Batavia Downs will present the 19th Robert J. Kane Memorial Invitational Pace on Saturday, Aug. 23 to headline a stellar card of late summer racing that offers a total of $488,300 USD in purses.  

The race is named in honour of the former chairman of the Western Regional Off Track Betting Corporation (WROTB) and his vision for a defunct racetrack. In 1998, Kane saw the opportunity for WROTB to keep harness racing alive in Western New York and convinced the group to purchase the shuttered Batavia Downs. He then worked diligently for four years to obtain a racing license from the state of New York in order to re-open the track in 2002. Since that time, the track and facilities have had numerous investments and upgrades by WROTB to help improve the racing product and, as a result, the sport is currently thriving at the area’s premier entertainment destination.

Through the efforts of Race Secretary Tom Agosti, the 2025 edition of this signature event will have one of the most impressive groups of Open-class pacing horses ever assembled in Genesee County and is led by two double millionaires named Captain Albano and Desperate Man.

Although he’s only four, Captain Albano has already had a storied career. He was named the Dan Patch Two-Year-Old Male Pacer of the Year in 2023 after winning seven out of nine starts and pacing the fastest two-year-old mile (by a male) of the season in 1:49.2. Then he came back the following year and was named the Dan Patch Three-Year-Old Male Pacer of the Year in 2024, making him only the sixth male pacer this century to receive a Dan Patch Award at ages two and three, joining Perfect Sting, Tall Dark Stranger, Somebeachsomewhere, Captaintreacherous and Bettors Delight.

During his sophomore year, Captain Albano won 12 of 18 races, including 10 of his final 13 of the season, with stakes victories in the Adios and Little Brown Jug, while earning more than $1.5 million and taking a mark of 1:48.1 at The Meadowlands in a Breeders Crown elimination.

After it looked like he would leave the racing ranks in lieu of stud duty, it was decided to return him to the track this year and he hasn’t let anyone down. So far, he has won two out of his six starts, including last Saturday's Always B Miki Invitational in 1:48.2 at Pocono Downs.

Despite the majority of his races being contested over larger ovals, Captain Albano is undefeated over a half-mile track. Those starts were in the Little Brown Jug in Delaware, Ohio, where he won his elimination in 1:49.2 and then came back two hours later to win the final in 1:50.1.  

Although Todd McCarthy has driven Captain Albano in 31 of his 33 lifetime starts, Tyler Buter, who will drive him Saturday, did sit behind him once as a two-year-old and finished second in a leg of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes. The Kane will be Captain Albano’s first start ever at Batavia Downs.

For his career, Captain Albano has won 21 out of 33 starts with $2,190,230 in earnings for trainer Noel Daley and owners Patricia Stable of Massapequa, New York, L A Express And Sjoblom Inc. of Chesterfield, New Jersey, Sjoblom Racing Inc. of Delray Beach, Florida and Michael Dolan of Sarasota, Florida.

Captain Albano has drawn post four in the eight-horse field for the Kane and is the 5-2 morning line favourite.

The seven-year-old Desperate Man is a bit more tenured than Captain Albano and he comes into this race as the defending champion after winning the 2024 Kane in 1:51.3.

Desperate Man earned more than $200,000 as a two-year-old competing in the Ontario Sires Stakes and then came back at three and was a dominant fixture on that circuit again. But he also won the $1 million North America Cup where he beat the likes of Bulldog Hanover, Perfect Sting and Abuckabett Hanover. He earned $767,594 that year and was named the 2021 O'Brien Three-Year-Old Male Pacer of the Year and overall Horse of the Year. 

Since that season, as an aged gelding he has won a litany of Invitationals and Opens across North America while in the care of trainer Travis Alexander for Kathy Cecchin of Arthur, Ont.

His fastest win time over a half-mile oval was 1:50.1 at Grand River Raceway in 2023, but he was race-timed in 1:48.4 at Northfield Park in June of this year while finishing second to Ken Hanover in the Grade 2 Battle Of Lake Erie after cutting the mile. That race was a world record as Ken Hanover became the fastest older (five years and up) pacing stallion ever over a half-mile track (1:48.3).

All tallied, Desperate Man has won 32 of 83 starts with $2,293,669 in purses earned and his best career mile was clocked in 1:48.2 at Pocono Downs this past May.

Desperate Man, the 3-1 second choice in the Kane field, will have his regular reinsman Matt Kakaley aboard and will start from post three.

The complete field for the $100,000 USD Robert J. Kane Memorial Invitational Pace, which will go as race 10 with an estimated post time of 9 p.m., is listed below.

$100,000 USD Robert J. Kane Memorial Invitational Pace
Post - Horse - Driver - Trainer - Morning Line Odds
1. Livonjaxandqueens - Drew Monti - James Rothfuss - 9-2
2. Buzzsaw Russ - Jason Bartlett - Melissa Essig - 7-2
3. Desperate Man - Matt Kakaley - Travis Alexander - 3-1
4. Captain Albano - Tyler Buter - Noel Daley - 5-2
5. Birthday - Jim Morrill Jr. - Ron Burke - 9-1
6. Blazing Home N - Larry Stalbaum - Larry Stalbaum - 15-1
7. Typhoon Banner N - Brett Beckwith - Joe Bongiorno - 15-1
8. Natameri - Kevin Cummings - Jessica Okusko - 15-1
AE1. Howlenthehills - Matt Kakaley - Travis Alexander 

Saturday’s card will also feature two divisions of the New York Sire Stakes. The three-year-old trotting fillies will go for $121,800 USD and the three-year-old colt and gelding trotters will compete for $114,900 USD.

In the $56,900 USD split, Variegated (Chapter Seven-White Cheetah) comes in favoured and boasts a very impressive resume.

Variegated was the NYSS two-year-old male trotting champion last year and has only gotten better at three. Aside from being undefeated in his two NYSS starts, he has also competed against the best the Grand Circuit has to offer. He won the Bunker Hill Trot at Plainridge, finished second in the Empire Breeders Classic at Vernon and the Yonkers Trot, and then just missed qualifying for the Hambletonian after finishing a close fifth in his elimination. In his last start he simply jogged by 6-3/4 lengths in 1:54.2 in a NYSS event at Saratoga.

Those efforts put $306,533 in his coffers and makes him the fifth richest trotting male and eighth richest trotter overall in North America this year.

Trainer Marcus Melander has assigned Jason Bartlett to drive Variegated and they have drawn post four on the gate.

Happy Jack B (Chapter Seven-Exotic Form) is coming into this race at the top of his form this year with his last four starts on the Grand Circuit. He finished a close third in the Yonkers Trot behind Super Chapter, won the Muscle Hill at The Meadowlands in a lifetime best 1:52 and then just missed by half a length in the Beacon Hill consolation at Pocono in 1:52.3.

Tyler Buter will drive Happy Jack B from post two for trainer Ake Svanstedt.

The other $58,000 USD division looks to be a more wide-open affair with three horses very much a factor.

Seven Layer (Chapter Seven-Coffeecake Hanover) is the points (124) and earnings ($182,371) leader of this group and has not finished worse than third in his five NYSS starts. His $198,411 in purses this year is the highest in this race and he comes in fresh off a 1:57.3 NYSS win at Saratoga.

Karinchak (Chapter Seven-Sianna Hanover) can be erratic at times, but when he’s on his game, he’s fast. A three-time winner this year, Karinchak took his mark of 1:53.2 at Pocono while winning the final of the Weiss Series. And he just finished second behind Variegated in his last NYSS outing at Saratoga.

Fadeaway Hanover (Chapter Seven-Fad Finance) has a win and a third in NYSS action this year, but he has also faced Grand Circuit competition at Woodbine Mohawk Park where he finished third in a Goodtimes elimination behind Emoticon Legacy. After taking a 1:53 lifetime mark at Mohawk in an overnight race, Lasix was added and Fadeaway Hanover has since won again in 1:53.1 with a :27 flat kicker and finished third, beaten only a length in a NYSS race at Saratoga.

Seven Layer has Niko Karna up for Noel Daley from post two, Karinchak has Mark MacDonald in the bike from a pylon start for Ray Schnittker and Fadeaway Hanover will be steered by Jim Morrill Jr. from post three for Sara Baillargeon.

The second year fillies will line up in one field for a purse of $121,800 USD and My Debt Collecter (Chapter Seven-Magic Presto) looks to pay the bills with the bulk of that offering.

After coming off a season where she made just shy of a quarter million dollars, My Debt Collecter came back and has already outperformed her career totals across the board. She has won five out of her six NYSS starts, lowered her lifetime mark to 1:54.3 and amassed $390,080 in purses. That total currently places her as the third richest three-year-old female trotter and sixth richest three-year-old trotter overall in North America. My Debt Collecter is also the points (262) and earnings ($306,587) leader among all second year NYSS female trotters by a large margin.

My Debt Collecter had a three-week break that started in July and qualified back strong on Aug. 5 at Harrah’s Philly. She has since won a NYSS race at Yonkers and comes into this race fresh and ready to roll.

Nifty Norman has Tyler Buter aboard once again and My Debt Collecter will start from post five.

Looking to upset the favourite are Calculus Risk (Devious Man-K Squared) and Chapvious (Devious Man-Chaperess) who finished second and third respectively to My Debt Collecter last week by less than a length. Both trotters have been very consistent this year, but are both prone to sporadic breaks. If on their game, both are capable of getting the job done.

Calculus Risk has Jeff Gregory aboard for Perry Simser from post four and Chapvious has drawn pylon position for Jason Bartlett and George Ducharme.

The New York Sire Stake events are carded as Races 7, 9 and 11. There are also three $20,000 USD Excelsior Series trots on the card. 

First post time for the 15-race card is 6 p.m.

(With files from Batavia Downs; photo of Desperate Man winning the 2024 Kane Memorial)