Wind, snow and single-digit wind chills set the stage for racing at Batavia Downs on Monday (Jan. 20) afternoon. But despite those conditions, Magical Mistress delivered the goods in the $9,500 featured pace for fillies and mares.
Magical Mistress (Kyle Cummings) got away second behind the 49-1 Hurrikane Msrodine (Denny Bucceri) who left from post eight and led the field to the half in 1:01. Legal Jeopardy (Dave McNeight III) moved first-over and joined the fray at that point and momentarily took the lead at three-quarters, but never crossed over. At that same station, Magical Mistress vacated the pegs and followed Legal Jeopardy around the last turn, before tipping clear at the top of the lane. There, Magical Mistress dug hard and passed three peers in deep stretch to win by three-quarters of a length in 2:01.3.
Magical Mistress ($4.40) is owned by Michael Milazzo and trained by Candace Brandstatter-Hall, who also won with Flames Of Fire (2:02.2, $4.20) later in the card.
Drivers Brett Beckwith and Drew Monti and trainer Rachelle Mungillo all registered three wins apiece on the card during the proceedings.
Live racing resumes at Batavia Downs on Thursday (Jan. 23) at 3:00 p.m. and there will be a carryover of $696 in the Jackpot Super Hi-5 pentafecta in the 15th race.
Free full card past performance programs for every live card of racing at Batavia can always be downloaded at the Downs’ website (bataviadownsgaming.com) under the “Live Racing” tab and all the racing action can be viewed as it happens for free at the Batavia Downs Live Facebook page.
Alexander improved to 9-2 on the season with a 64-61 win over Oakfield-Alabama in Boys Basketball.
The Hornets, after trailing throughout the first three quarters, mounted a charge in the fourth, scoring 23 points to 11 for the Trojans, but still came up short.
Dylan Pohl scored 24 points for Alexander and Kingston Woods scored 18.
"I’m very proud of the fight the boys had tonight," said Hornets Coach Ryan Stehlar. "It was a great Friday night high-school basketball atmosphere. We need to learn from this loss and move on to the next game."
Notre Dame beat Attica in Girls Basketball on Thursday 44-23.
The Lady Irish improved to 8-4
The Irish were led by Sofia Falleti, who scored 18 points and had 9 rebounds. Shirley Thompson pitched in 8 points and 6 rebounds. Clairissa Milliman and Penny Jo Thompson had 6 points each.
Although he was a seven-time victor last year, Primo Uomo hasn’t visited the winner's enclosure since October 26 at Vernon Downs. But that all changed on Thursday (Jan. 16) at Batavia Downs as he lived up to his name as was truly the best man among his male pacing peers in the featured $13,000 Open Handicap feature on a night that was hampered by cold temperatures and heavy snow.
Those intense winter weather conditions would continue throughout the night and necessitate the cancellation of racing after the sixth race, out of extreme caution for the safety of the horses and participating horsemen and women.
Primo Uomo (Joe Chindano Jr.) got away seventh while Runrunjimmydunn N (Kevin Cummings) led the race and reached the half unchallenged in 1:00.4. Lip Reader A (Drew Monti) then came first-over from fifth and drew alongside Runrunjimmydunn N at three-quarters after a brisk :28.3 sprint up the backstretch, while Primo Uomo was tracking from fifth, third-over in the breeze.
With the leaders battling for control, Primo Uomo continued to gain ground in the final turn and was third and closing fast at the top of the stretch. As the race straightened for home, Runrunjimmydunn N and lip Reader A were still nose to nose, but Primo Uomo found room in the middle of the lane and powered by them both to win by 1-¾ lengths in 1:58.
It was the 25th career win for Primo Uomo ($14.20), who is owned by Chris and Dale Lawton and trained by David Dewhurst.
In the fourth race, the 13-year-old pacing gelding Silverhill Blaze (Dave McNeight III, $21,80) notched the 55th win of his career after crossing the line in 2:00 flat. That win was one of three wins on the abbreviated card for driver Dave McNeight III, who registered a natural hat trick in races two, three and four.
Live racing resumes at Batavia Downs on Monday (Jan. 20) at 3 p.m.
Free full card past performance programs for every live card of racing at Batavia can always be downloaded at the Downs’ website (bataviadownsgaming.com) under the “Live Racing” tab and all the racing action can be viewed as it happens for free at the Batavia Downs Live Facebook page.
Oakfield-Alabama's 12-point fourth quarter, compared to just six points for Byron-Bergen, helped the Hornets to a narrow victory in Boys Basketball on Wednesday.
The Hornets were up 44-42 at the closing buzzer.
Stats for O-A:
Avery Watterson, 13 points, 7 rebounds
Jack Cianfrini, 8 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals (Had the go ahead basket with 40 seconds left in the game.)
Brady Williams, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal
Carson Warner, 8 rebounds, 2 steals
For B-B:
Andre White, 14 points
Noah Clare, 11 points
Cole DiQuattro, 9 points
O-A coach Ryan Stehlar said, "The team had to dig deep tonight multiple times during a tough battle. Coach Roxanne Noeth is a great coach, and her team plays hard. We had to try and match their intensity. We were fortunate to get big stops and make key plays to get the win. I’m proud of the guys for stepping up tonight when called on."
Oakfield-Alabama beat Byron-Bergen in Girls Basketball on Tuesday 50-46.
For the Hornets:
Alea Groff, 16 points, 3 steals
Allie Williams, 12 points, 12 rebounds, 3 blocks
Allison Harkness, 10 points, 6 rebounds 2 blocks
Alexa Clark, 5 points, 13 reb
Jess Sosnowksi, 4 points
Piper Hyde, 2 points, 6 assists
For the Bees:
Janessa Amesbury. 22 points
Olivia Senf, 11 points
Riley Shallenverger, 8 points
"A great high school basketball game between two very good teams playing at a high level," said OA Coach Jeff Schlagenhauf. "Rick (Krzewinski) always has his teams ready to play. They are so well-coached. It was a great win for our kids against a very good basketball team.
"Our defense really stepped up in the fourth quarter," he added. "We got some great contributions from Alexa Clark and Allison Harkness and Alea Groff. Allie Williams had a huge offensive fourth quarter for us."
Notre Dame improved to 7-4 on Tuesday with a 53-33 win over Kendall in Girls Basketball.
Sofia Falleti led the Irish with a 30-point and 15-rebound double-double while adding four steals. Also contributing was Shirley Thompson with 9 points and 7 rebounds and Lucia Fiorentino with 4 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 steals.
“This was a good bounce-back game for us. Everyone contributed both on offense and defense tonight. The team really worked well against a solid Kendall defense,” said Coach Vinny Falleti
Photo of Gary Levine and Brett Beckwith courtesy of Wendy J. Lowery.
Saratoga Raceway-based horsemen have been making their presence felt at Batavia Downs since the 2025 winter meet began and Monday (Jan. 13) was no exception after driver Brett Beckwith and trainers Jaymes Mcassey and Gary Levine all posted noteworthy performances.
Beckwith won five races on the card including a victory in the night’s feature race. He scored with Justine (2:01, $10.60), Takemetochurch Deo (2:03.1, $5.80) and Samosa Hanover (2:00.4, $5.30) along with Maggie Bell and Mary Kat, who will be covered in more depth.
Despite moving up in class after a convincing victory at The Downs last week, Maggie Bell bounced right back with another impressive win in the $11,000 featured pace for fillies and mares at Batavia on Monday afternoon, where heavy snow squalls were a factor for a majority of the program.
Beckwith pushed Maggie Bell to the front and took the lead from Mcvera (Shawn McDonough) as the race passed the quarter. Once on the point, Maggie Bell backed the half down to a comfortable :59.1 before encountering a challenge from Penthousepalace (Joe Chindano Jr.), who was pacing first-over in the breeze as the group traversed the backstretch for the second time.
Penthousepalace got the lead at three-quarters but was unable to cross-over, as Maggie Bell stiffened up and came back along the pegs to reclaim control at the top of the stretch. Scenic Adventure (Kevin Cummings), Oaxaca Dream N (Drew Monti) and the pocket-sitting Mcvera all came into play as the girls made their way towards home and the trio was in hot pursuit of Maggie Bell. But Maggie Bell refused to lose and was never headed, crossing the line first by three-quarters of a length in 1:58.2.
It was the second straight win and fourth victory in the last six outings for Maggie Bell ($6.40) who is owned by Delpozo Scwartz Paoleti and trained by Jaymes Mcassey. The win also pushed Maggie Bell’s lifetime bank over the $300,000 mark, as she now sits at $300,398.
Then later in the fifth race, Beckwith drove the pacing mare Mary Kat to a one-length, 1:59.3 victory to give Gary Levine his 1,100th career training win. Levine, who owns the winner, also has 1,078 seconds and 1,001 thirds from his 7,663 career starts and they have earned his connections $7,632,934 in purses.
Beckwith was just named the 2024 Dan Patch Rising Star by the United States Harness Writers Association and will be honored at the Dan Patch Banquet on Sunday, February 23 at the Rosen Centre in Orlando, Florida.
There was a major upset in the second race after 77-1 shot Blazin Chally (Kyle Cummings) raced the entire mile parked-out, before closing late to win by a nose in 2:02.3. Owned by Doug and Tyra Ackley and trained by Tammy Cummings, Blazin Chally returned $157.00, $56.50 and $33.60 across the board.
Shawn McDonough and Jim Clouser Jr. both had two training wins during the card to lead all their peers on Monday.
Live racing resumes at Batavia Downs on Thursday (Jan. 16) at 3:00 p.m. and there will be a $1,056 carryover in the Pick Five wager in race one and a carryover of $274 in the Jackpot Super Hi-5 pentafecta in the 15th race.
Free full card past performance programs for every live card of racing at Batavia can always be downloaded at the Downs’ website (bataviadownsgaming.com) under the “Live Racing” tab and all the racing action can be viewed as it happens for free at the Batavia Downs Live Facebook page.
Byron Bergen beat Notre Dame in Girls Basketball on Saturday 58-55.
For the Bees, Janessa Amesbury scored 22 points. Olivia Senf, who missed the previous five games with an ankle injury, scored 12, and Riley Shallenberger scored 10.
For the Irish, Sofia Falletti scored 19, and Shirley Thompson scored 11. Both girls had eight rebounds. Gianna Falleti scored seven and Lucia Fiorentino scored six with 11 rebounds.
"Nice quality win for us tonight against a very good and young ND team," said Byron-Bergen Coach Rick Krzewinski. "We did a nice job on Sofia Falletti in the first half as she scored six but added 13 in the second half. Eight grader Shirley Thompson scored 8 of her 11 points in the first half. You are going to hear a lot about her in the years to come."
