By Tim Bojarski, for Batavia Downs
Batavia, NY — Voltina went from the agony ofdefeat to the thrill of victory in a short span in winning the $9,500 Filliesand Mares Open Pace at Batavia Downs on Wednesday (Nov. 1).
Paul White photo
Voltina went from defeat to victory in a short span in winning the $9,500 Fillies and Mares Open Pace at Batavia Downs on Wednesday (Nov. 1).
On a rain-soaked night over a deteriorating track,Voltina (Kevin Cummings) got away second behind Classy Lane Rose (Drew Monti)who shot to the front by the eighth pole. The abbreviated field of five thenfollowed the leader to a pedestrian half of :59.2 before anyone made a move.Who Says That (Ray Fisher Jr.) was the one to pull and challenge past thegrandstand but her attempt failed before three-quarters as Voltina upped thetempo to :28.3 and she faded out of the picture.
When the race spiraled off the turn, Classy LaneRose pulled out and paced alongside Voltina before getting a slight advantagejust before the wire. But just as soon as she gained the lead, Classy Lane Rosetook a bad step and Monti had to gather her up, and that split-secondadjustment allowed Voltina to retake the front right at the finish line and winby a head in 1:56.3.
The sixth win of the year for Voltina ($7.10),along with being 21 out of 39 in the money this year, has put $58,146 in thebank for owner CHS Racing LLC. Anthony Cummings trains the 7-year-old daughterof Allamerican Native.
Larry Stalbaum, Ray Fisher Jr. and Billy Davis Jr.all had driving triples on Wednesday’s card while North America’s leadingpercentage trainer Kim Asher sent three of her students to the winner’senclosure.
With the night’s three wins, Stalbaum has now takenthe lead in the Batavia Downs dash driving competition with 90 wins for themeet. Previous leader Drew Monti has now slipped to a second place tie with RayFisher Jr., both sporting 89 victories. The battle for steering supremacy willcontinue for 19 more nights of racing before a champion can be crowned.
Racing resumes at Batavia Downs on Friday evening(Nov. 3) with first post at 6 p.m.