With much talk about the top three dash drivers at Batavia Downs this year, the man sitting in fourth has been quietly creeping into the picture. Kevin Cummings is a four-time Batavia Downs driving title holder (2009, 2010, 2014 and 2015) and he has been red-hot of late.
On Wednesday (November 8), Cummings won five of the ten races on the program while finishing second and third in two others, giving him a UDR of just under .600 for the night.
Cummings won with Aritzia Hanover (1:57, $10.20), Bad Glamour Girl (1:56.2, $31.20), Elite (1.56.3, $4.00), Maradona (1:57.1, $5.20), and Voltina, who upset in the night’s featured race.
Despite winning the top distaff pace last week at Batavia Downs, Voltina was dismissed by the betting public in the same class this week. But that didn’t dissuade her, as she struck for the second straight time in the $9,500 Open Handicap for fillies and mares.
Voltina left from post six and had the lead in the blink of an eye. With the field in single-file fashion behind her for almost a half, they got to that station in a modest :58.1. A weak outer flow started to advance but really gained no momentum, however Rockin Kasbah (Larry Stalbaum)—who had been in the garden spot from the very beginning—was loaded with pace as the leader came around the last turn. At the top of the stretch, Cummings was driving Voltina hard as Rockin Kasbah ducked into the passing lane. Rockin Kasbah made up ground all the way to the wire, but Voltina hung onto a nose victory in 1:55.
It was the seventh win of the year for Voltina ($21.80), who topped off her bank account at $62,896 for owner CHS Racing, LLC. Tony Cummings trains the winner.
The previously mentioned drivers' race continues to be interesting. Current leader Larry Stalbaum had two winners on Wednesday as did the second-place Drew Monti. So at the end of the day, it’s Stalbaum with 99 wins, Monti with 95, Ray Fisher, Jr. with 93 wins, and Kevin Cummings, now with 79, is still in the conversation. With 16 nights of racing left, it remains a wide-open competition.
Racing resumes at Batavia Downs on Friday night (November 10) with post time at 6:00 p.m.
(Batavia Downs)