It looked like things weren't going to go well for Dont Say Goodby at the top of the stretch, but by the time he reached the wire, he was saying "hello there" in posting a surprising $29 victory.
Making his first start since August, Dont Say Goodby (Shawn McDonough) rallied from fifth-place in the passing lane and stunned the pacesetting OK Braveheart (Kevin Cummings) by three-quarters of a length in the $8,500 Open Pace at Batavia Downs on Saturday night (Nov. 30).
Ok Braveheart, as expected, set the fractions of :29.1, :57.3, and 1:25.4. It appeared that OK Braveheart was ready for a battle with a stubborn Unicorn Hanover (Ron Beback Jr.) down the stretch for the victory. But sitting fifth and over four lengths off the lead, Dont Say Goodby found plenty of room in the passing lane and roared past the front-runners to notch the upset win in 1:55.3.
OK Braveheart finished second while Unicorn Hanover finished in third.
The win was the sixth of the season for Dont Say Goodby (Dontgetinmyway-Good By Albatross), who is owned by Derek Menchhofer and trained by Charles Stewart. The five-year-old gelding has now earned $62,577 in 2013 and $161,137 lifetime.
McDonough and Ray Fisher Jr. had triples on the night while Beback Jr. scored a double.
The final week of racing for 2013 starts on Wednesday night with a 12-race card beginning at 6:30 p.m. The feature is the seventh race, the $8,500 Fillies and Mares Open Pace.
(With files from Batavia Downs)