Rocknroll Shelli strikes on opening day

Batavia, NY — Rocknroll Shelli (A Rocknroll Dance) got a perfect trip right to the stretch where she took the passing lane to victory in the $9,000 Open II-III Handicap pacing feature on opening day of the 2026 winter meet that greeted contestants with a good track and intermittent rain.

Rocknroll Shelli (Kyle Cummings) settled in second behind Way Too Sweet (Shawn Gray) who led the field to the half in 1:01.2. There, Arsenal’s Ladybug (Kyle Swift) moved first-over with Pro Beach (Brett Beckwith) right behind and the pair pushed the action to three-quarters in 1:31.2. After rounding the last turn, Arsenal’s Ladybug took the lead on the outside from Way Too Sweet as they entered the stretch and looked like a winner. But Rocknroll Shelli had a clear run along the pegs and bolted late to grab the front by one-half length at the light in 2:02.3.

ROCKNROLL SHELLI REPLAY

Rocknroll Shelli ($13.80) is owned by Chris Lawton and Dale Lawton, who also trains the winner.

Shawn Gray, who was visiting from Saratoga, was the leading driver on Tuesday after winning three races on the card. Three more winners on Tuesday came from the stable of Candace Brandstratter-Hall, who was the top conditioner to start the meet.

Live racing will resume at Batavia Downs on Thursday (Jan. 15) at 3:00 p.m.

Free full card past performance programs for every live card of racing at Batavia can always be downloaded at The Downs’ website (bataviadownsgaming.com) under the “Live Racing” tab. Then you can watch all the races live as they happen for free on the Batavia Downs YouTube page.

For complete race results, click here: US Trotting results.

by Tim Bojarski, for Batavia Downs