Stranger Things ($3.90) used a strong back half in Buffalo Raceway's $22,222 Open Pace on Saturday, May 17 to collect a solid 2-1/2 length victory over Melanion N in a seasonal best of 1:55.2 over the fast track.
Being sent off as the heavy favourite from the rail in a field of eight, Stranger Things (Kevin Cummings) allowed Shipsaway (John Cummings Jr.) to enjoy the front end for a few strides before pouncing back to the outside to retake command.
With early fractions of :29.1 and :59.3, Stranger Things was about to embark on a winning journey to subdue his other seven rivals.
With pressure now coming on the outside from Melanion N (Drew Monti) and Born A Rebel (Kyle Swift) tagging along in third, Stranger Things stepped on the gas and used a :28.3 third panel then roared to a final split of :28.1 to seal the deal. Melanion N held on for second with Born A Rebel (Kyle Swift) rolling in for third place honours.
Co-owned by Kathy Schoeffel and James Reuther, the nine-year-old Stranger Things (Western Terror-Southwind Prairie) is trained by Angelo Nappo. Stranger Things has now posted four wins in 15 tries on the season, putting $61,097 in the bank on the campaign and $452,722 lifetime.
Joseph Chindano Jr. had the hot hand on Saturday afternoon with four victories while David McNeight III and Cummings had driving doubles. Christopher Petrelli and Maggie Chindano each had a pair of training wins.
Live harness racing will resume on Wednesday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. with 12 races scheduled.
(with files from Buffalo)