There were two different tactics used in the pair of Buffalo Raceway featured $19,178 Open events on Saturday night, June 15.
First in the Open Pace, Mach Le More A ($13.80) used a furious rally in the deep stretch to shock Vel Mr Nice Guy by a head in 1:53.2. On the other hand, in the Open Trot, E Street ($4.90) used a front-end trip to beat I Got The Looks by 1-3/4 lengths in a season's best of 1:57.2.
In the first feature for pacers, Vel Mr Nice Guy (Joseph Chindano Jr.) burst into the lead, collecting fractions of :28, :57 and 1:25. With a final panel to pace, it appeared the event was going to boil down to Vel Mr Nice Guy, Scribblers and Davey Day Trader. But someone forgot to tell Mach Le More A. In what appeared to be a three-way battle midway down the lane, Mach Le More A (John Cummings Jr.) came flying on the outside and roared past a stunned Vel Mr Nice Guy while Scribblers (Jim Morrill Jr.) ended in third.
Co-owned by Marissa Russo and Fac Racing LLC and conditioned by David Russo, the nine-year-old gelded Mach Le More A (Mach Three-Runs On Love) earned his fifth win of the season in 20 appearances. The win upped his seasonal earnings to $64,885 and lifetime bankroll to $325,788.
While the Open Pace had a rousing finish, the Open Trot was far less dramatic. E Street fired right to the lead and posted splits of :29, :59 and 1:28.1. Down the stretch, the side-winders were lined up four-wide ready to attack E Street (Morrill Jr.), but those attempts came up empty. I Got The Looks (Dan Yetman) won the second-place battle, while Crazy Ritz (James McNeight Jr.) rolled in for the show position.
Owned by Tarja Butcher and trained by Rachelle Mungillo, E Street (Conway Hall-Highway Cash) picked up the fifth victory of his six-year-old campaign form 15 starts. The win increased his bankroll to $59,828 on the year and $177,068 in his career.
Racing will return to Buffalo Raceway on Wednesday afternoon at 2:30 p.m., with a 13-race card set. The New York Sire Stakes is back in town once again with a pair of $51,000 USD (approximately) events set for the two-year-old filly pacers. There will also be a trio of $20,000 USD races for the young ladies in the Excelsior Series, along with the $14,000 USD Class A-Open Pace for the damsels.
(With files from Buffalo Raceway)