Kevin Cummings had the hot hands on Wednesday, Oct. 8 at Batavia Downs, winning six races including the $17,361 Fillies and Mares Open I-II Handicap Pace with Gias Surreal.
Elegant Woman A (Drew Monti) grabbed a quick lead and was pressured by the parked-out Alabama Hannah (Joe Chindano Jr.) through sections of :27.4, :57.4, and 1:27.1. When Elegant Woman A finally put away Alabama Hannah, Gias Surreal was three-wide and flying and hooked up with Elegant Woman A on the last turn. The two mares separated from the field as they entered the stretch and matched strides all the way to the wire. A photo showed that Gias Surreal got up by a nose and won in 1:55.3. Won Surreal Deal (Kyle Cummings) was third.
The win was the 44th lifetime win for Gias Surreal ($7.82), who increased her impressive career bankroll to $1,163,869 in 205 starts. Jim Graham trains the nine-year-old daughter of So Surreal-Nancy Irene and co-owns her with Edward Peron and Lee Winters.
Cummings also won with Wasnt Me (1:57.3, $20), Tres Chic Bluechip (1:56.3, $13.62), Medeena (2:00, $7.22), American Jazz (1:57, $13.62), and Alwaysanun (1:56.3, $41.78). The six wins bring Cummings' total to 59 for the meet and moves him into fourth place on the leaderboard.
On a night that produced a litany of high prices overall, there were none that could top the dividends realized from a driving double turned in by Kyle Swift. Swift’s wins came with Filet Mignon, who paid $55.70 in the eighth race, and Kb Mac, a $40.36 winner in the ninth race. Those races also made up the late daily double, and the combination returned the pool-sweeping payout of $3,653.38.
The 20-year-old Swift is a rising star at Batavia Downs, where he has become a sought-out catch driver. He currently sits in seventh place for wins this meet, now with 34 after Wednesday's double.
Graham and Tom Mays topped all trainers on Wednesday with two wins apiece.
Live racing resumes at Batavia Downs on Friday, Oct. 10 with post time at 6 p.m. There will be a carryover of $947 in the Pick-5 wager in the first race, and track management has announced that the pool will be guaranteed at $5,000 through the United States Trotting Association’s Strategic Wagering program. Full past performance program pages for those races will be free to download (when available), courtesy of TrackMaster, at ustrotting.com under the Handicapping tab. There is also a $2,010 carryover in the Jackpot Super Hi-5 pentafecta in the 13th race.
(Batavia Downs)