Ziegfeld won the featured $11,000 Open Trot at Buffalo Raceway Friday night (April 5).
The win was the third in five attempts this season for Ziegfeld, a five-year-old Broadway Hall gelding trained by Gerry Sarama and owned by J M L Stables Inc. of Heathrow, Florida.
Ziegfeld ($5.60), the 9-5 favourite in the race, settled in fourth from post four with driver Jim Morrill Jr. in the bike as eventual third-place finisher Hour Lavec (John Cummings Jr.) cut all the fractions in the race (:28, :58.1, and 1:27.4). As the field hit the top of the stretch, Ziegfeld swung to the outside, while second-place finisher Hailstorm Volo (Jack Flanigen) took the passing lane. It was a good battle down the stretch with Ziegfeld prevailing by three-quarters of a length in 1:58.3.
The $5,500 share of the winning purse put Ziegfeld’s seasonal earnings at $17,580 and lifetime earnings at $125,262. The win was his 15th in 69 lifetime starts.
Morrill Jr. led all drivers with four wins on the night.
(With files from Buffalo Raceway)