Taylor Rei absolutely enjoyed watching a pair of mares battle in a speed duel on the front and then reaped the benefits of their hard work to win the $10,500 Fillies and Mares Open Pace at Buffalo Raceway on Wednesday night (June 8) in a seasonal-best time of 1:54.3 over the 'fast' track.

Real Joy (Shawn McDonough) and the parked Ugly Betty (Jack Flanigen) tussled to the opening half-mile, posting fractions of :28 and :56.2. Taylor Rei (Ray Fisher Jr.), who went three-wide down the backstretch, zoomed past the tiring pacesetters, hitting the three-quarter pole in 1:25.3. In the stretch, Taylor Rei ($15.40) and Ray Fisher Jr. enjoyed the beautiful spring air in Western New York and never had to deal with any challengers, scoring a four length victory. Vlaa Faire (Drew Monti) finished in second while CS Kentucky (Kevin Cummings) took third place.

Taylor Rei (Cheyenne Rei-Lady Raider), owned by Jonathan Klee Racing and trained by Ryan Swift, has now registered five victories in 15 starts, producing $27,663 in earnings in 2014 and $106,065 lifetime.

(Buffalo Raceway)