For the second consecutive night of racing at Batavia Downs, driver Drew Monti chalked up another six winners — including a natural hat trick in races 4 through 6 — and swept the top two featured distaff paces, including the fastest mile recorded by a pacing mare at Batavia the entire year, all on Wednesday (Nov. 11).
Author: by Tim Bojarski, for Batavia Downs
Fifty Rivers cops Dayton trot; Smith wins five
Fifty Rivers proved why the punters sent him off as the heavy 1-2 favorite, grinding out a 1-length victory in Wednesday’s (Nov. 11) $30,000 Open Handicap Trot at Hollywood Gaming Dayton Raceway.
$6,905 carryover in Thurs. Yonkers Pick-5
No tickets had five-of-five in the Pick-5 sequence on Wednesday night (Nov. 11) at MGM Yonkers Raceway, resulting in a $6,915.04 carryover and a $30,000 guaranteed pool in the wager on Thursday night (Nov. 12).
Mike Franks strikes winning chord in DSBF prelim
Michial and Linda English’s homebred Mike Franks maintained his winning ways in the first round of the Delaware Standardbred Breeders’ Fund (DSBF) series for 2-year-old male trotters at Bally’s Dover, rolling to his fifth consecutive score in the third of three $20,000 splits on Tuesday (Nov. 10).
Spencer Hanover to stand in Indiana
Pond-A-Acres and Hunterton Farm have announced that Spencer Hanover 2,1:52.3; 3,1:51.3f-’26; BT 1:51-’26, a son of Chapter Seven with career earnings of $1,062,544, will stand in Indiana for the 2027 breeding season.
Mr Pasadena upsets in Dayton feature
A pair of heavy favorites self-destructed with costly breaks, and Mr Pasadena took full advantage, rallying from off the pace to capture Tuesday’s (Nov. 10) featured $20,000 conditioned claiming trot at Hollywood Gaming at Dayton Raceway in 1:54.2.
Lusaka N jogs to life mark in Plainridge Open
For the second week in a row, Lusaka N won in gate-to-wire fashion at Plainridge Park, only on Tuesday (Nov. 10) he did it with a new lifetime mark and in runaway fashion as he crushed in the featured $25,000 Open Handicap Pace.
Same race pattern, different Pocono winner
Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania on Tuesday afternoon (Nov. 10) had a single $15,000 second-round preliminary event in the Winter Is Coming Pacing Series, leading up to next Tuesday’s (Nov. 17) $20,000 final.
Spriggs takes Corbin USHDC feature
Cumberland Run’s United States Harness Driving Club (USHDC) feature on Sunday (Nov. 8) was taken by Carronsidelegcy GB as the 6-year-old Tom Hill gelding overcame the outside post 8 to score in 1:53.1.
Hoof Beats: Balancing Act
In his November Hoof Beats column, USTA chairperson Joe Faraldo delves into the effects of entries in races — whether coupled or uncoupled — on wagering, perception of integrity, and competitive opportunities for smaller stables.