Driver Brett MacDonald put on a brilliant display of sulky prowess on Saturday, Sept. 19 at Batavia Downs as he won seven of the 10 races he was carded to steer, including victories in both features and a natural grand slam in Races 5 through 8. 

Four of his seven winners on the 13-race card were trained by David Russo, who garnered a grand slam of his own.

The first of those two feature wins was the $19,014 AA-Open Handicap Trot, in which Beacon Beach took full advantage of an inside draw to trip out to a narrow victory.

MacDonald tucked Beacon Beach into the pocket behind El Toro Loco (Kevin Cummings) and tracked him willingly through fractions of :28 and :59 to the half. Rolling around turn three, Valentine Express (Jim McNeight Jr.) moved first-over and drew near El Toro Loco at the 1:29 third station. Valentine Express continued to press El Toro Loco around the last bend and took the lead at the head of the stretch. But Beacon Beach then dipped into the passing lane and bolted to the front in the shadow of the wire to win by a nose in 1:58.3. El Toro Loco was third.

Beacon Beach ($8.14), owned by Caeleo Enterprises LLC and Brad Conschafter, is now six-for-30 this year. Russo trains the six-year-old Resolve-Black Caviar gelding, who took his 19th win from 113 career starts and upped his bankroll to $307,126.

MacDonald’s other feature win came in the $19,014 Open Handicap Pace with his own Saulsbrook Victor, whose 41st lifetime win in his 161st start pushed his earnings to $954,843.

MacDonald got away last of five with Saulsbrook Victor and 10 lengths behind Thunder Country (Andy Shetler) at the quarter in :27.4. Thunder Country hit the brakes hard in the second panel, which allowed the field to bunch and brought Saulsbrook Victor six lengths closer and moving second-over behind Italian Lad N (Shawn Gray) at the half in :58.1. MacDonald pulled the trigger past three-quarters in 1:27 with Saulsbrook Victor, who went three-wide and circled the top three. As the field reached the head of the lane, Saulsbrook Victor gained the lead and paced away to a 1-1/4-length win in 1:55.3. Lanjo Lee (Kyle Cummings) surged for second over Thunder Country.

The win was the seventh of the year from 23 tries for Saulsbrook Victor ($2.34), who is owned by Brett MacDonald, of Freelton, Ont., in partnership with Brent MacLennan of Charlottetown, P.E.I. Ronald MacDonald trains the winning eight-year-old son of Source Of Pride-Atlanta Girl.

The “Maroon Fury” also won with Brutus Bayama (1:54.4, $3.28), Run Around John (1:55.3, $8.40), Scrub Hanover (1:57.2, $11.42), Winmebak (1:54.4, $5.98) and Bolt Of Beauty (1:56.2, $2.30). MacDonald also had a third from his 10 starts, giving him a .733 UDR for the evening.

This is the fifth consecutive year that Brett MacDonald has earned in excess of $2 million driving, and his $2.47 million earned to date in 2026 ranks as the second-highest total of his career. He now has 249 wins this season. MacDonald also vaulted into second place on the Batavia dash-winning driving list after his big night at The Downs, raising his local seasonal total to 42.

Russo was the top trainer on Saturday after MacDonald steered his Brutus Bayama, Run Around John, Beacon Beach and Bolt Of Beauty to victories. Russo also jumped into second place in the trainer competition, with an updated total of 19 wins. He is tied with Shawn McDonough, with Samuel Smith in front with 44 seasonal victories.

Live racing will resume at Batavia on Wednesday at 5 p.m. There will be a $5,055 carryover in the Jackpot Super Hi-5 pentafecta wager in the 12th race.

(With files from Batavia Downs; photo of Saulsbrook Victor winning on Sept. 19)