Batavia Downs will present a special card of live racing this Friday (Aug. 26) that will feature both colt and filly three-year-old divisions of New York Sire Stake trotters who will compete for $232,700 in purses. The card will also feature the renewal of Batavia Downs signature stakes, the Robert J. Kane Memorial Pace. 

Not held in 2020 or 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Robert J. Kane Memorial returns this year with its 17th edition and is the richest ever offered with the new enhanced purse of $75,000.

With the draw now complete, the 2022 field has an all-star cast including the $549,000 Borgotta MGM and $200,000 Battle of Lake Erie winner Funatthebeach N; top Open pacing mare and only female in the field, the locally-owned Gias Surreal; recent 1:47.4 Pocono winner American Courage; and current 1:49.3 Plainridge Park track record holder Moonshine Kisses. The eight-horse field has combined earnings of just under $5 million. 

Here is the full field for the race:

$75,000 Robert J. Kane Memorial Invitational Pace 
Post - Horse - Driver - Trainer
1. Funatthebeach N - Jordan Stratton - Jeffrey Gillis
2. Gias Surreal - Wally Hennessey - Jim Graham
3. American Courage - Matt Kakaley - Travis Alexander
4. Semi Tough - Wally Hennessey - Ron Burke
5. American Dealer N - Joe Bongiorno - Linda Toscano
6. Splash Brother - Tyler Buter - Ray Schnittker
7. Moonshine Kisses - Jay Randall - Jackie Greene
8. Wild Western - Jim Morrill Jr. - Norm Parker
AE1. Bettor Than Spring - Jim Morrill Jr. - Cory Kreiser

The Robert J. Kane Memorial is named for the former chairman of the board of Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corporation (WROTB), which owns and operates Batavia Downs and Gaming, Robert J. Kane. Kane worked on the board for 26 years and in 1998 saw the value in purchasing the track that had been shuttered for three years after having its license revoked. The facility has gone through a complete turnaround since then and WROTB has developed the property into the premier entertainment destination in Genesee County.

The first edition of the Kane was held in 2002 and has compiled a long list of champion horses that have come to Batavia to compete over the years. They include three-time winner and all-time highest money earner in the history of the sport, the $7.6 million dollar pacer Foiled Again. Other winners include Dorsoduro Hanover, Bolt The Duer, Atta Boy Dan, Kenneth J, One More Laugh and Aracache Hanover, who set the all-time track record of 1:51.1 winning the stakes in 2011. 

The $75,000 Robert J. Kane Memorial will go as Race 9 on Friday’s card with an approximate post time of 8:40 p.m. Post time for the first race is 6 p.m. Free full past performance programs for all live race nights at Batavia Downs can be downloaded at bataviadownsgaming.com under the "live racing" tab. 

(With files from Batavia Downs)