Kevin Cummings had a good day at the office at Batavia Downs on Wednesday night (Dec. 1), winning five races on the 10-race card, including the $12,100 Open II Handicap for distaff pacers, in which No Where To Hide made quick and easy work of a short field of six.
Cummings put No Where To Hide on the point and led at every station from there. After putting the single-file group to sleep in a pedestrian :59.3 first half, No Where To Hide continued to pace sharply under a strong hold until three-quarters, where Cummings tapped the gas and gave the mare her head. Taking a 1-1/4-length lead into the final turn, No Where To Hide paced away in the stretch and extended her advantage to two lengths at the line, where she won in 1:57.3.
No Where To Hide ($3.20) captured her ninth win of the year and inflated her earnings to $59,054 for owner Rocco Stebbins. Joe Skowyra trains the winner.
Cummings also won the $9,900 Open III co-featured pace for female side-wheelers with Lady London ($5.00), who followed a similar path to victory, leading gate-to-wire and posting a 1:55.3 win for the fastest mile of the night. Lady London is owned by VHF Racing and is trained by Sabrina Shaw.
Cummings also won with Sanchez Rocks (1:59.4, $4.90), Photo Bomber (1:59.3, $3.80) and King Harvest (1:58.3, $6.90).
Cummings never missed the board in his 10 drives on Wednesday, also grabbing three second-place finishes and two third-place finishes to finish the night with an eye-popping .733 UDR. He is currently the second leading dash driver at the Batavia meet with 65 wins and $477,418 in earnings. Overall in 2021, Cummings has 142 wins and has banked $940,662 so far this year, and is headed towards his tenth season of earnings in excess of $1 million.
Several other horsemen had notable nights at the Downs on Wednesday as well. Driver Denny Bucceri and trainer Robert Krenitsky Jr. teamed up for two wins, and trainer Sammy Smith sent out Cummings' fourth and fifth winners of the night.
When live racing resumes at Batavia Downs on Saturday (Dec. 4), two carryovers will be available, including the largest in track history. In race six, there is a small but mentionable carryover of $604 in the 20-cent Jackpot Pick-6. In race 11, the Jackpot Super Hi-5 currently has the largest carryover in the history of Batavia Downs: $25,699. This carryover has been building for over three months, and a single unique winning ticket on the right combination will take down the entire pool. The Jackpot Super Hi-5 is also a 20-cent base wager.
Post time for the first race Saturday is slated for 5 p.m.
(Batavia Downs)