Rock The Nite cops Meadows series opener

Washington, PA — Dismissed at 8-1, Rock The Nite confidently passed up an early hole, powered to the lead and cruised to victory in Monday’s opening leg of a late-closing series for freshman colt and gelding pacers at The Meadows. Jed Kidd Squaking and Conversation Boy captured the other $12,500 opening-leg splits. The series is one of four for 2-year-olds that kick off this week at The Meadows.

Dave Palone had a chance to ease Rock The Nite to the pylons around the first turn but instead urged the son of Rocknroll Hanover-Queen Of The Ball to wrest the lead from Cams Fernando. The stalking Cams Fernando tried again in the stretch, but Rock The Nite held him off by 1/2 length in a career-best 1:55 over a sloppy surface. Firm It Up finished third.

Norm Parker trains Rock The Nite for owner/breeder Bob Key.

Elsewhere on the card, 17-1 Macharoundtheclock rallied from seventh in the lane to score a nose victory in 1:52.4 in the $16,500 Filly & Mare Not Listed Preferred Pace. Stucklikeglue and Your Beautiful completed the ticket.

Eric Ledford drove the 4-year-old daughter of Mach Three-Summers Soul, who now boasts $334,837 in lifetime earnings, for conditioner Tim Twaddle and owner Birnam Wood Farms.

Tony Hall piloted four winners and Aaron Merriman three on the 16-race card.

— Evan Pattak

Batavia Downs
It was ability more than chance that saw Lucky Charm go gate to wire in the $7,500 mares Open trot at Batavia Downs on a special Monday afternoon (Oct. 13) Columbus Day matinee card at the Genesee County oval. Kevin Cummings shook-up Lucky Charm off the gate and took an effortless lead around the first turn. From there the 8-year-old Malabar Man mare towed the field through a pedestrian half before picking up the tempo from there. After a :29.1 third quarter that saw Highway Cash (Doug Ackley) and Day Planner (Ray Fisher Jr.) advance into contention, Lucky Charm came home in :28.4 to fend off the three-wide attack from her competition and win in 1:58.3. Day Planner was second and Highway Cash finished third. It was the fourth win in 21 starts for Lucky Charm and brought her 2014 earnings up to $23,800 for owners Finish Line Investors and Johnny Yoder. Lucky Charm is trained by John Mungillo. Driver Kevin Cummings was on fire Monday, with five wins, three seconds and a third out of the 11 races he was in. He scored with Love Me Do ($5.00), Donegal Jim ($2.10), Lucky Charm ($5.60), Emmys Junior Grin ($7.00) and Serendipitious ($2.50). The “Race for the Cannoli’s”, which is held annually on Columbus Day at Batavia Downs and pits drivers of Italian-American descent against each other, was won by Rock C. Vinci aboard Windsong Destroyer in 1:58.2. The 10-year-old won by a length over Evening Shadows (Mike Caprio) after getting a perfect two-hole trip.