Brett Beckwith, who ended the 2023 season as the seventh winningest driver in North America, is rolling again in 2024 and strutted his stuff at Batavia Downs on Thursday afternoon (Jan. 25) by winning five races on the card.
“Brett The Jet” won with Why Tomorrow Ray (1:56.1, $2.80), Rosey Time (1:56.3, $4.40), One Night Fury (2:02.1, $9.40), Rock A Honey (1:58, $25.80) and Silver Buckeye (2:04, $6.40). Beckwith also scored three seconds and two thirds during the card, giving him a .524 UDR for the session.
Thursday’s card had a triple feature on the track as a $20,270 Open Handicap for fillies and mares, trotters and male pacers were all held over a sloppy track amid heavy fog as a January thaw was in full effect.
The distaff pace was won by Way Too Sweet (Jim Morrill Jr.), who sat second behind A Black Diamond (Kevin Cummings) until the top of the final turn. There, Morrill tipped the mare three-deep around Mcnatural L (Dave McNeight III) and thundered down the center of lane to win by a length in 1:58.4.
Way Too Sweet ($3.50), who was a six-time winner last year, got her first victory of 2024 for owners George Tackley and Wendy Storrier. The five-year-old Rockin Image mare is trained by Andy Gardner.
The top trot went to Special Prosecutor (Kevin Cummings), who led the field to the quarter in :28.4 before watching Esa (Jim Morrill Jr.) brush from third to take control in turn two. Special Prosecutor then sat chilly in the garden spot through the second circuit until the top of the stretch, where he tipped and ran down the leader to win by three-quarters of a length in 1:58.1.
It was the first win in three 2024 tries for Special Prosecutor ($10.80), a Chapter Seven six-year-old gelding who is owned by Philip Hale and trainer David Dewhurst.
Then in the Open Pace, Sounds Good (Billy Dobson) was sent off at 40-1 and got away seventh, as Better Take It (Kevin Cummings) and Rock N Roll Runa A (Larry Stalbaum) traded leads to the half. At that station, Twin B Tuffenuff (Brett Beckwith) pulled first-over to engage the leader and Sounds Good followed right behind with his cover. Rock N Roll Runa A held a clear lead heading into the final bend, but the field bunched at the top of the lane with Sounds Good widest of all. Dobson rocked and knocked Sounds Good all the way to the wire and was the best by a neck in a four-horse photo, stopping the clock in 1:56.1.
Sounds Good ($82), a four-year-old son of Bettors Delight, is owned by Michael Sergi and Sam Sergi and was the second winner for trainer Andy Gardner. The pacer is now two-for-three this year.
Live harness racing resumes at Batavia Downs on Monday, Jan. 29 at 3 p.m. and the card will feature the second round of the Western New York Trackmaster Series for pacers.
(With files from Batavia Downs)