the party and pushed hard as they drove for the line. I Aint No Mack continued to close, but Natameri was on a mission and hung on to win by a half-length in 1:55.3.
It was the fifth win in the last seven starts for Natameri ($15.22), who is owned by Purple Haze Stable and trained by Jessica Okusko.
Kevin Cummings ended the night with a hat trick at the lines to lead all drivers on Saturday.
There were also two solid $11,400 Open II events on the card, one on each gait.
In the pace, Lip Reader A (Drew Monti) took no prisoners and led through quarters of :27.4, :58.3 and 1:26.2 before making the last left and heading down the lane by an increasing margin, eventually winning by 2-1/4 lengths in 1:54.4.
It was the eighth victory of the year for Lip Reader A ($8.18) for owners Vogel & Wags Nags and Team Rice Racing. Maria Rice trains the winner.
Then in the trot, Gone Crazee (Joe Chindano Jr.) sat fourth to the half before pulling first-over in chase of the frontrunning Biscoe (Jim McNeight Jr.), who she caught at the head of the stretch. Then as the pair headed down the lane, they trotted in tandem to the line where Gone Crazee edged ahead by three-quarters of a length in 1:58.3.
It was the eighth win of 2025 for Gone Crazee ($11.98) as well, who is owned by Marie Houghtaling and trained by Ron Houghtaling.
Trainers Angelo Nappo and Chris Petrelli both scored two wins during the proceedings.
Live racing resumes at Batavia Downs on Wednesday (Oct. 15) with post time at 6 p.m. and there will be a $3,679 carryover in the Jackpot Super Hi-5 pentafecta in the 12th race.
Free full card past performance programs for every live card of racing at Batavia can always be downloaded at The Downs’ website (bataviadownsgaming.com) under the “Live Racing” tab. Then you can watch all the races live as they happen for free on the Batavia Downs YouTube page.