YS Lotus ($3.30) made it a clean sweep in the Jumpstart Series for horses with a Trackmaster Rating of 73 or less at Buffalo Raceway on Friday afternoon (April 21) by winning the $30,000 finale as he toppled Rearview Blue Chip by 1-1/4 lengths in 1:56.2 over the fast track.
In the previous two legs in the Jumpstart Series, YS Lotus took a 1-1/4-length victory and an 8-1/2-length romp to qualify for the final.
At the start, Rearview Blue Chip took early control, but YS Lotus (Kevin Cummings) raced to the top as it appeared he might be hung out to dry. Clearing to the lead, YS Lotus put up times on the board of :29.2, :58.2 and 1:28.
With Rearview Blue Chip (Jim Morrill Jr.) the only serious contender heading for home, a :28.2 final quarter sealed the deal for YS Lotus.
Owned by Michael Torcello and trained by Samuel Smith,12-year-old gelding YS Lotus (If I Can Dream-Bolero Takara) earned his third victory in nine outings this year. The win jacked his earnings to $32,060 on the campaign and $535,106 in his career.
Alan's misfortune turned out to be good news for Credit List ($7.60) in the $15,500 Open Trot. It was the second straight score in the Open Trot for Credit List and third in his last four tries in the top level.
It appeared Alan was in good shape on the front end after posting solid splits of :29, :58.4 and 1:28.2. With things seemingly under control rounding the final turn, Alan abruptly broke stride, which immediately extinguished his chances and left Credit List (Morrill Jr.) and Good Boy (Ray Fisher Jr.) remaining to figure out who was going to take home the winner's share of the purse.
Good Boy briefly inherited the lead but Credit List trotted home strongly and was able to collect the victory. Secret Bro (Kevin Cummings) finished in third. The margin of victory was a length for Credit List, who covered the mile in 1:58.3.
Owned by Room 4040 LLC Stables and conditioned by Kevin Reynolds Jr., eight-year-old gelding Credit List (Credit Winner-Ashlees Dream) earned his fifth win in 11 tries in 2023. The victory vaulted his bankroll to $45,772 this year and $326,097 in his career.
Megabank K ($12.20) was 'money in the bank' in the $13,500 Open II Trot by defeating Muskingum by 1-1/2 lengths in a snappy 1:57.1.
Starting from the six post, it took a bit for Megabank K (Jason Thompson) to reach the top, hitting the opening panel in :29.2. From there, it was 'catch me if you can.' With fractions of :59.1 and 1:28.4 in the books, Megabank K found Muskingum the only taker and the pair was on even terms hitting the final turn. But Megabank K didn't waver in the stretch and put away Muskingum (Joseph Chindano Jr.). Charlatan Hanover (Morrill Jr.) collected the show cheque.
Owned by Kerry Merrriman and trained by Thompson, six-year-old gelding Megabank K (Break The Bank-Touch Of Grace) earned his second win in 12 outings this year. The triumph increased his seasonal earnings to $23,960 and lifetime bankroll to $66,703.
Fisher Jr. and Morrill Jr. notched driving triples on the card while Cristian Myers had two wins. Kris Rickert and Ryan Swift had a pair of training victories each.
Racing resumes on Saturday evening at 6 p.m. with a 12-race card. The program will feature the $30,000 final of the Jumpstart Series for horses with a Trackmaster Rating of 77 or less along with the $15,500 Open Pace.
(With files from Buffalo Raceway)