Lyons Surfing continued to ride the wave of good form as he won his fifth consecutive race by taking Buffalo Raceway's $21,233 Open Pace on Saturday, April 18 in 1:55.2 over a track rated good.
Lyons Surfing (Greg Merton), who was first-over in his last three wins, this time took the inside track and closed down the lane to victory. I Aint No Mack (Kevin Cummings) cut the fractions with times of :29, :58.1 and 1:26.3. All Bets On Tex (Brett MacDonald) went first-over, followed by Livonjaxandqueens (Denny Bucceri) to the three-quarter marker, but their attempts stalled out. Lyons Surfing saved ground on the inside until shifting out on the final turn, and he roared by I Aint No Mack to post the one-length victory. Avion Seelster (James McNeight Jr.) finished third.
The win was the second straight in top-level Open competition for Lyons Surfing, a six-year-old son of Stay Hungry-Surfside Sexy. He is owned by PT Stable of Brick, N.J. and trained by Sheena Cohen. The victory pushed his lifetime totals to $503,952 in earnings and 26 wins from 93 starts. He paid $7.54 to win.
In the $21,233 Open Handicap Trot, Dealin With Dewey ($3.10) got the job done over a track downgraded to "sloppy," posting a three-quarter-length victory over Dougadougadew in 1:59.3. Dealin With Dewey (Brett MacDonald) muscled his way to the lead early and posted splits of :29.1, :59 and 1:29.3, and he remained in control down the lane, holding off the Dougadougadew (Kyle Cummings) and Crazy Ritz (James McNeight Jr.), who captured second and third place, respectively.
Owned and trained by Sara Baillargeon of Guelph, Ont., Dealin With Dewey took his third win in 10 starts this year, with all three coming in the Buffalo Open. The eight-year-old son of Wheeling N Dealin-Rockin With Dewey is now 31-for-148 lifetime with a bankroll of $518,279.
MacDonald completed the 13-race program with four wins, while Greg Merton took three and Drew Monti and McNeight III had two apiece. Candace Brandstatter-Hall and Cohen notched two training victories each.
Racing will continue at Buffalo on Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. with an 11-race program set.
(With files from Buffalo Raceway)