By Tim Bojarski, for Batavia Downs
(Photo courtesy of Wendy J. Lowery)
Batavia, NY — The finest group of pacers ever assembled to compete at Batavia Downs will go to post in the $100,000 Robert J. Kane Memorial Pace on Saturday (Aug.24). The top-flight field of eight have a combined lifetime earnings of just under $6.5 million and include millionaires Hellabalou, Covered Bridge and Desperate Man.
Hellabalou ($1,446,071) won the $457,000 MGM Borgotta final at Yonkers Raceway in April and is coming off a lifetime best 1:48.3 effort at Harrah’s Philadelphia on August 4. He is also currently the second richest older male pacer in North America.
Covered Bridge ($1,344,523) is the defending Kane Memorial Pace champion after winning this race in 1:52 at The Downs last year. He comes into this race — as he did in 2023 — after winning the $100,000 Gold Cup and Saucer at Red Shores in 1:50.4, making him a two time champion there as well. Covered Bridge is also the winningest horse in this field with 51 career victories.
Desperate Man ($1,270,279) was the 2021 $790,000 North American Cup winner in his lifetime best 1:49.3 at Woodbine Mohawk Park where he defeated Bulldog Hanover, Perfect Sting and Abuckabett Hanover. Earlier this year, he won all four of his legs in the MGM Borgotta before finishing third in the $457,000 final. Since then he has owned the Invitation at Yonkers where he’s won his last four starts there, including his last two outings coming into the Kane.
Also in the race is Coaches Corner, who is coming off a 19-win season last year and is currently the highest earning older pacer of either gender in North America ($435,345). Those earnings were driven by one win and four second place finishes in the MGM Borgotta legs and a second place finish in that final to Hellabalou this spring. He also won the $250,000 Joe Gerrity Memorial at Saratoga Raceway in a lifetime best-tying 1:49.3 in July.
Rocknroll Runa A has won a total of 20 races and earned just shy of $500,000 in his two years of racing in North America since being imported from Australia and only three weeks ago, took his lifetime mark of 1:47.3 at the Meadowlands while winning the $220,000 Sam McKee Memorial pace. He finished seventh in the Kane at Batavia last year, but did win at The Downs in 1:51.2 last September, which was his only Batavia victory in six tries to date.
Buzzsaw Russ is a Hoosier Park invader that has been throwing some very big miles in Indiana. Most recently back-to-back wins in 1:48 and change before finishing second in the $315,000 Dan Patch at Hoosier in 1:49.2 and second in the $100,000 #Senditin Invitational that went in 1:48 at Scioto Downs. He did race in the $300,000 Carl Milstein Memorial at Northfield Park in 2023 and finished third while pacing in 1:49 flat, and that was his only lifetime start over a half mile track.
Natameri comes in off very solid back-to-back wins at Saratoga Raceway and Tioga Downs and took his seasonal mark of 1:49 at Plainridge Park earlier this summer. He is just shy of having a 50% win percentage lifetime as he has won 23 of his 50 career outings.
Typhoon Banner N Strung four consecutive wins through June and July at Mohegan Sun Pocono and Yonkers and took his lifetime mark of 1:48.4 at Pocono as well this year. Bongiorno is no stranger to Batavia as he won the 2022 edition of the Kane with American Dealer N in 1:50.2, which still stands as the current all-time track pacing record at Batavia Downs.
Here is the complete draw with post positions:
1 Buzzsaw Russ John De Long Melissa Essig
2 Coaches Corner Jason Bartlett Per Engblom
3 Desperate Man Matt Kakaley Travis Alexander
4 Rocknroll Runa A Larry Stalbaum Larry Stalbaum
5 Covered Bridge Jordan Stratton Jeffrey Gillis
6 Typhoon Banner N Joe Bongiorno Joe Bongiorno
7 Hellabalou Jim Morrill Jr. Ron Burke
8 Natameri Jason Bartlett Jessica Okusko
Saturday’s card will also feature the New York sire Stakes 3-year-old colt and gelding trotters and 3-year-old filly trotters who will each go one division for purses totaling $233,300 and four $20,000 Excelsior trots. With the overnight features, the 15-race card purse value is over $500,000.
The Kane Memorial will go as race 10 with post time at 9 p.m. The NYSS events are carded as races eight and 11 with post times of 8:20 p.m. and 9:20 p.m. Post time for the first race is 6 p.m.
Free programs can be downloaded at bataviadownsgaming.com under the live racing tab.