Wicked Elphaba used a 'wicked' brush at the three-quarter marker and bolted away from the field in the $10,000 Open Pace for the filly and mares at Buffalo Raceway on Wednesday night (March 2).
For the second straight race, Wicked Elphaba rewarded her supporters with a big win price. She returned $42.60 for the upset win this week after notching a $31.40 score in her previous start seven days earlier against softer company.
Sitting fifth at the half-mile pole, Wicked Elphaba (Ray Fisher Jr.) shook free down the backstretch and zipped past the pacesetting Ugly Betty. It was all over at the top of the stretch as Wicked Elphaba opened it up in the lane, using a :27.4 final panel to leave the other seven mares in her wake. She finished the mile in 1:58.3 over the "good" track and was five and three-quarter lengths ahead of her nearest rival.
The only battle left in the feature was for the minor rewards and Kesons Silhouette (Truman Gale) skimmed the pylons for second with Little Santamonica (Shawn McDonough) taking third-place.
The victory was the second in six appearances this season for Wicked Elphaba (Western Terror-Melajusted). She is owned by the Tanah Merah Farms LLC and is trained by Ryan Swift. The six-year-old mare has now earned $14,932 this season and $129,271 lifetime.
Jim McNeight finished the night with four victories in the sulky, Todd Cummings tripled while Billy Davis Jr. and Jack Flanigen doubled. JD Perrin had a pair of training wins.
(Buffalo Raceway)