Batavia, NY — Driver Brett MacDonald put on a brilliant display of equine erudition Saturday (Sept. 19) night at Batavia Downs as he won seven of the 10 races he was carded to steer, including victories in both feature races and posting a natural grand slam in races 7 through 10. Four of his seven winners were trained by David Russo, who garnered a grand slam of his own.
The first of those two feature wins was the $13,500 AA-Open Handicap Trot, where Beacon Beach took full advantage of an inside draw to trip out to a narrow victory.
MacDonald tucked Beacon Beach into the pocket behind El Toro Loco (Kevin Cummings) and tracked him willingly through quarters of :28 and :59 to the half. Rolling around turn three, Valentine Express (Jim McNeight Jr.) moved first-over in the breeze and drew near El Toro Loco at the 1:29 three-quarters. Valentine Express continued to press El Toro Loco around the last bend and took the lead at the head of the stretch. But that lead was tenuous, as Beacon Beach dipped into the passing lane and bolted to the front in the shadow of the wire to win by a nose in 1:58.3.
It was the sixth win of the year for Beacon Beach ($8.14), who is owned by Caeleo Enterprises and Brad Conshafter and trained by David Russo.
MacDonald’s other feature win came in the $13,500 Open Handicap Pace with Saulsbrook Victor, whose 41st lifetime win pushed him over the $700,000 mark in earnings.
MacDonald got away last with Saulsbrook Victor, 10 lengths behind Thunder Country (Andy Shetler), who was scooting to the quarter in a swift :27.4. Thunder Country hit the brakes hard in the second panel, which allowed the field to bunch and brought Saulsbrook Victor six lengths closer and moving second-over in the outer flow behind Italian Lad N (Shawn Gray) at the half. Positions remained unchanged to three-quarters, but that’s where Macdonald pulled the trigger with Saulsbrook Victor, who went three-wide and circled the top three. By the time the race reached the head of the lane, Saulsbrook Victor gained the lead and then swelled up and paced away to a 1-1/4-length win in 1:55.3.
It was the seventh win of the year for Saulsbrook Victor ($2.34), who is owned by his driver in partnership with Brent MacLennan. Ronald MacDonald trains the winner.
The “Maroon Fury” also won with Brutus Bayama (1:54.4, $3.28), Run Around John (1:55.3, $8.40), Scrub Hanover (1:57.2, $11.42), Winmebak (1:54.4, $5.98) and Bolt Of Beauty (1:56.2, $2.30).
MacDonald also had a third-place finish among his 10 starts, giving him a stellar .733 UDR for the evening.
The record for number of wins on a single card at Batavia Downs is nine, set by Jim Morrill Jr. in 2023.
This is the eighth consecutive year that Brett MacDonald has earned in excess of $1 million in purses driving, and his over $1.8 million earned to date in 2026 ranks as the second highest of his career. The 30-year-old native of Freelton, Ont., now has 253 wins this year and a career-best UDR of .296. MacDonald also vaulted into second place on the Batavia Downs dash driving list after his big night at The Downs with 43 wins this season, 25 behind leader Drew Monti (68).
As mentioned earlier, David Russo was the top trainer on Saturday after Macdonald steered his Brutus Bayama, Run Around John, Beacon Beach and Bolt Of Beauty to victories. And, just like MacDonald, Russo also jumped into second place in the trainer competition, with an updated total of 16 wins and sitting behind only Sam Smith, who boasts a gaudy total of 31 victories to this point of the meet.
Live racing at Batavia Downs will resume on Wednesday (Sept. 23) at 5 p.m. There will be a $5,056 carryover in the Jackpot Super Hi-5, offered in race 12.
Free full card past performance programs for every live card of racing at Batavia Downs can always be downloaded at the track’s website under the “Live Racing” tab. And you can watch all the races live as they happen for free on the Batavia Downs YouTube page.