Batavia, NY — Rocknroll Shelli got a perfect trip right to the stretch, where she took the passing lane to victory in the $9,000 Open II-III Handicap Pace on Tuesday (Jan. 13), the opening day of the 2026 Batavia Downs winter meet, which greeted contestants with a good track and intermittent rain.
Rocknroll Shelli (driven by Kyle Cummings) settled in second behind Way Too Sweet (Shawn Gray), who led the field to the half in 1:01.2. There, Arsenal’s Ladybug (Kyle Swift) moved first-over with Pro Beach (Brett Beckwith) right behind, and the pair pushed the action to three-quarters in 1:31.2. After rounding the last turn, Arsenal’s Ladybug took the lead on the outside from Way Too Sweet as they entered the stretch and looked like a winner. But Rocknroll Shelli had a clear run along the pegs and bolted late to grab the front by a half length at the line in 2:02.3.
Rocknroll Shelli ($13.80) is owned by Chris Lawton and Dale Lawton, who also trains the winner.
Gray, who was visiting from Saratoga, was the leading driver on Tuesday with three wins on the card. Three more winners on Tuesday came from the stable of Candace Brandstatter-Hall, who was the top conditioner to start the meet.
Live racing at Batavia Downs will resume on Thursday (Jan. 15) at 3 p.m.
Free full card past performance programs for every live card of racing at Batavia Downs can always be downloaded from the track’s website under the “Live Racing” tab. Then, you can watch all the races live as they happen for free on the Batavia Downs YouTube page.