Drew Monti, Batavia Downs’ leading driver, continued his stellar form on Saturday, November 16, adding five more wins to his impressive tally for the summer and fall meet. Monti’s victories came aboard Soul Assassin (1:55.2, $6.70), Actor Hanover (1:56.1, $22.60), Parmesan N (1:56, $4.10), Stratosphere (1:55.4, $2.60), and Power And Grace (1:58.3, $6.90).
With these wins, Monti now boasts 102 victories for the meet, extending his lead over Joe Chindano Jr. (86) and Kevin Cummings (85) with only seven live race days remaining. Across all tracks in 2024, Monti has notched 215 wins and earned over $2.7 million in purses.
Featured Race: $18,310 Open Handicap Trot
In the evening’s highlight, Makes Me Charlie delivered a dominant performance to claim his first top-class victory at Batavia Downs. Driven by Mike Baumeister, Makes Me Charlie surged to the front, establishing an early three-length lead and extending it to six lengths by three-quarters in 1:25.2. With the rest of the field battling for minor placings, Makes Me Charlie crossed the wire in 1:55.3, setting a new lifetime mark.
Owned by Margaret and Amy Butler and trained by Tom Mays, the win marked Makes Me Charlie’s fifth of the year, paying $14.00 to his backers.
Upper-Class Conditioned Races
Two $15,493 conditioned races also featured standout performances:
- In the trot, the lone mare Power And Grace, driven by Monti, led from start to finish, defeating her male rivals by 1-1/2 lengths in 1:58.3. Trained by Ron MacDonald and owned by Hartel Maintenance, Lormer McClure, Brett MacDonald, and Reg Higgs, the nine-year-old mare claimed her 12th win of the year and 68th career victory, pushing her earnings past $636,000.
- On the pace, Youmakemyheartsing (Kyle Cummings) dominated from the front, holding off Ideal Artillery (Dan Yetman) in deep stretch to win in 1:55.2. The victory marked the 40th career win for Youmakemyheartsing, who is co-owned by his driver and trainer Tammy Cummings.
Training Highlights
Trainer Sam Smith had a successful night with three wins from his stable, further solidifying his presence at the meet.
Looking Ahead
Live harness racing at Batavia Downs resumes on Wednesday, November 20, at 6:00 p.m. The night will feature a $1,053 carryover in the Jackpot Super Hi-5 pentafecta for the 13th race.