Sports

There were six mares in the $14,000 Distaff Open I Handicap at Batavia Downs on Wednesday night (Dec. 14) but it turned into a match race that saw Shallow out-duel Demeter N to claim her 12th win of the year. 

Jim Morrill Jr. put Shallow on the lead but Larry Stalbaum had Demeter N revved up in the breeze and they drew alongside the leader at the quarter in :28.4 and from there, the pair that had been splitting starts between Saratoga and Batavia got into it. With no hole to be had and the front unattainable, Demeter N continued to dig on the rim past the half in :57.3, around turn three and then up the backstretch to three-quarters in 1:27.2. 

Shallow was under urging from Morrill and Stalbaum was rocking in Demeter N’s bike as they rounded the last bend only one-half length apart. Heading into the lane there was no quit in Demeter N, who continued to gain ground on Shallow who started to look vulnerable. As the gap shortened along with the stretch, it appeared Demeter N could reach. But Shallow had enough left to close out the deal and won by a neck in 1:57 in a real thriller. 

With the win, Shallow ($3.40) eclipsed the century mark in earnings, now boasting $104,236 for owner Room4040 LLC Stables and trainer Andy Gardiner. 

In the $10,000 conditioned event for fillies and mares, Candy’s Desire (Kyle Cummings) caught a perfect trip behind Saulsbrook Olympia (Dave McNeight III) into the stretch and then shook loose to catch Lyons Anita (Kevin Cummings) at the light to win by three-quarters of a length in 1:57. Owned by her driver Kyle Cumming along with Alyssa Cummings, the Tammy Cummings trained Candy’s Desire returned $6.40. 

Kevin Cummings and Jim Morrill Jr. each had driving hat tricks as trainer Shawn McDonough also won three on the conditioning side.

Batavia Downs wraps up the 2022 meet on Saturday (Dec. 17) at 3 p.m. and there is another carryover available. The Jackpot Hi-5 Pentafecta in the 13th race will start with $10,733 in the pool and as it is the last night of racing for 2022, there will be a force out and the pool has been guaranteed at $15,000 through the USTA Strategic Wagering Program.

The clubhouse will open the doors at 2:30 p.m. and will offer a prime rib and shrimp buffet that will be served from 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. The Railbar will be open at 2:30 p.m. until the end of the last race, which will be approximately 7 p.m., however it will not remain open for the Bills game.

The final day of racing will also host the “Day of Distinction” year-end awards, which will be presented by the Upstate New York Chapter of the United States Harness Writers Association and Batavia Downs to honor all the human and equine stars of the 2022 meeting.

Photo by Wendy J. Lowery.

With the 2022 meet coming to a close, the Upstate New York Chapter of the United States Harness Writers Association and Batavia Downs will honor the top performing driver and trainer in the winner’s circle on closing day, Saturday, December 17. However, this year is a little different because accolades will be going to two drivers for their achievements, where the training title has yet to be decided.

After a ferocious meet-long “two-horse race" between Kevin Cummings and Jim Morrill Jr. that saw the third-place driver end up over 75 wins behind both, the dash driving title and trophy goes to Kevin Cummings, who at the end of Wednesday night’s card had 149 wins to Morrill’s 136.

To date, Cummings’ numbers for the meet show 526 starts with 146 wins, 104 seconds and 72 thirds with earnings of $1,024,864 and a UDR. of .439. Cummings has won the dash title at Batavia four times before and finished second to Morrill last year.

Cummings' body of work for all of 2022 saw him start 943 times with 217 wins, 175 seconds and 129 thirds with $1,670,595 in earnings and a UDR of .379. Those overall numbers reflect his second-highest one-year earnings total, his most wins since 2015 and his highest UDR since 2003.

Morrill’s numbers are just as gaudy. At Batavia, he had 455 starts with 136 wins, 100 seconds and 62 thirds with $1,115,951 in purses and a UDR of .466. Morrill has won this title the last two years and four times overall.

Altogether this year, Morrill had 916 starts with 246 wins, 199 seconds and 126 thirds with $2,412,882 in earnings and a UDR of .435. That UDR rating has him sitting in second place among all drivers in North America for percentage performance.

Another defining accomplishment that Cummings and Morrill had in common this year is that they both went over the $1 million mark in earnings at Batavia Downs and that’s the first time that any driver has surpassed that milestone since the track opened in 1940. As a result, a special plaque presentation commemorating that historic event will be made to both.

The training title is still up for grabs between Jennifer Giuliani and Shawn McDonough and will go down to the final night of action.  After Wednesday’s card McDonough has 52 wins and Giuliani has 50. And both have a busy day on Saturday with Giuliani entering seven horses and McDonough starting five, so the winner will be determined at some point during that card.

So far, McDonough’s Batavia tally shows 271 starts with 52 wins, 39 seconds and 40 thirds that banked $383,444 and provided him a UTR of .321. His 2022 overall totals for 2022 showed 108 wins and $819,482 earned, both of which were career highs for McDonough by a wide margin. McDonough won the driving title at Batavia in 2013 but has never won a training title, although he did finish second at Batavia in 2020.

To this point in the meet Giuliani has 247 starts with 50 wins, 49 seconds and 30 thirds with earnings of $416,298 and a UTR of .353. For the year she has 86 wins and $701,122 in purses, both of which are career highs for the fourth-year conditioner. Giuliani won her first training title at Batavia last year.

Please note that post time for Saturday was moved to 3 p.m. to avoid conflict with the flexed Buffalo Bills versus Miami Dolphins game later that night.

There may be an early Christmas present for some lucky player at Batavia Saturday. A Jackpot Super Hi-5 pentafecta carryover that has been growing for weeks has reached $10,733.58 and with the meet ending, a mandatory payout will happen Saturday. So Batavia Downs has guaranteed the pool at $15,000 through the United States Trotting Association Strategic Wagering Program for that pentafecta wager in race 13.

Free program pages will be available on the USTA website for that race and free full past performance race programs for the entire card can be downloaded by visiting the track's website at bataviadownsgaming.com and clicking the "Live Racing" tab. If you can’t attend the races live, you can still watch all the action on the Batavia Downs YouTube channel.

The clubhouse will open their doors at 2:30 p.m. and will offer a prime rib and shrimp buffet that will be served from 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. The Railbar will be open from 2:30 p.m. until the end of the last race, which will be approximately 7 p.m., however it will not remain open for the Bills game.

Photos by Wendy Lowery. Top photo, Kevin Cummings. Bottom photo, Jim Morrill.

Closing day at Batavia Downs is this Saturday (Dec. 17) and an early Christmas present may be waiting there for some lucky player. A Jackpot Super Hi-5 pentafecta carryover that has been growing for weeks has reached $10,733.58 and with the meet coming to a close, a mandatory payout will happen Saturday. So Batavia Downs will be offering a guaranteed $15,000 pool through the United States Trotting Association Strategic Wagering Program for that pentafecta wager in race 13. 

Please note that post time for Saturday was moved to 3 p.m. to avoid conflict with the flexed Buffalo Bills versus Miami Dolphins game later that night.  

Free program pages will be available on the USTA website for that race and free full past performance race programs for the entire card can be downloaded by visiting the track's website at bataviadownsgaming.com and clicking the "Live Racing" tab. If you can’t attend the races live, you can still watch all the action on the Batavia Downs YouTube channel.

The clubhouse will open its doors at 2:30 p.m. and will offer a prime rib and shrimp buffet that will be served from 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. The Railbar will be open at 2:30 p.m. until the end of the last race, which will be approximately 7 p.m. however it will not remain open for the Bills game.

The final day of racing will also host the “Day of Distinction” year-end awards, which will be presented by the Upstate New York Chapter of the United States Harness Writers Association and Batavia Downs to honor all the human and equine stars of the 2022 meeting.

The Upstate New York Chapter of the United States Harness Writers Association and Batavia Downs will honor three 14-year-old veteran race horses who will officially retire on January 1, 2023. These horses have competed at the Downs this season and will be presented with a trophy commemorating their outstanding careers in the winner’s circle between races during “The Day of Distinction” that will be held on Saturday, December 17.  Post time for the first race is 3 p.m.

Two pacers and one trotter have finished their careers at Batavia and will hang up their harness for the final time.

Freaky Flyer (Dontgetinmyway-The Nanny) 458-63-68-66 - 1:53.2 - $374,773

Although Freaky Flyer has been a fixture at Batavia Downs for the last nine years, he has raced his heart out at tracks from New York to Florida ever since his 2-year-old campaign without ever missing a year of action. “The Freak” as he is known, averaged 35 starts per year his entire career and had his best season since 2018 this year, winning a total of 10 races, four of which were at Batavia. After registering his fourth highest annual earnings total in 2022 ($40,418), he has left the building and entered his “forever home” with his new owners in Avon, New York where he’s being spoiled with his favorite treat: bananas. Trainer Rose Russo owned and raced Freaky Flyer prior to his retirement.

Bettor’s Reward (Bettors Delight-Romancing The Sea) 267-43-30-32 - 1:51.3 - $453,380

Bettor’s Reward made his very first pari-mutuel start at Batavia Downs on September 28, 2010 and got his first lifetime pari-mutuel victory there two weeks later, winning a maiden race in 2:03.1. After having success in the New York Sire Stakes at three, Bettor’s Reward went on to become a hard-knocking Open class aged pacer in Canada and on the New York/New Jersey circuit. For two years he faced the likes of Golden Receiver, Escape The News, Up The Credit, Statesman N, Hypnotic Blue Chip, Aracache Hanover and Western Shore. Unfortunately he suffered from soundness issues from 2014 to 2018 and only made 14 starts during that time. But he came back strong in 2019 and raced 147 starts his final four years and closed out his career with six wins in 2022, his last coming at Batavia on October 8. Bettor’s Reward is owned by Fortunate One LLC.

Parkhill Horton (Oaklea Julian-Guardian Image) 321-36-40-54 - 1:54.2 - $198,454

He was never a star or stakes winner, but Parkhill Horton came to work every week for 13 years and earned his way to a well deserved retirement. He’s a horse that liked to leave and often found himself on the front, trotting his best with the lead. His lifetime mark of 1:54.2 was taken at Vernon Downs in 2016, but his win in 1:58 at Batavia this year was his fastest since 2017. And his $27,508 in earnings this year was also his second best one year bank deposit of his life. His final start at Batavia will be on Wednesday (Dec. 14). Parkhill Horton is owned and trained by Rachelle Mungillo. 

Post Time for the final card of racing on Saturday (Dec.17) was moved from 6 p.m. to 3 p.m. to accommodate fans of both harness racing and the Buffalo Bills after the game between them and the Miami Dolphins was flexed to Saturday night at 8:15 p.m. The clubhouse will open their doors at 2:30 p.m. and will offer a prime rib and shrimp buffet that will be served from 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. The Railbar will be open from 2:30 p.m. until the end of the last race, which will be approximately 7 p.m., however it will not remain open for the Bills game. 

Press release:

W/E Dec. 4
Div. 1: Junior Trent Woods Alexander: 12 pt 6 assist in loss to Wellsville 51-38. Trent Woods 14 points 4 assist 5 steals in win 66-38. Trent made all tournament team at Attica

Div. 2: Braedyn Chambry Byron-Bergenf  Braedyn tallied 31 pts and grabbed 15 rebounds in a season opening win over EMHCS.  He followed that performance up with a 30 pt and 18 rebound effort in the opening round of the Warsaw tournament, leading the Bees to their second win.  Early foul trouble landed Chambry on the bench for much of the first half, but he still managed to lead his team to the tournament title with 18 pts and 12 rebounds. 

Jordan Welker Notre Dame : Jordan scored 28 pts with 7 assists and 6 steals to earn Player of the Game honors as ND beat Geneseo in the Way-Co Showcase.

W/E Dec. 11
Div. 1: Cole Harding Attica:  We were down 14 in the 2nd half and Cole led us back and we won in overtime. Cole had 33 points and 10 rebounds. 25 points in the 4th quarter and overtime 

Div. 2: Connor Scott Elba:  Connor had 30pts to lead Elba to a win over Albion. 

Elba (1-1) beat Wheatland-Chili in Girls Basketball on Tuesday, 82-29.

Sydney Reilly lead the Lady Lancers with 19 points and notched a double-double, getting 10 assists.  She also had eight rebounds.  Reilly hit eight of nine field goal attempts and three of four three-point tries. She also had seven steals.

Mariah Ognibene scored 14 points and had eight rebounds.

Lydia Ross scored 13 points and Haile Scouten scored 12.

Byron-Bergen is now 2-0 and Notre Dame drops to 2-1 after the Bees secured a 46-43 win in Girls Basketball on Tuesday.

No stats are available for Byron-Bergen.

For Notre Dame, Amelia McCulley scored 20 points, hitting five of 11 three-point attempts. Nina Bartz scored six points and Emma Sisson scored five.

Ron Beback Jr. will be presented with the Good Samaritan Award by the Upstate New York Chapter of the United States Harness Writers Association and Batavia Downs for his heroic actions to save an overturned kayaker from drowning this past summer. The ceremony will take place in the winner’s circle between races during “The Day of Distinction” that will be held on Saturday, December 17.  Post time for the first race is 3 p.m.

The incident occurred when Beback was out fishing on August 31 at Horseshoe Lake at the De Witt Recreation area in Batavia, New York. As he was taking his fishing gear to the water, he was approached by a man who was yelling, “She fell out of the kayak!” The man’s friend was an older woman who was unfamiliar with the currents in the lake on a windy day, tipped over and was unable to get back upright.

Beback dashed to his truck to get his kayak, paddled out to the middle of the lake and was able to get the woman back in her kayak before dragging her to the center island where they waited for authorities to come in a boat and get her back to shore. The event was well documented in the local news and Beback was greeted as a hero when he arrived to race at Batavia Downs that night.

Ever humble, Beback didn’t want any notoriety for his heroics and simply said in an interview, “I’m just glad I ended up there that day and was able to help.”

Beback’s actions were representative of the caring and helpful nature harness racing horsemen and women are known for and as such, not only helped bring someone in dire straits to safety, but also put the sport in a very positive light nationally. And UNY-USHWA and Batavia Downs are pleased to present him with this award.

Post Time for the final card of racing on Saturday (Dec.17) was moved from 6 p.m. to 3 p.m. to accommodate fans of both harness racing and the Buffalo Bills after the game between them and the Miami Dolphins was flexed to Saturday night at 8:15 p.m. The clubhouse will open their doors at 2:30 p.m. and will offer a prime rib and shrimp buffet that will be served from 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. The Railbar will be open from 2:30 p.m. until the end of the last race, which will be approximately 7 p.m., however it will not remain open for the Bills game.

A clear night and a very fast racing surface produced outstanding miles and some huge payoffs at Batavia Downs on Saturday night (Dec. 10) and those performances were led by CR Blazin Beauty (Kevin Cummings) who tracked fast fractions early and went from worst to first while capturing the $14,000 Open I Handicap trotting co-feature at 25-1 in a real thriller. 

Buzz (Mike Baumeister) took the field to the quarter in :28.2 while Wilberforce (Christian Myers) sat outside of Captain Krupnick (Jim McNeight Jr.) as the pair chased the leader to the half in :57.4. Just past that station the field was four in and four out, with CR Blazin Beauty still sitting last on the pylons. 

As Wilberforce faded up the backstretch, Con Air Hall (Dave McNeight III) moved three-wide into contention heading through the last turn while Cummings found room at the pegs and advanced CR Blazin Beauty into fifth by the head of the stretch. As they barreled into the straight, Con Air Hall was even with Sass, CR Blazin Beauty found the middle of the track and continued to gain ground while Lougazi (Ray Fisher Jr.) came out of nowhere and was flying home four wide. In deep stretch four trotters fanned even across the track, but CR Blazin Beauty broke through from the rest and grabbed a neck advantage at the light and won in 1:58. 

It was the tenth win of the year and 51st lifetime for CR Blazin Beauty, ($52.50) and it pushed her bankroll to $105,384 this year for owner Marissa Russo. David Russo trains the winner. 

Cummings' win with CR Blazin Beauty was only one of five he scored on the card. He also visited the Purple Haze winners enclosure with American General (1:57.4, $16.80), Thor De Vie (1:55.4, $6.80), Gemini Eddie (1:58, $3.00) and Paprike Blue Chip (1:56.3, $7.20). Cummings is now 13 wins ahead of Jim Morrill Jr. for the dash driving title for this meet with only two days of racing left. 

The $14,000 Open I Handicap pace wasn’t nearly as action-packed as the trot, but Stranger Things (Jim Morrill Jr.) put on quite a show of his own en route to his 12th win of 2022.

After the heavy post-time favorite The Longest Yard (Kevin Cummings) made a break in the first turn, Morrill tucked second with with Stranger Things behind Pocket Watch N (Ray Fisher Jr.) but once settled, came back out and took the lead at the quarter in :28 and from there never looked back. He got to the half in :57.4 and three-quarters in 1:26.4 with a comfortable 1-½ length lead and no one close enough to challenge. By the time he hit the top of the stretch he extended that gap to five lengths and just cruised home to win in 1:55.2 while Morrill sat chilly. 

It was the second win in a row for Stranger Things ($7.60) who also cracked the “hundred-grand” mark, now boasting $103,945 in earnings for owners Virginia Schoeffel, Kathy Schoeffel and James Reuther. It was one of two winners for conditioner Angelo Nappo on Saturday. 
With only two days left in the meet, live racing resumes at Batavia Downs on Wednesday (Dec. 14) at 6 p.m. and there is another carryover available. The Jackpot Hi-5 Pentafecta in the 11th race will start with $8,306 in the pool. 

Also please note that post time for the final night of racing, Saturday, Dec. 17, has been changed from 6 p.m. to 3 p.m. This was done after the National Football League “flexed” the Week 15 game between the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins to 8:15 p.m. that same day.

The clubhouse will open the doors at 2:30 p.m. and will offer a prime rib and shrimp buffet that will be served from 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. The Railbar will be open at 2:30 p.m. until the end of the last race, which will be approximately 7 p.m., however it will not remain open for the Bills game.

The final day of racing will also host the “Night of Distinction” year-end awards, which will be presented by the Upstate New York Chapter of the United States Harness Writers Association and Batavia Downs to honor all the human and equine stars of the 2022 meeting.

Free full past performance race programs for all live race days can be downloaded by visiting the track's website at bataviadownsgaming.com and clicking the "Live Racing" tab and then you can watch all the races live on the Batavia Downs YouTube channel.

Photo by Wendy J. Lowery.

Eight different girls scored for Pembroke on Friday night to give the Dragons a 60-34 win over Holley in basketball.

Scoring: 

• Olivia Breeden, 23 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals
• Karli Houseknecht, 16 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 8 steals
• Izzy Breeden, 5 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists
• Carly Cerasani, 2 points, 7 rebounds, 1 steal.

Batavia High beat Greece Odessey in Boys Basketball on Friday night, 76-38.

Sawyer Siverling scored 19 point, hitting five three-point shots. Ja'vin McFollins scored 17 points and three a tres of threes.