Batavia, NY – A pair of $11,100 mid-level conditioned trots topped the card at Batavia Downs on Friday (Aug. 22), and class-droppers were victorious in both.
The first went to Newsboy (Drew Monti), who held a loose lead through quarters of :29.1, :59.4 and 1:29.1 while Senterprise (John Cummings Jr.) sat in the pocket for the trip. When he got to the top of the stretch, Newsboy swelled up and pulled away by 3-3/4 lengths and won in 1:58.2, tying his seasonal mark.
Newsboy ($3.60) is owned by Carl Monti and James Caradori and trained by Darrin Monti.
Drew Monti ended the night winning five races on the card. Besides Newsboy, he also scored with Count The Coin (2:00.3, $7.40), Out On Bail (1:57.3, $2.20), Admiral Hanover (1:55.4, $6.40) and Mingo Joel (1:58.1, $4.30).
The second group of trotters was bested by Latavius (Kevin Cummings), who sat second behind I Got The Looks (Dan Yetman), who trotted on the lead unchallenged to the half in :58.4. Then came Good Boy (Ray Fisher Jr.) who moved first-over in the breeze and pushed I Got The Looks to three-quarters and around the last turn. As they headed down the lane, I Got The Looks turned away Good Boy, but Latavius ducked into the passing lane and caught the leader in the shadow of the wire to win by a nose in 1:58.1.
Latavius ($13) is owned by El Dorado Stables and trained by Sam Smith.
Driver Kevin Cummings also had a big night in the bike after scoring a grand slam during the evening while trainers Shawn McDonough, Rachelle Mungillo, Angelo Nappo and Sam Smith all won two races apiece.
Live racing resumes at Batavia Downs on Saturday (Aug. 23) with post time at 6 p.m. and will feature two divisions of the NYSS valued at $236,700, the $100,000 Robert J. Kane Memorial Invitational Pace and the rest of the 16-race card valued at a total of $488,300.
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.
And all the racing action can be viewed as it happens at bataviabets.com when you open an account, which can be done quickly and easily online.