Classic Rock Nroll, winner of the $122,500 Joe Gerrity, Jr. Memorial Pacing Series Final at Saratoga Raceway and the $111,500 Battle of Lake Erie at Northfield Park, will headline the field in the 10th annual $50,000 Robert J. Kane Memorial Pace Saturday night at Batavia Downs.
The Robert J. Kane Memorial Pace, the track’s richest overnight event of the year, is named for the former chairman of the board of Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corporation, the owner of Batavia Downs.
Installed as the 5-2 morning line favourite, Classic Rock Nroll will head to Western New York off a 1:50.1 victory at Mohawk Racetrack. In 23 starts in 2012 the five-year-old son of Rocknroll Hanover has won seven times and leads the Kane field with $292,770 in season’s earnings. Dan Noble who drove him to victory in the Gerrity and the Battle likes his chances.
“He’s got a great attitude and he likes his work,” Noble said. “I’d like to leave with him but we’ll have to see what happens when the gate opens; in any event he’s versatile enough to come from off the pace. It’s a competitive field but I think he’s the horse to beat.”
Classic Rock Nroll who drew post six is trained by Tony O'Sullivan for owner Frank Bellino.
Former Meadowlands Pace winner One More Laugh is one of two millionaires in the seven-horse field. Jeff Gregory once again picks up the catch-drive on the five-year-old son of Mcardle for trainer Ray Schnittker. With lifetime earnings of $2,536,530, One More Laugh is the second-richest pacer, behind Foiled Again, the 2009 Kane Memorial winner, to ever compete at the nation’s oldest lighted harness racetrack. One More Laugh has been competing in the Open pace at Yonkers Raceway and has amassed $141,605 this season. He will score from post four and was made 6-1 on the morning line.
The other millionaire ($1.6 million) in the field is Hypnotic Blue Chip. In 2010 he set a world record in the U.S. Pacing Championship at the Meadowlands, when he stopped the timer in 1:47.2, and then equaled the 1:49.4 track record at Northfield Park while winning the Battle of Lake Erie. This year Hypnotic Blue Chip has earned $136,275 in 15 starts for owner Fran Azur. Ray Fisher, Jr. will pick up the drive for trainer Kevin McDermott. Hypnotic Blue Chip will line up in post seven and open at 7-2 on the line.
Starting from post two will be the 4-1 shot Sapphire City. Back on Sept. 8 Sapphire City established the all-age track record of 1:50.2 at Yonkers Raceway. He’ll get the services of Tony Morgan. The Paul Blumenfeld trainee has 2012 earnings of $218,110.
The standout freshman Feel Like a Fool drew the rail for trainer George Teague. Montrell Teague will be in the sulky behind the son of Art Major who earned $579,933 as a two-year-old. Two starts back he finished third in the $216,500 Bobby Quillen Memorial, behind two of the better pacers in the sport right now, Betterthancheddar and Foiled Again. The final time of 1:49.2 in the Quillen was just two-fifths of a second off the world record on a half-mile racetrack.
Completing the field will be number three, Valentino, whom Pat Berry will drive for trainer Nick Surick, and number five, Something For Doc, with Kevin Cummings at the controls for the sport’s leading conditioner, Ron Burke.
Saturday night’s 13-race program will also feature the fifth annual Brian Schroeder Memorial Trot. The race is named after the longtime Western New York horseman. Neighsay Hanover, a recent winner in an Open trot at Yonkers Raceway has been installed as the 5-2 favourite. Jeff Gregory will drive for trainer Ray Schnittker.
Post time will be at 6:25 p.m.
(Batavia Downs)