Three Open paces with purses totaling $42,500 were featured on the Saturday night card at Batavia Downs (Aug. 20) and speed was the order of the night.
The $15,000 Open I Handicap was won by Just Plain Loco who started off slow but finished with a rush.
Just Plain Loco (Dave McNeight III) got away fifth while Drunkonaplane (Jim Morrill Jr.) led the field with My Money Honey (Kyle Cummings) in the pocket. After getting to the half in :57.3, McSpidey (Shawn McDonough) pulled from third with Just Plain Loco in tow and both started to approach the leader. McSpidey got to within a head of Drunkonaplane at the top of the stretch, but Just Plain Loco was on overdrive three-wide and heading down the lane, paced by everyone in a swift :27.4 final quarter to win by 1-¼ lengths in 1:54.
It was the fifth win of the year for Just Plain Loco ($6.00) and it pushed his earnings to $74,270 for his owners Paul Lang and Mark Toth. Jennifer Giuliani trains the winner.
McNeight scored the driving hat trick on Saturday while Giuliani scored two training wins.
In the $14,000 Open II Handicap, Stratosphere also finished strong to win and tied the fastest pacing mile of the meet so far in the process.
Leaving from post six and three respectively, Surfer Beach (Jim Morrill Jr.) took the front while Stratosphere (Drew Monti) was content with the garden spot journey. Morrill guided the group through quarters of :27.1, :55.4 and 1:24.3 before they headed into the far turn. Halfway around that bend Blue Spanx (Keith Kash Jr.) joined the fray from third along with Yankee On The Move (Kyle Cummings) who was already swingin three deep. But when they hit the top of the stretch it became a two horse race when Stratosphere ducked into the passing lane, matched strides with Surfer Beach to the line and then forged ahead by one-half length to win in 1:52.4, taking a new seasonal mark.
Stratosphere ($11.20) got his fourth win of the year for his driving owner Drew Monti, on the preparation of his trainer Darrin Monti.
Drew Monti ended the night with two driving wins.
Finally in the $13,500 Open III, Flying Finn N captured his first win of the meet at Batavia in a gate-to-wire jaunt.
Flying Finn (Kyle Cummings) took a quick early lead and was never headed from there. After controlling the pace through fractions of :28.3, :58 and 1:26.2, Cummings hit the gas and Flying Finn N scorched the last quarter in :27.3 to win by 1-¼ lengths in a season’s best 1:54.
Flying Finn N ($3.00) chalked up his fifth win of 2022 for owner William Emmons and trainer Jim Clouser Jr.
Cummings finished with two driving wins during the card.
Other horsemen scoring multiple wins Saturday were driver Jim Morrill Jr. with three and Kevin Cummings with two. Trainer Lee Dahn also doubled up.
Photo courtesy of Wendy J. Lowery
