Fireyourguns ($2.30) proved once again that he's a high calibre pacer after putting away the field in Buffalo Raceway's $10,000 Open on Saturday night (May 7).
Driven by Mike Caprio, Fireyourguns went gate-to-wire in 1:52.2, the fastest mile of the meet in beating Knocking Around by a non-threatening length.
Starting from the seven post, Fireyourguns was tested a bit to reach the top just before the quarter pole, but did so in a brisk :27.1.
Knocking Around (David McNeight III) was first over and appeared to have a chance to pull the upset in the stretch, but Fireyourguns went :27.4 in the last panel to turn back that challenge. Western Alumni (Todd Cummings) finished in third.
Co-owned by trainer Terence McClory along with Jennifer and Robert Lowe, Fireyourguns (American Ideal-Villa Hanover) has captured three of five starts in 2016, earning $17,125. The win moved the seven-year-old gelding's lifetime earnings to $321,466.
The card was also highlighted by five finals of the Championship Claiming Series.
In the $5,000-$7,000 claiming pacers with a purse of $10,800, Beechwood Wayne (Drew Monti) pulled a $14.80 surprise in a seasonal-best 1:57. The $8,000-$10,000 pacing category worth $14,000 saw Urgently (Monti) taking the win in 1:56.2 and returning $6.10. Finally, in the $12,500-$15,000 pacing bracket with a purse of $15,600, That Horse J D (Billy Davis Jr.) equalled his lifetime mark of 1:55.1 in blowing away the field by six and a quarter lengths. He returned $4.10 on the $2 investment.
There were two trotting finals contested with Chrome Finish (Ray Fisher Jr.) victorious in the $4,000-$5,500 range to grab the lion's share of the $10,000 pool. Chrome Finish covered the mile in 1:59.4 and paid $8.50. Then in the $14,800 championship race for trotters in the $8,000-$12,500 division, Kahoku (Ron Beback Jr.) notched the win in 1:58 and paid $2.40.
Monti led the driver's statistics with a triple while Shawn McDonough, Beback Jr. and Fisher Jr. each had doubles. Trainers Ryan Swift and Mark Laidlaw each had a pair of winners.
(Buffalo Raceway)