Batavia, NY — After lurking mid-pack for most of the mile, Allsmokeandmirrors made a decisive late move and then paced clear to victory in the $10,500 Class A-AA for fillies and mares at Batavia Downs on Wednesday (Oct. 7) night.
Allsmokeandmirrors (Kevin Cummings) got away fourth as Tres Chic Bluechip (Gareth Dowse) stopped the clock in :28.2, :58.1 and 1:27.1 to three-quarters. It was at that last station that Allsmokeandmirrors was out and rolling, and making up ground quickly on the leader as they made the last left. Then halfway through turn four, Allsmokeandmirrors pulled alongside Tres Chic Bluechip and when they straightened for home, Allsmokeandmirrors incrementally pulled away to an easy 1-¾ length win in 1:55.3.
It was the third straight win for Allsmokeandmirrors ($6.80) at Batavia Downs for owner Dr. Joshua Tanis and trainer Shawn McDonough.
Cummings and McDonough both ended up registering hat tricks during the program when the dust had settled.
The Octoberfest Claiming Series also kicked off on Wednesday night with eight $7,500 claiming events, all going for $10,000 in purse money. And those races provided a lot of close finishes and some sizable payouts for those visiting the windows.
The fastest set of the night was won by Twist Knot (Joe Chindano Jr.) who went gate to wire in 1:54.2 to score his eighth win of the year. Twist Knot ($3.80) is owned by Chelsea Prescott and trained by Luis Porfilio.
The biggest payoff was made possible by Just Zip It (Brady Galliers), who turned a three-wide, three-quarters move into a 1:56.3 victory. Just Zip It, who is owned and trained by David Weston, returned $63.42 for a $2 wager.
There were a total of nine horses claimed from the 58 that were entered in this first leg and the series will continue next week.
Live racing will resume at Batavia Downs on Thursday (Oct. 8) at 5 p.m. and there will be a $13,800 carryover in the Jackpot Super Hi-5 pentafecta wager in the 11th race and a $798 carryover in the Pick-5 wager in the first race.
Free full card past performance programs for every live card of racing at Batavia Downs can always be downloaded at the track’s website (bataviadownsgaming.com) under the “Live Racing” tab. And you can watch all the races live as they happen for free on the Batavia Downs YouTube page.