There was no breather for Stratosphere in Buffalo Raceway's $10,500 Class AA-Open Handicapped Pace on Saturday night (April 24), but he was more than up to the persistent challenges in taking a half-length win over Mr Ham Sandwich in 1:54.1, the fastest mile of the 2021 meet.
After collecting the lead just before the opening panel, Stratosphere (Drew Monti) was under constant siege during the entire tour around the half-mile oval.
First it was Santana Beach who parked alongside Stratosphere for the first half. After Santana Beach threw in the towel, Mr Ham Sandwich and Iluvtomakemoney then took their turns at Stratosphere.
While giving it their best shots, Stratosphere was more than up for the challenge and gamely crossed the finish line ahead of Mr Ham Sandwich and Iluvtomakemoney.
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Owned by driver Drew Monti and trained by Darrin Monti, it was the second victory in five attempts this season for the six-year-old gelded Stratosphere (Mach Three-Northern Jade). The win improved his seasonal bankroll to $14,450 and $127,315 lifetime. He paid $12.80 to win.
In the co-featured $10,400 Class A-Open Handicapped Trot, Southern Palms let Mr Quaker do all the dirty work, then went by in deep stretch to register the head decision in a seasonal best of 1:57.1.
Mr Quaker blasted off the starting gate and posted quick fractions of :28.4, :57.1 and 1:26.3. Southern Palms stayed in the pocket until ducking into the passing lane and eventually going past the stubborn Mr Quaker. Keystone Apache finished in third.
Owned by Mike Torcello and trained by Gerry Sarama, the eight-year-old gelded Southern Palms (RC Royalty-Pacific Elegance) has now posted three wins in eight starts this year. The victory increased his earnings to $15,445 on the campaign and $356,613 in his career. Jim Morrill Jr. drove the $3.20 winner.
There were a couple of big shockers on the evening as This Baby Rocks kicked off the 11-race program with an $86.00 victory, while Gallant Major followed that in the fifth race with an $84.50 score.
Morrill Jr. completed the evening with three driving wins while Fisher Jr. and Monti had doubles. Sarama had a pair of training victories.
Racing will continue on Wednesday evening (April 28) with an 11-race card with a scheduled first-race post time of 5 p.m. (EDT). There will be a guaranteed pool of $10,000 in the Pick 5, which begins in the second race.
(Buffalo Raceway)