by Todd Haight, for Batavia Downs

Batavia, NY — In town to drive because the racetrack’s top two drivers this season in wins, John Cummings, Jr. and Jim Morrill, Jr. were out of town at Tioga Downs driving in stakes races, former Meadowlands regular Howard “Pacing” Parker moved second favorite Activator to the top after just a sixteenth of a mile and coasted to victory by two lengths in the $10,000 featured Open Pace on Saturday night (August 12) at Batavia Downs Gaming.

Howard Parker drove Activator to victory in the Open Pace.

Activator, a five-year-old gelded son of Western Hanover certainly had all the credentials going into the Saturday feature. He was a winner two starts back in 1:54.1 at Buffalo Raceway and sports a lifetime mark of 1:49.4 set at the Meadowlands last season. He is owned by Mark Ford and trained by Paul Szalay, Jr. and paid $5.30 to win. The time of the mile was 1:55.2, the second fastest clocking this season.

Kaa Dee Herman and Ken Holliday skimmed the pylons to be second, while Liebeck and Jim McNeight wound up third. Last week’s Open Pace winner, the popular pacer Michael Scores, was a victim of dull cover and could do no better than fourth.

Cummings returns in a big way

Out of action with an injury sustained in a nasty spill at Buffalo Raceway, reinsman Kevin Cummings didn’t take long to get back to the winners.

Returning back to action on Friday night, the younger brother of leading driver John Cummings, Jr. just missed by a neck in his second drive back.

Saturday night, however, was a different story as he guided two big priced horses home first. In race seven, the start of the Pick-4 wager, Cummings was able to find room between horses approaching the top of the stretch and got up by almost a length with 24-1 shot Northern Gale.

In the very next race Kevin had one more upset winner up this sleeve, this time with Long Live America, who blasted to the front at the three-quarters and held off the cavalry down the lane in 1:57.3. He returned $26.20 to his lucky backers.

Drivers best the jockeys

Batavia Downs photos

The participants in the jockeys and drivers relay race ham it up for the camera.

Four thoroughbred jockeys and four harness drivers went at it in a quarter-mile relay race in which racing fans could win gift certificates to the clubhouse dining room simply by picking which team they thought would win.

At the finish line it was the drivers’ team and anchor runner Denny Bucceri who got to the finish line first, but the race came with controversy. The jockeys filed an objection for possible interference down the stretch as they alleged their anchor runner Pedro Carrasquel was bothered by third leg runner Mike Carrubba. After a lengthy tape review presiding judge Anthony Casale and the two associate judges ruled the results would stand as is.

Big week ahead

Week three off the summer-fall meet kicks off on Monday with post time scheduled for 7:35 p.m.

The feature race of the evening will be race ten, a conditioned/claiming pace at one mile with a purse of $4,500. Magic Manner with Gerry Sarama in the bike and Besmo and driver Ron Beback, Jr. look like the horses to beat.

On Wednesday night the pick-6 contest returns this week with a carryover jackpot of $200. The pick-6 contest is free to play as long as you’re a player’s club member. The contest gets underway at 6:00 p.m. at the Player’s Club booth.

On Friday the first free $750 handicapping contest of the season takes place as racing fans get to test their handicapping skills on the first nine races of the Batavia Downs card. Contestants are required to pick one horse per race and one back up selection in case their first pick is scratched. Points are awarded on how their selections do. The top three point getters share in the prize money. The contest is free to all player’s club members and entry forms will be at the Player’s Club booth starting at 6:00 p.m. All entry forms must be deposited before the start of the first race.

On Saturday the stake season kicks off with the New York Sires Stakes rolling into town. Catch some of the future stars of the sport as the two-year-old filly pacers race for an estimated purse of $170,000.

Batavia Downs Gaming is open six days a week for simulcasting action and seven days a week for video gaming. The state of the art gaming floor, which features 586 video gaming terminals, is open from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. daily. For more information go to www.bataviadownsgaming.com.